The reasons for controlling blood sugar
levels in your body are compelling indeed. Not only is there
a strong relationship between blood sugar numbers and cardiovascular
health, but the latest studies show that they greatly affect
how well we age—both on the inside and outside! If you’re
concerned about looking young, maintaining healthy blood sugar
levels benefits the contours of your face more than treating
them with pricey wrinkle creams.
The Glycemic Index
Glycemic Index (GI) is a ranking of carbohydrates based on
their immediate effect on blood glucose (blood sugar) levels.
It compares foods gram for gram of carbohydrate. Carbohydrates
that break down quickly during digestion have the highest glycemic
indexes. The blood glucose response is fast and high. Carbohydrates
that break down slowly, releasing glucose gradually into the
blood stream, have low glycemic indexes. Try to eat as many
foods as possible with a GI of 50 or less to keep blood glucose
levels within a healthy range. To learn the GI of your favorite
foods visit www.glycemicindex.com.
Checklist for Maintaining Blood Sugar Health
- Sprinkle ½ teaspoon of cinnamon per day on foods,
in coffee or tea. As an alternative, cinnamon capsules are
also available.
- Use fructose in place of sugar. The Glycemic Index of fructose
is less than half that of sugar, so it won’t cause
a blood sugar spike with the subsequent burst of insulin
into your bloodstream.
- Exercise! Ever wonder why you feel more energetic
after exercise even though you spent 30 grueling minutes
puffing on the elliptical? It’s because exercise significantly
helps insulin to move sugar out of the blood into the cells
where it can be used for more energy. Without exercise, a
lot of the sugar may never reach the cells, but remains in
the bloodstream.
- Eat dairy products with a meal. A major study of 3000 people
found that lactose, protein, and the special kind of fat
found in dairy products can keep blood sugar levels in the
healthy range both by filling you up and by slowing the conversion
of food sugars to blood sugar.
- Get 8 hours of sleep. The latest research shows that when
your body is short-changed of sleep, it quickly feels stressed,
and that stress interferes with your body’s natural
ability to handle blood sugar.
Seven Supplements that Support Blood
Sugar Health
- Chromium—The
body uses it to metabolize sugars and fats, and it is the
perfect partner to insulin, increasing the hormone’s
efficiency in transporting blood sugar into the cells.
- Alpha
Lipoic Acid—Improves insulin function by helping
to burn glucose for energy. It also offers antioxidant
protection to all cells of the body.
- Gymnema
sylvestre—A traditional Ayurvedic sugar metabolizer.
- Mormordica—Promotes
healthy glucose metabolism.
- Cinnamon (Cinnulin
PF)—Helps the body use insulin more effectively
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