Tag: energy

What is the Glycemic Index?

Hi, today I’m going to talk about the ‘Glycemic Index’ and food.

Every food we eat affects our body differently, and not just in terms of health. The way it is processed by the body affects our energy and blood sugar levels.

Scott is studying Nutrition this semester and has been learning all about the ‘Glycemic Index’. He shared some facts that I found very interesting and I decided to share them with you.

First of all, what is the ‘Glycemic Index’?

Wikipedia states –‘The glycemic index (GI) is a number associated with the carbohydrates in a particular type of food that indicates the effect of these carbohydrates on a person’s blood glucose (also called blood sugar) level.’….’ The GI represents the rise in a person’s blood sugar level two hours after consumption of the food.’

In basic terms – foods that are difficult for the body to digest are considered Lower GI foods usually with a value (55 or less). These foods cause a lower and slower rise in blood glucose and, therefore, insulin levels.

What about ‘Glycemic Load’?

Another method of measuring the effect of food on the body’s glucose is considering its ‘Glycemic Load’ (GL).

GI does not consider the portion of food, but glycemic load (GL) does.

Basically, if a food is ranked high on the glycemic index it has readily available carbohydrate for quick absorption. However, the same food can have a low glycemic load because there may not actually be much total carbohydrate in a given serving of that food. A low GL is the better indicator that a food won’t have much impact on blood glucose levels.

The difference

Here are two examples: Watermelon has a high GI of 72, yet a low GL of 7.21. The high GI is based on 5 cups of watermelon, not an actual serving size of 1 cup. The low GL means one serving of watermelon doesn’t contain much carbohydrate, because it is actually mostly water. The low GL indicates that a serving of watermelon won’t have much impact on your blood sugar.

Carrots are another example of a low GL food that many people think will raise their blood sugar a lot — but it’s not true. That’s because carrots have a high GI of 71. However, what most people don’t know is that the GL for carrots is only 6. 

Therefore, unless you’re going to eat half a kg of carrots in one sitting, an average serving of carrots will have very little impact on blood glucose levels. That said, juicing carrots — which means consuming more carrots at once — will have a greater impact on blood glucose.

With this in mind, here is an interesting fact that Scott has shared in regards to potatoes.

Potatoes are generally regarded as having a high GI rating, because they are a simple starch food, which is quickly converted into sugar. However it is possible to alter this.

By cooking potatoes, then cooling and again reheating them, the starches become ‘resistant’. This means that they now resist digestion and so in this way are considered a low GI food.

 

I hope this information has helped you to have a better understanding of these terms that are so often used to describe the food we eat.

Until the next post,

Live Clean n Prosper

Tui Na Massage

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Tui Na Massage

Today I would like to talk about Tui Na Massage.

Until recently, I had never heard of this type of massage, however, after my recent experience. I am a convert.

At the beginning of January I was suffering from a lot of tension headaches and a sore neck. In the past I have tried several different massage treatments for similar issues. This one, however, got the best result after just 1 session.

The massage was a cross between, therapeutic massage and a session with the physiotherapist. The masseuse works on the trigger points with pressure but in a massaging motion at the same time. The headaches have gone and the tension in my neck is disappearing, a great result.

I decided to do a little bit of research into this technique to see if I could understand the principles behind it. Of course I also want to share my findings.

It’s been around for thousands of years.

There is evidence to suggest that massage in Chinese medicine was first practiced over 3,000 years ago. It works on the premise that the human body channels energy, as with Acupuncture. The practitioner is trained to ‘restore the smooth flow of energy’ within the body.

Considering that Tui Na and Acupuncture both work with the body’s energy flow, I have found they work well together as a treatment regime.

Tui Na is both a form of physical bodywork and a subtle energy medicine. As a physical therapy it is used for releasing the ‘channel sinews’, (collectively the muscles, tendons and ligaments) and facilitating the movement of joints. By opening, releasing and balancing the channel sinews, Tui Na is able to treat not only muscular skeletal problems, but also pain and discomfort that are caused by emotional and postural holding patterns that have become unconsciously locked into the body.

Other benefits,

Improved skin metabolism, softening of scars and increased defensive ability of the skin are also benefits of Tui Na manipulations. At the same time, they can enhance the elasticity of the skin and delay its ageing process.

It seems that there are many benefits in having this type of massage therapy.

So, with all of this in mind, I will be ensuring I have regular Tui Na sessions to keep my tension at bay. At the same time slowing down my ageing process.

Until the next post,

Live Clean n Prosper

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