Making sense of slimming

The problem of obesity and other associated health problems has not been improved since the advent of low-fat dieting.  This is due partly to the fact that many low-fat foods are, in fact,  high-glycaemic and can cause the body to produce excess triglycerides, a blood fat that makes up the majority of each cholesterol molecule.

Many scientists now agree that the healthiest way to nourish your body is to eat foods that are low-glycaemic.

When you eat a food that drives your blood sugar above normal, it causes you to secrete insulin to normalise it. When the insulin spikes, the energy conversion mechanism is shut off, so that most or all of what you have eaten is turned to fat rather than to energy.  Here are ten simple rules to help you follow a low-glycaemic food plan. These concise rules will make it very easy for you to eat the most beneficial foods.

1. Whenever possible, eat raw and natural foods.   For example, raw Carrots have a low-glycaemic index of 35 and are safe and natural. Cooked carrots have a higher glycaemic rating of 65.  Most vegetables in their raw state have a low glycaemic index.

2. Eat foods that are harder to digest. Hard to digest food is usually lower-glycaemic and takes longer to convert to sugars. This longer process minimises insulin reactions, so that you can maximise your conversion of food to energy and minimise the amount of food converting to fat. For example, cooked carrots are very easy to digest, which is another reason why their index is much higher than raw carrots.

3. Eat high fibre foods.  The harder the fibre is to digest, the better it is for us. Fibre not only gives us a feeling of fullness but it also helps clean out our colons which  is essential for our good health.  As well, the higher the fibre, the more absorbent it is for fats.  If the digestive process for a specific food is slow, generally the lower will be the glycaemic index of that food.  Bread is a good example of this.  The fibre in highly refined white bread is so broken down and easy to digest that it is virtually useless for colon health.

However, whole grain bread with seeds is as close as bread gets to the natural state of grain. Depending on the grain and the seeds, it could be low- or moderately glycaemic, but not high-glycaemic. So you can eat bread, but avoid highly refined flours and breads that are high-glycaemic.

4. Forget about artificial sweeteners.  It seems that artificial sweeteners can cause harmful effects to the the human body and there is evidence that they may, in fact, slow the fat-burning process by confusing the normal chemical signals to the brain.

5. Avoid fried foods.  Fried foods have a stressful effect on the pancreas.  One of the many benefits of eating low-glycaemic food is that it helps to keep the pancreas healthy.

6. Don’t eat white foods.  As a rule, white foods tend to have a high-glycaemic index.  White potatoes are very high on the glycaemic scale, they are very easy to digest and contain very little fibre.  Also, the starch contained in potatoes converts rapidly to glucose.

7. Drink plenty of water.  Water is the very essence of life. Most people don’t  drink enough water, and you simply cannot maintain a proper balance without it. Water is vital for cleansing your body, maintaining proper hormonal balance which is extremely important in weight management, and vitally important for fat transport.

We must drink lots of water and the quality of the water we drink is vitally important

Don’t worry that you seem to be ‘weighing heavy’ from all this water.  The extra water-weight can sometimes be misleading as you monitor your progress.  Check how your clothes are fitting and use the tape measure instead of the scales to get a true picture of your progress.  Just keep in mind that you cannot expect long-term success on any program without proper hydration.

8. Time your food intake. It is very important to your overall health and especially important in achieving a lean body that you keep your blood sugar balanced. Skipping meals may save kilojoules, but will eventually backfire since your body will perceive a state of starvation and reduce the rate at which you convert your stored fats. Snacking is fine if it is with the right foods.  Snacking helps keep your blood sugar balanced, and this in turn helps control appetite and maximise your ability to convert stored fat as energy.

The ideal would be to snack only on fresh fruits or vegetables that are low-glycaemic, such as peaches or celery. But this isn’t always convenient, so here is one practical (and tasty!) suggestion:  A dozen almonds in their natural state eaten every two hours between meals should help the average person maintain a reasonable level of blood sugar.

9. Do not mix the different principles of other diets with low-glycaemic eating.  Some fad diets may give quick, temporary results that sound great but can result in bad health over the long term. The GlycoLEAN Body System is a system to support you with good health for life.  If you are reading this report you probably haven’t yet experienced long term success in your quest to lose weight, so ignore all the media hype, and focus on just one system that is proven to work longterm.

10. Make the commitment to be healthy for life.  Last rule on the list, but certainly not least. In fact, this rule is vitally important. Unless you are prepared to make a commitment to your health, don’t start this complete system based around the glycaemic-index. The GlycoLEAN Body System is designed to support good health, not just fat loss. It is a system you should adopt for life - not just until you can fit into a particular item of clothing.   In order to have a healthy and fit body, we need to take a good look at our lifestyle and habits and make changes where necessary.