| Drastic changes in eating
and exercise habits can be difficult to maintain for the long term, but
there is one simple change in diet that is easy to incorporate. It
raises energy levels throughout the day and can help a fledgling gym-goer
make it to the treadmill after work.
The key is eating more “slow” carbohydrates,
also known as complex carbohydrates, or, for those who see life in
simpler terms, “good” carbs. A slow carbohydrate raises blood sugar
levels gradually, providing a steady stream of energy to our body's
cells, and especially our brains. Whole grain foods—such as oatmeal,
whole wheat bread, brown rice, lentil soup and beans—are great slow
carbohydrates.
Fast carbs, on the other hand, are
digested quickly, causing a spike in blood sugar followed by a steep
drop as the pancreas produces insulin to funnel extra energy into the
body's cells. Processed foods that contain refined sugar and white flour
are fast carbohydrates. As any junk-food junkie knows, they give us a
roller-coaster ride of mental energy and turn mental sharpness into
mental dullness faster than you can say “doughnut.”
The body yearns for another pick me up
shortly after snacking on fast carbs. A diet high in refined
carbohydrates can also lead to insulin resistance—the beginnings of type
2 diabetes, which is sweeping the U.S. with devastating health
consequences.
An easy way of fitting slow carbohydrates
into one's diet is by eating the whole grain equivalent of whatever is
on the menu: brown rice instead of white rice, multi-grain bread instead
of white, whole wheat pasta instead of standard spaghetti.
Beyond eating more whole grain foods, a
handy way of determining whether a food is a slow or fast carb is to
visit www.glycemicindex.com, a website run by Sydney University's
Glycemic Index Research Service in Australia. The website allows the
user to look up a food's score on the glycemic index, a scale that
measures how a food's carbohydrates affect blood sugar levels.
The lower the number, the slower the
carbohydrate, the steadier your supply of energy, the more endurance you
will experience, and the longer you will feel full. Lentils, for
example, score 40, a relatively low number for a food that provides
plenty of carbohydrate energy.
A baked potato, on the other hand, can
score as high as 111 on the glycemic index, a very high score. In
general, potatoes and starchy grains, especially processed cereals like
cornflakes and bran flakes score high on the GI. The index measures only
foods that contain carbs, so meat, eggs, nuts and some vegetables aren't
included in the database.
Eating more low-GI foods will not only
give you a steady source of fuel throughout the day, it will also help
you eat less—and that can make up for a missed workout. Your body has to
work harder to digest these fiber-rich foods before the energy can reach
your bloodstream.
The extra bulk has the added advantage of
keeping the stomach feeling full. In a recent study published in the
journal Pediatrics, children who started their day with high fiber
breakfast foods like All-Bran, muesli or oatmeal ate less food at lunch.
Kids who ate low-fiber (and higher GI) foods like corn flakes, puffed
rice and white bread were inclined to eat more at lunch. Both groups
reported feeling the same level of satiety after breakfast.
Published date: 20040312
Author: Willow Lawson
Source: Psychology Today |
 |
|
