Nasty Surprises: Foods You Thought Were Good For Diets Aren’t
Posted by NoChubbyHubby on October 14, 2009
It blew me away. Maybe it will you too. Some of the foods I was counting on to help me loose weight were actually doing just the reverse. Did you have a bowl of cornflakes for breakfast this morning? Turns out they are up there on the glycemic index. What does that mean? It means that your body quickly turned them into glucose and flooded your blood stream with lots of sugar. That meant you body had to respond with an extra large dose of insulin to lower you blood sugar level. And what does insulin do to accomplish that? Surprise it stores the excess glucose as fat. This seemingly safe diet food, corn flakes rates an 83 on the glycemic index which is a measure of how rapidly foods are converted into blood sugar. Corn Flakes aren’t the only breakfast villains. Rice Krispies have a ranking of 82 Puffed wheat comes in slightly lower, but is still considered high, at a 78. And even Golden Grahams at 71 on the glycemic index are rapid inducers of insulin. But breakfast isn’t the only meal where you will find saboteurs. Consider this, watermelon ranks an astounding 72 even though most of us would consider it a healthy treat! And while you may have thought that gravy was a problem, who would have thought that potatoes themselves – whether you fry them or bake them – end up spiking your insulin levels. In fact, baking only makes the situation worse. A baked potato is rated an 85 on the list, where French fries come in at 76 Yes, they’re still high! But it turns out the grease actually helps lower the glycemic index a trifle. Can’t resist that baguette at your local bakery? If you plan on following the index, it appears that you may just have to learn to say no. It ranks 95 out of 100 on the glycemic index! Pretzels – considered by many on a low-fat diet to be a safe alternative to other junk foods – rates an 81 on this index. Not as surprising are doughnuts which weigh in at a hefty 76 on the index, as do waffles. Surprised? Maybe, your healthy lifestyle isn’t quite as healthy as you would like it to be. And if you have been having trouble on your diet, this may give you a hint as to why. The glycemic index was originally developed to help people with diabetes manage their blood sugar levels. The unintended surprise was that it lead to dramatic weight loss when people followed the diet. This has lead to what is widely known as the Glycemic Index Diet and/or the Glycemic revolution. It’s lead to kind of a wise woman’s Adkins diet that instead of banning carbohydrates relishes them, -some of them. And the results are astounding. The glycemic index diet does take some getting used to. It can be tricky to fully understand. Some diet foods you have eaten for years, like rice cakes are definite no no’s, and other foods you may have previously banned are sometimes on the okay list, if eaten in moderation. Yes, you can have a little ice cream and some chocolate from time to time.
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