Healthy Foods Part 9: Balancing Your Blood Sugar

Getting And Keeping The Weight Off With Foods That Balance The Blood Sugar

Although there are staple food groups that we have all come to know and love, new foods have been added to the list recently that can help us all to lose weight. Foods that balance the blood sugar happen to be one of them. They play an integral part in helping individuals to lose weight, as well as maintaining health. All foods containing carbohydrates have a glycemic index, or GI, and foods that balance the blood sugar are judged solely on their GI. They have the ability to keep your blood sugar steady and thus optimise your energy stores and your ability to lose weight!

The glycemic index of foods refers to how slowly or quickly they release energy. The higher the GI number, the worse the food is for your energy levels because a high GI number indicates that the food actually gives you a quick energy boost. The faster the energy release from a food, the less likely you are to use that energy and thus the more likely it is that your body will end up storing most of it as fat. Low GI foods, like pasta and wholegrain rice, are much better for you because they provide a constant slow release of energy throughout the day. This cuts down the possibility of storing energy of fat and thus you can actually lose weight as a result. Also, the slow release gives your metabolism a boost so you stand more chance of burning off excess fat left behind from a high GI food on a previous occasion!

Blood sugar is also extremely important in another way if you want to lose weight. If you have ever been on a diet then you will probably dread the nasty side-effects you get. Not only do you crave the foods that you can’t have, you also feel irritable! This indicates poor management of blood sugar rather than a lack of will power! You may also experience energy slumps throughout the day, usually an hour or so after eating, and it may be accompanied by dizziness. This often indicates that your blood sugar is too low. The cravings are your body telling you that you need energy and if you give into them, that’s when you will put on weight.

If your blood sugar is going up and down like a rollercoaster then your body will find it impossible to manage and automatically think that something is wrong. If your blood sugar is not balanced then your body will stop using up energy and will convert it into fat and store it instead because it’ll think that it’s being starved. If it does this, you won’t lose weight. There are foods that can help though.

Foods that contain chromium are great for stabilising blood sugar because, without it, the insulin that controls the blood sugar level within the body would not function. Foods containing chromium, like onions, have this property, as does licorice and cinnamon. If you want to lose weight then you should include these foods in your diet to keep the cravings at bay and feel full of energy because they also encourage your metabolism.

Foods that balance the blood sugar have been proven to have a great effect on a person’s ability to lose weight in both the short and long terms. Controlling your blood sugar levels can keep you healthy and give you enough energy to be able to lose weight steadily. Healthy blood sugar levels equal a healthy and lean body, so give it a try! You have nothing to lose!