I do not like to vilify foods, nor do I believe in putting any single food on a pedestal. I truly believe that consumption in moderation is right for most people. Many foods, even the acclaimed kale, are bad for you when eaten in excess. The difference with sugar, is that it’s much easier to over-consume than say, kale. There are a couple reasons for this. The first is that sugar is addictive and the second is that it is easy to access and consume. But before we discuss the ways in which the over-consumption of sugar is detrimental to our health, let me say that sugar is not bad. Our bodies and especially our brains need glucose to thrive. Whole foods that contain sugar, even high amounts of sugar, also contain numerous nutrients that contribute to overall health. But as sugar is extracted from it’s whole food source and made into candy and soda or combined with processed white flours to make pastry’s and packaged foods, we are no longer consuming sugar alongside additional nutrients.
Our bodies are well designed to maintain homeostasis and in order to manage the intake of sugar, we produce insulin which regulates circulating glucose. Different foods cause varying spikes in blood glucose levels. As the prevalence of insulin resistance and diabetes has increased, there has been an attempt to measure the impact these foods have and the result is the glycemic index (GI) and glycemic load (GL) of a food. It is imperative to keep in mind that the charts created for these are often averages and that the testing has been complicated due to the fact that individuals respond differently based on their bio-individuality and products vary drastically in composistion from one country to another. There are many places where you can search for the GI and GL of a food and I think you will often find that you get a different number from different sites, but you can get an idea of what foods are likely to spike your blood glucose when consumed in isolation from other foods.
The glycemic index is a system that measures the rise in blood glucose and insulin by a specific food compared with a control food (pure glucose). A GI over 70 is considered high, while below 50 is considered low. Glycemic load gives a more complete picture of the impact of eating carbohydrates by including the amount of carbohydrates per serving. A high GL is over 20 and a low GL is under 10. A good example of why this is important is that watermelon has a high GI of 72, but only 6g of Carbohydrates per serving which results in a GL of 4. So you would need to eat multiple servings of watermelon to get a significant rise of your blood glucose. Now to make matters complicated and to convince you to use common sense, a Coke has a GI between 56 and 72, depending on your source, and GL below 10 while a baked white potato has a GI between 55 and 111 with the average being 80-90 and GL of 20. Are you confused yet?! The GI and GL of foods is helpful for those who need to control their spikes of blood glucose, but I do not recommend following it as a diet, just as I don’t believe in a low fat or low carb diet. Paying attention to your overall intake of nutrients is usually the best ‘diet’ to follow, but it certainly is more complicated that using a pre-fabricated list of foods that fit into a model. A better way to look at using the GI and GL is to consider the glycemic load of you meal.
The glycemic load of a meal will decrease as you add fats, proteins and fiber to the carbohydrates. Fats and proteins slow emptying of the stomach contents which will also meter the release of the carbohydrates into the intestines and thus the resulting glucose into the blood stream. So while it may feel like adding a nut butter to your apple will add calories, this combination should make you feel more full for a longer period of time and will result in a less severe spike in blood glucose. When looking at a plate of food, a small baked potato alongside a large portion of vegetables and a piece of salmon is going to be a nutrient dense food that is unlikely to cause a severe spike in blood glucose. *Please keep in mind that every individual is different and if you are a diabetic or pre-diabetic, you should work closely with your doctor or nutritionist when testing out the effect foods have on you.
So why does all this matter? If we continually cause high spikes in blood glucose, triggering the release of large amounts of insulin, we run the risk of over-taxing our bodies ability to maintain homeostasis and the end result is insulin resistance, pre-diabetes and Type 2 diabetes. Once we are no longer able to produce adequate amounts of insulin to control circulating glucose, it becomes difficult, but not impossible, to fix without medications. By focusing on generally eating low glycemic load meals, we can limit the extreme highs and lows of blood glucose and insulin. A diet high in fruits, vegetables, unprocessed whole grains, legumes, nuts, seeds, good fats and proteins is a great place to start. Breads and processed foods should be eaten sparingly and with fats or proteins. Sugary beverages should be a rare treat. Zero calorie sweeteners are not any better and I will address that in next week’s post, but studies have shown that regular consumption of artificial sweeteners is associated with obesity and a twofold risk of type 2 diabetes.
There are a few specific foods that have been shown to help regulate blood glucose and including them in your daily meals is a great idea. These foods include olives, non-GMO soybeans, legumes, nuts, artichokes, garlic, sunchokes, onions, oats, eggplant, lentils, chickpeas and unprocessed whole grains. 1/4 tsp a day of cinnamon has produced positive results in studies while magnesium and vitamin D defieciencies have a negative correlation to blood glucose levels. Additionally, lowering stress, especially through daily cardiovascular exercise and/or Hatha yoga helps to regulate blood glucose.
I plan to conduct a virtual meal-prep class that focuses on low-glycemic load meals in March. If you or someone you know would like to participate in this class, please leave a note in the comments or email me to get additional info. I look forward to creating a community of people who can continue to share tips, tricks and struggles as they go on to regulate their blood sugar in as natural a way as possible.
Reference: Info in this post was taken from Integrative Medicine 4th Ed. by David Rakel. Chapters 32, 33 & 87.