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HEALTHY EATING

Achieving and maintaining healthy body composition with higher lean tissue mass is easier than you think.   

GLYCAEMIC INDEX

Start by eating low-glycaemic foods.   The glycaemic index(GI) indicates how much a food will raise your blood sugar and insulin levels.    Eating high GI foods can result in increased appetite, mood swings and increased fat as well as leading to a higher risk of certain health problems.   Low GI represents a new standard for healthy eating.

CARBOHYDRATES

Only carbohydrates are rated for their Glycaemic Index.   Don't make the mistake of believing that low GI and low-carbohydrate mean the same thing.   There are significant differences between a low-carbohydrate diet and glycaemic indexing.   Low-carbohydrate dieting alone, without taking account of glycaemic index,  may result in the storage as fat of any amount of sugar that cannot be converted to energy.   

Excess carbohydrates easily are converted to excess fat because the body has limited capacity to store them.  

Our bodies break down carbohydrates (broadly - breads, cereals and friuts) to glucose which provides energy for our bodies.   The GI indicates how quickly different carbohydrates raise our blood glucose levels, ranking foods numerically, from 1 to 100.

BENEFITS of LOW GI FOODS

Foods with a lower GI digest more slowly resulting in a slower and more even rise in blood glucose levels, helping sustain energy levels for longer.    Low GI foods are more likely to fill you up and keep you satisfied for longer.   This can reduce the desire to snack on more high GI foods between meals.

THE NEGATIVE EFFECTS of HIGH GI FOODS

Consuming high GI foods causes your blood sugar levels to rise above normal.  The increase of blood sugar causes many negative effects, including weight gain.   Insulin levels rise in order to lower the blood sugar level.  This results in hunger, often only a couple of hours after the meal.   Cravings, usually for sweets, are part of this cycle leading to snacking, often on more carbohydrates. 

 Snacking with the right foods can be good as it keeps your blood sugar balanced, in turn, helping to control appetite and increasing the ability to convert stored fat as energy.

The latest scientific findings indicate that low fat and/or low-carbohydrate dieting without regard to GI will not help you optimise your health or lose fat.