The Glycemic Index Diet for Dummies - Meri Raffetto [12]
Seeing how insulin plays a part
Insulin is a hormone secreted by a group of cells within the pancreas (called the islet cells, just in case you were wondering) whenever you eat foods that contain carbohydrates. As the carbohydrates are digested and metabolized into blood sugar, your pancreas notices a rise in blood sugar levels and sends out insulin. Insulin allows blood sugar to move into each and every cell to provide them with necessary energy. Think of it as the key that unlocks the door into the cells for blood sugar to enter. If you don't have enough insulin production, you effectively starve to death even though you eat a lot of food because blood sugar can't get into the cells to provide energy.
People with Type 1 diabetes inject themselves with insulin so as not to starve their cells of energy. People with Type 2 diabetes often make plenty of insulin, but for some reason their insulin doesn't work effectively. Think of this insulin resistance as trying to use your house key to start your car: The key won't fit into the keyhole, and the car won't start.
Insulin plays other important roles within the body, and here's where its role in weight management is crucial. Insulin stimulates lipogenesis, which is the process of converting blood sugar to fatty acids that can then be stored as body fat for later use as fuel. Fatty acids are like your body's energy storage locker. When you run low on available blood sugar for energy, your body can use those stored fatty acids for energy. However, insulin also makes that breakdown process exceedingly difficult. In short, high levels of insulin make it easier to gain weight and more difficult to lose it.
Putting it all together
Blood sugar, carbohydrates, and insulin all come together to affect body weight. Carbohydrates are digested and metabolilzed into blood sugar. Rising levels of blood sugar cause the pancreas to produce insulin. Higher levels of insulin then promote body fat storage.
If you want to lose weight, you can try following a low-carb diet to interrupt this process, but that drastic move really isn't a solution because yor body needs the nutrients found in foods that contain carbohydrates.
A smarter choice for weight loss is to use the glycemic index to make sound decisions about which carbohydrate-containing foods you're going to eat. That way you stay satisfied longer; you get the benefit of fiber, vitamins, and minerals from carb-containing foods; your blood sugar levels stay even; your body produces less insulin; and you lose weight!
Moving beyond Traditional Diet Plans
Forget the traditional food lists and stringent calorie requirements. That's right. Chuck 'em out the window! The low-glycemic way of eating isn't a diet in the traditional sense — it's a lifestyle change. A low-glycemic "diet" is about listening to and working with your body to achieve long-term weight-loss (and health!) success. When you commit to this way of eating, you discover more about the foods you eat. You also realize that you can still enjoy food while making the best choices for weight loss and your overall health. The following sections help get you thinking about the glycemic index diet as a lifestyle change rather than a traditional diet plan.
Embracing lifestyle change and abandoning the temporary diet
Even though losing weight isn't easy, keeping the weight off is even more difficult. It doesn't matter what type of "diet" people follow; after one year, most folks gain back about 50