Tag: weightloss

Glycemic index: 6 facts to know 🙌

by drjurisharma, posted in food, Life, nature

Hello everyone! Have a wonderful and safe day 🙋🏻

Why do we need to know about the glycemic index of food? The answer is simple. Whatever food we eat, we should know how fast the food is digested and absorbed in our body and raises our blood sugar level. Knowing this, we can arrange our daily meal plan and maintain good health. It will help us to lose weight if necessary, and avoid lifestyle diseases like diabetes, heart diseases.

Six facts to know:

1. Glycemic index refers to how fast a type of carbohydrate consumed is digested and absorbed in the body and raises the blood sugar level. Insulin then helps the sugar molecules to be absorbed by the cells of our body for energy. To be precise, the Glycemic index is referred to the measurement scale of 0 – 100 of the rate at which the carbohydrate is digested and absorbed in the body.

2. Note that the Glycemic index is influenced by other food content also like protein and fat content, as we usually do not consume carbohydrates in isolation during a meal.

3. On the Glycemic index scale :
Low GI – Less than 55
Medium GI – 55-69
High GI – 70 or more
Low GI index means that the particular food has a slower rise of blood sugar levels but has a sustained release of energy.
High GI index means that the particular food indicates a rapid rise in blood sugar and release energy quickly for a shorter period.

4. It is relatively healthy and safe to prefer food with a low GI index as:
It reduces hunger as the energy is slowly reduced.
Helps to lose weight.
Improve cholesterol level.
It helps to lower the risk of heart disease and type 2 diabetes.

This doesn’t mean that all food with higher GI index like potatoes, rice, watermelon, dates, raisins should be avoided entirely, but can be consumed in moderation. But, we should avoid high GI foods like processed, refined, sugary food altogether for better health and wellbeing.

5. Glycemic load: This is a term which is used commonly along with Glycemic index, often as well. It refers to both the quality and quantity of carbohydrate that is eaten during the meal. It indicates how food choices in the feed would affect the blood glucose level in the body.
The equation is Glycemic load = Glycemic index, multiplied by how much quantity of carbohydrate is eaten.

6. Some practical tips:
a. Fibrous vegetables are best in the sense as they are dense and rich in fibres. They are digested by the gut microbes, which in turn provide food for the microbes and in exchange causes a slow and steady absorption. Subsequently, blood sugar is released slowly.

b. Some food like eggs, lean meat, fishes, pulses, full-fat dairy, cheese are not considered in the GI index. So, these foods have little effect on blood sugar level directly. We should consume these foods regularly.

c. Enjoy daily a considerable portion of vegetables and fruits, preferably with a low GI index along with a limited quantity of carbohydrate to regulate the blood sugar efficiently.

d. Acid content in food can slow down the digestion of food so lemon, vinegar, should be added to the meal.

Thanks for reading.

Blessings and much love to all 💐

Pic courtesy :Pinterest

6 best Natural sweeteners 🙌

by drjurisharma, posted in celebration, food, Life, nature

Hello everyone ! Have a wonderful and safe day 🙋🏻

Most of us have a sweet tooth. But its the potential danger of adding some extra calories and the spiking glucose and insulin level that scares us the most. Yes, we can reduce or eliminate the intake of sugar from our diet for health sake. Perhaps, this is the best option. Or, we can choose some healthier options instead. Not going for artificial, industrially processed sugar and products, we can very well opt for natural alternatives which will not only satisfy our sweet tooth but also give some added health benefits.

Six healthy alternatives:

1.Stevia: is a natural sweetener derived from the leaves of a bush known as Stevia Rebaudiana. The leaves are packed with nutrients and phytochemicals. It has no calorie, 100%natural and no adverse effects on health. Instead found to lower blood pressure and insulin levels. Though different brands are available in the supermarket, the best option is those who are least processed ,non GMO (genetically modified organism) and have no added sugar like dextrose or multidextrin and so on. 


2. Monk fruit sweetener: This is a healthier option as it has zero calories too. It is derived from a small green fruit called monk fruit found in South Asia. Studies have shown that this fruit extract has anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and anti-cancer properties. But, more research is required though. This kind of sweetener is quite expensive and is available in the supermarket. We need to be careful of any artificial sugar additives.

3. Pure raw honey: Pure organic honey, is not just sugar but a complete food. However, it has calories but has immense health benefits. It contains antioxidants, antimicrobial, and is used as a natural medicine for cough relief and in wounds and cuts. Since it includes pure bee pollen, it can also benefit from reducing allergy symptoms. Not all honey brands found in the aisle of the supermarket are healthy.Pure, organic raw honey has the maximum health benefits. Since it has calories, it has to be used sparingly.

3. Dates: Dates can be used along with raisins, apricot, pineapple juice as sugar alternatives. Dates as such are rich in fibres and have the highest nutritional value along with vitamins and minerals. They are also rich in antioxidants.

4. Coconut Sugar: Coconut sugar is good as it is extracted from coconut juice which is full of potassium, rich in nutrients and electrolyte. It has a low glycemic index.

5. Maple syrup: Pure maple syrup is derived from maple tree sap that has been reduced by boiling. The maple tree is a native of North America. Maple syrup has immense health benefits too. It is rich in antioxidants, zinc and other minerals and is suitable for heart health, immune booster and hormonal balance.

6. Jaggery: It’s a sugarcane syrup that is golden to dark brown, which is unrefined and unprocessed. It has high nutritional value and is rich in minerals and phytochemicals. It improves digestion, immune booster and helps in joint pain. Since it has calories, it is not ideal for people with diabetes.

Thanks for reading.

Blessings and much love to all 💐

Pic: courtesy Pineterest.

 

Sugary food cravings: Why?😇

by drjurisharma, posted in healing, health, Life, nature, Science, wellness

Hello everyone ! Have a wonderful and safe day 🙋🏻

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For many of us, the sight of a freshly glazed doughnut can feel like falling in love and coming home to a pack of unopened cookies can feel like the adult version of Christmas morning. There’s something about sugar that hooks us and keeps reeling us in again and again. Whether we like it or not sugar has a major hold on us.

If you’re reading this it’s very likely for you to understand, and have firsthand experience, of this allure. Sugar isn’t just confectionary, but it’s a compulsion; there is no such thing as stopping after “just one.” I mean, if one is good, more is better. At least that’s what it feels like with the sweet stuff.

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We are given many reasons for our sugar cravings: pleasure-seeking brain circuits, intestinal parasites, mineral deficiencies, malnutrition, habitual behaviour, unbalanced diets, too much salt, buried emotional issues, lack of sleep, stress…. and my favourite, lack of discipline. We are not at a loss for reasons for our addiction to sugar, yet knowing isn’t enough to change us or our behaviour. If knowing was enough we would all be winning gold medals and gold stars in every area of our life. If anything, knowing just makes it feel worse… we know better so why aren’t we doing better? Knowing becomes just another reason for us to feel bad about ourselves.

The next step to knowing is to try and do something about it. We take matters into our own hands and attempt to turn our sugar-loving switch from on to off. This is not a painless process, and just when we feel we’re making ground something happens to throw us off and we’re on a mission to hunt down any sugar we can find and back at the start.

When we decide to target our sugar dependency, we attack the sugar itself, we clear the pantry, empty the house of all products and declare sugar the enemy. And this is fine… except it doesn’t work. When we create an action plan like this, we’re a few steps too far ahead and facing the wrong direction. We don’t address what’s really happening.

junkfood on plate

The key: target the true problem, not the side-effect of the problem. And sugar cravings are the side-effect, they’re the symptom of the real problem, and treating symptoms never makes the problem to be resolved. The only way to create true, long-standing change is to address the root cause…. otherwise you’re just wasting your time and prepping yourself for another future sugar-binge.

What is the root cause? Leptin resistance. There are natural sources of food which can promote Leptin levels. Like protein-rich food of eggs, pulses, dairy products, fatty fishes and zinc-rich foods and leafy vegetables.

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In some individuals, the cravings can be strong and unavoidable. In this case, one way to target leptin resistance is with a product called leptitox, a blend of 22 all natural ingredients which work with your body to reverse leptin resistance and its effects. When leptin resistance occurs in our body we have a malfunctioning system. This malfunction will produce troublesome symptoms. Not only does leptin resistance increase hunger but it creates cravings! That’s a recipe for disaster! Not only will you be hungry but you’ll be hankering after the worst foods imaginable…

We may have blamed everything else under the sun for our inability to stop reaching for the next cookie… everything but leptin resistance. If you want to see real movement and change you’ll need to target leptin resistance and do something to “fix” it.

Leptitox is just the way to address the growing problem of leptin resistance, since it has been created to target and address it. Leptitox is a blend of 22 carefully selected herbs, amino acids and vitamins with the ability to help your body address the real cause of leptin resistance. It will change everything you thought you knew about weight loss.

Here is the link, you can check out, https://239b15ynyqt517h5ioycxg-r5k.hop.clickbank.net/

Thanks for reading.

Blessings and much love 💐