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Benefits of the Glycemic Index

While we used to think that starches were complex carbohydrates, we have since discovered that only whole grain starches can boast of being a complex product. Those include whole grain breads and cereals, brown rice, sweet potatoes (rather than white potatoes), and whole wheat pastas and noodles. Certainly, they are healthier than eating cakes, candies, and other sweets, but the body still turns them into sugars when they enter the bloodstream. They may have a lower glycemic index than the quick sugars, but nonetheless, their glycemic index is still too high to afford much in the way of healthy eating.

If one wants to be healthy, it’s important to limit the amount of high glycemic index foods you consume because these types of foods push your body to extremes. This is especially true if your weight is above healthy limits and you lack exercise. If you do nothing more than switch to eating mostly low glycemic index carbohydrates that allow a gradual release of glucose into your blood stream, your energy levels will become balanced, and you will be less likely to become hungry in between meals.

Some other benefits that one can derive by eating carbohydrates with a lower glycemic index include:

• Ability to lose and control weight
• Increase in insulin sensitivity in the body
• Improvement in diabetes control
• Reduction in the risk of heart disease
• Reduction in cholesterol levels
• Better management of PCOS symptoms
• Reduction of hunger and ability of the body to stay full longer
• Increase in physical endurance
• Assistance in re-fueling carbohydrate stores after exercise

When one has trouble with weight that in itself can lead to diabetes, so it’s important to be careful of foods that may add sugar to your bloodstream such as those with a high glycemic index. It’s an overall benefit of good health as well, and if, in the process, you can prevent the onset of diabetes and heart disease, it is worth the effort. Adding some exercise to a diet rich in low-GI carbohydrates will certainly provide a great deal of assistance when it comes to preventing diabetes and any of its related complications. Even if you have had it all of your life, watching your intake of high glycemic index carbohydrates will improve the body’s ability to keep your blood sugar under control.