Going grainy
As a reader of House Calls, you'll recognize that this isn't the first time I've touted the benefits of a diet based on the glycemic index (GI). It might not be as sexy as some of the 3-hour diets out there, but is has some substantial health benefits.
A study out of Sweden has found that eating certain whole grains for breakfast can keep blood sugar levels regulated for up to an incredible 10 hours. Barley was found to offer the greatest benefit. Also, results showed that the whole grains baked in bread provided a better benefit than the boiled ones, such as oatmeal.
Subjects who ate a low GI breakfast enjoyed better concentration all morning. In addition, these folks displayed a more powerful working memory than those subjects who didn't eat the low GI breakfast.
The study also showed that certain grains, when eaten before bedtime, could continue to affect blood sugar levels positively as they did at breakfast-time.
Imagine that. Managing blood sugar levels through a remedy as simple as food— no expensive pills necessary or required.
I have patients who have come in and complained of having the ups and downs associated with rising and declining blood sugar levels. From their stories, I can tell it's no fun. I've always recommended that my patients try out a daily meal plan based on the glycemic index for this very reason.
There are certain carbohydrates that place your blood sugar levels into a tailspin, and others that don't. How these carbohydrates affect your blood sugar levels after eating them determines their placement on the glycemic index on a scale that ranges from 0 to 100. Those that rank high have a greater insulin-spiking impact, and those that rank low have a steadying effect.
The index is simple. All it takes is getting a little used to, looking up foods you eat and seeing where they rank. That way, you can steer your meals toward achieving a balance that won't make you dizzy with ever-changing levels.
If numbers aren't for you, it's hard to go wrong if you just stick to intact, unprocessed whole grains. And when it comes to real whole grain bread, we're not talking about the fake, dyed whole wheat bread you find in most supermarkets. Instead, enjoy the dark, heavy whole grain breads usually found in local health foods stores or food coops. Find out if you have a nearby bakery that takes the time to bake real bread in small batches the old-fashioned way, before mass-produced industrial foods started to rob people of their health.
For more information on the glycemic index, I recommend you visit www.glycemicindex.com. It gives a nice overview and a food database where you can plug in the food and it will show you its rank.
