To distinguish between good and bad carbohydrates, we speak of the glycemic index or load (GI or CG). These tools measure the impact of a food on glycemia, ie the level of sugar in the blood. Consuming foods with a low glycemic index can directly influence your state of health. Let’s see in more detail what it is…
By favoring carbohydrates with a low glycemic index, the body relearns to use fats as a source of energy . On the contrary, a significant consumption of foods with a high glycemic index (containing refined sugars, white flours, vegetable oils, etc.), leads to an increase in the level of sugar in the blood.
The body then releases a dose of insulin, a hormone likely to trigger weight gain. But not only, the secretion of insulin also impacts on the growth of cancer. The secretion of insulin triggers the release of another molecule called IGF (insulin-like growth factor-I) whose characteristic is to stimulate cell growth.
Sugar nourishes and rapidly grow tissue. In summary, a person wishing to avoid the disease must therefore reduce foods with a high glycemic index and favor those with a low glycemic index (natural sweeteners, whole and mixed cereals, lentils, beans, fruits).
Glycemic index and load
While the glycemic index gives a measure of the quality of carbohydrates, the glycemic load considers the amount of these carbohydrates in the food or in a portion of food, which is more precise. The glycemic load is calculated per unit and 1 unit corresponds to 1 g of glucose.
On average, we should not exceed 80 to 60 units of CG per day. But by taking a bowl of cornflakes with milk and a glass of orange juice, we already arrive at a glycemic load of 33 , or half of what we should consume! On the other hand, if you take 3 slices of cereal bread with butter, honey and an orange, the charge is only 21.
Thus, replacing mashed potatoes with a plate of lentils, preferring brown rice to white rice and eating fruit, would already reduce your glycemic load considerably.
Diversify more than restrict
The goal of a low glycemic index diet is not to deprive yourself of sugar , the body to function needs it in reasonable quantity, nor to restrict its food. It is rather a question of diversifying it by eating above all vegetables and legumes and using natural sweetening extracts such as agave syrup for example (cactus sap extract available in organic stores). If you have the slightest doubt, do not hesitate to talk to your doctor.
