You know, Carbohydrates are the primary energy source for your body, in particular your brain. The key is to pick the complex carbohydrates over the simple carbohydrates to maintain a healthy weight and normal blood sugar. Both a healthy weight and a normal blood sugar go along way to prevent type 2 diabetes and heart disease, plus many other diseases. This is critical information to know and practice.
Simple carbohydrates have a hallmark - they usually have little to no fiber and they spike your blood sugar, meaning they have what's called a high glycemic index.
A high glycemic index is bad for your blood sugar levels, your ability to lose weight and increases the likelihood of metabolic syndrome X or full blown type two diabetes. Here is some information about Glycemic levels from Harvard's Public Health Web Site:
Glycemic index and glycemic load for 100+ foods
Glycemic index and glycemic load offer information about how foods affect blood sugar and insulin. The lower a food's glycemic index or glycemic load, the less it affects blood sugar and insulin levels. Here you'll find a list of the glycemic index and glycemic load for more than 100 common foods.
Coca Cola®, average 63 250 mL 16 Fanta®, orange soft drink 68 250 mL 23 Lucozade®, original (sparkling glucose drink) 95±10 250 mL 40 Apple juice, unsweetened, average 44 250 mL 30 Cranberry juice cocktail (Ocean Spray®) 68 250 mL 24 Gatorade 78 250 mL 12 Orange juice, unsweetened 50 250 mL 12 Tomato juice, canned 38 250 mL 4
BREAKFAST CEREALS AND RELATED PRODUCTS
All-Bran™, average 55 30 12 Coco Pops™, average 77 30 20 Cornflakes™, average 93 30 23 Cream of Wheat™ (Nabisco) 66 250 17 Cream of Wheat™, Instant (Nabisco) 74 250 22 Grapenuts™, average 75 30 16 Muesli, average 66 30 16 Oatmeal, average 55 250 13 Instant oatmeal, average 83 250 30 Puffed wheat, average 80 30 17 Raisin Bran™ (Kellogg's) 61 30 12 Special K™ (Kellogg's) 69 30 14 GRAINS
Pearled barley, average 28 150 12 Sweet corn on the cob, average 60 150 20 Couscous, average 65 150 9 Quinoa 53 150 13 White rice, average 89 150 43 Quick cooking white basmati 67 150 28 Brown rice, average 50 150 16 Converted, white rice (Uncle Ben's®) 38 150 14 Whole wheat kernels, average 30 50 11 Bulgur, average 48 150 12
COOKIES AND CRACKERS
Graham crackers 74 25 14 Vanilla wafers 77 25 14 Shortbread 64 25 10 Rice cakes, average 82 25 17 Rye crisps, average 64 25 11 Soda crackers 74 25 12 DAIRY PRODUCTS AND ALTERNATIVES
Ice cream, regular 57 50 6 Ice cream, premium 38 50 3 Milk, full fat 41 250mL 5 Milk, skim 32 250 mL 4 Reduced-fat yogurt with fruit, average 33 200 11
FRUITS
Apple, average 39 120 6 Banana, ripe 62 120 16 Dates, dried 42 60 18 Grapefruit 25 120 3 Grapes, average 59 120 11 Orange, average 40 120 4 Peach, average 42 120 5 Peach, canned in light syrup 40 120 5 Pear, average 38 120 4 Pear, canned in pear juice 43 120 5 Prunes, pitted 29 60 10 Raisins 64 60 28 Watermelon 72 120 4 BEANS AND NUTS
Baked beans, average 40 150 6 Blackeye peas, average 33 150 10 Black beans 30 150 7 Chickpeas, average 10 150 3 Chickpeas, canned in brine 38 150 9 Navy beans, average 31 150 9 Kidney beans, average 29 150 7 Lentils, average 29 150 5 Soy beans, average 15 150 1 Cashews, salted 27 50 3 Peanuts, average 7 50 0
PASTA and NOODLES
Fettucini, average 32 180 15 Macaroni, average 47 180 23 Macaroni and Cheese (Kraft) 64 180 32 Spaghetti, white, boiled, average 46 180 22 Spaghetti, white, boiled 20 min, average 58 180 26 Spaghetti, wholemeal, boiled, average 42 180 17 SNACK FOODS
Corn chips, plain, salted, average 42 50 11 Fruit Roll-Ups® 99 30 24 M & M's®, peanut 33 30 6 Microwave popcorn, plain, average 55 20 6 Potato chips, average 51 50 12 Pretzels, oven-baked 83 30 16 Snickers Bar® 51 60 18
VEGETABLES
Green peas, average 51 80 4 Carrots, average 35 80 2 Parsnips 52 80 4 Baked russet potato, average 111 150 33 Boiled white potato, average 82 150 21 Instant mashed potato, average 87 150 17 Sweet potato, average 70 150 22 Yam, average 54 150 20
MISCELLANEOUS
Hummus (chickpea salad dip) 6 30 0 Chicken nuggets, frozen, reheated in microwave oven 5 min 46 100 7 Pizza, plain baked dough, served with parmesan cheese and tomato sauce 80 100 22 Pizza, Super Supreme (Pizza Hut) 36 100 9 Honey, average 61 25 12
The complete list of the glycemic index and glycemic load for more than 1,000 foods can be found in the article "International tables of glycemic index and glycemic load values: 2008" by Fiona S. Atkinson, Kaye Foster-Powell, and Jennie C. Brand-Miller in the December 2008 issue of Diabetes Care, Vol. 31, number 12, pages 2281-2283.
That was fun.... (the higher the index - you lose aka bad for your health)
Why does all the above matter? Simply, when you consume simple carbohydrates your body responds by producing insulin (a fat storage hormone). When you see insulin as a fat storage hormone and not just a hormone that deals exclusively with sugar you begin to UNDERSTAND the connection to fat and simple carbs.
You see, if the simple carbs you ingest spike your blood sugar your cells cannot use them fast enough for energy, so your body wisely stores the excess carbs and converts them to fat. Not good.
Fat as we all have experienced is not easy to shed, because your body loves fat and resists giving up your fat at all costs. And to add insult to injury some times your body becomes insulin resistant. In this instance it takes more and more insulin to cope with the abundance of simple carbs.
What to do?
Reduce the amount of simple carbs. Eat mostly complex carbs, veggies, good fats and lean protein.
It really is that simple and life changing. When you decide to reduce simple carbs you will notice your pants fitting better, more stamina, feel younger and reduce many aches and pains.
No crazy diets, pills, or other extreme temporary methods - just plain old common sense about carbs and resistance training (topic for another time).
Why is a structural chiropractor talking about carbs?
Excess carbs causes excess weight and decreases your body's ability to heal properly and to make matters worse - wreaks havoc on your nervous system.
As a Doctor of Chiropractic that focuses on Structure (inner frame work of your body) and how that relates to the function of your nervous system, I can not in good conscience ignore a major contributor to ill health and a complication to our unique care in our office - Structural Correction.
Have a GREAT Day !
About Dr. Chris...
Dr. Chris Chase is a Chiropractor that focuses on the Structural Correction of the spine at his practice Advanced Chiropractic, located in West Hartford, CT. In contrast to traditional chiropractors whose goal is to provide temporary relief of pain, Dr. Chase's goal is to shift the underlying framework of the body back to the stability of what all healthcare professionals agree is normal.
Dr. Chase can be reached at 860.523.5465
and www.advancedwesthartford.com or www.facebook.com/advancedwesthartford1
