​​​​​​​How to lower the glycemic index of foods yourself? TOP 7 tips from SaharOK Journal

A common problem that many girls face. Spoiler: it needs to be solved as a whole. All methods are simple - read the material and choose yours.

The human body contains about 60% water, which is important for all biological processes. It is recommended to consume a sufficient amount of liquid every day - about 2.0-2.5 liters. But many people note water retention, which causes weight gain and swelling. We give detailed instructions on how to remove fluid from the body quickly.

Swelling or excess water: what's the difference?

Correcting body weight by removing excess fluid is necessary for professional athletes and bodybuilders, for whom it is important to meet a certain weight category or improve their appearance.

Excessive water retention, which forms edema, is another problem. Although in most cases they are harmless, persistent swelling can be a symptom of serious medical conditions such as heart, liver or kidney disease. Women experience fluid retention during the luteal phase of the menstrual cycle and during pregnancy.

Our material contains advice for healthy people and athletes. If you have severe swelling in your legs or arms, see your doctor. It is important to exclude kidney pathologies and serious endocrine metabolic diseases.

Regular exercise

This is one of the best ways to reduce weight quickly and safely. Any form of exercise increases sweating, which means the body loses water. The average fluid loss during one hour of training is 0.5-2 liters per hour, depending on the temperature in the room and clothing. During exercise, the body also transfers water to the muscles. This helps reduce the amount of fluid under the skin, improving the appearance and eliminating pastosity (swelling of the subcutaneous tissue).

When worrying about how to remove excess fluid from the body, we must not forget about adequate water consumption during exercise. Otherwise, serious dehydration may occur and you will feel worse. A sauna helps increase moisture loss and eliminate swelling. It activates sweating with fluid loss through the skin. If you go to the sauna after class, the effect will increase.

Side dishes with a low glycemic index. High glycemic index foods

The glycemic index is an indicator that determines the level of increase in glucose after consuming a certain product.

There are three categories for classification:

• low (up to 55);
• average (from 56 to 69);
• high (from 70 to 100).

The reference point for constructing the scale is glucose, its glycemic index is 100.

High GI

High GI foods contain simple carbohydrates - they are quickly absorbed in the body and provide energy. After a workout or physical activity, quickly digestible carbohydrates are beneficial, but if consumed in excess or without the proper need, the resulting glucose is “sent” to the fat layer.

Most of them have a sweet taste, such as muffins or waffles. But there are also healthy ones: watermelons, pumpkin, stewed carrots, zucchini, rice, millet, dates. You can find a complete list of foods with a high glycemic index on our website.

It is also important to take into account the glycemic load - the amount of carbohydrates contained in 100 grams. If the glycemic index determines the rate of glucose intake, then the GN determines its quantity. The same watermelon has a high glycemic index (72), but contains no more than 4 grams of carbohydrates. It can be consumed without fear even with the strictest diet.

Low and medium levels of glycemic load also have:

• fruits and berries (pineapple, cranberry, grapes, persimmon, pear, plum, mango, melon, apple, orange, kiwi, grapefruit, cherry, peach, banana, raspberry, strawberry, currant, pomegranate);
• vegetables (cucumber, cauliflower, raw carrots, eggplant, tomatoes, mushrooms, broccoli, bell peppers, beets, corn);
• fresh juices;
• cereals (barley, basmati rice, oatmeal, buckwheat);
• spices;
• soy;
• whole grain and yeast-free bread;
• nuts and dried fruits (walnuts, almonds, peanuts, dried apricots, prunes).

The main mistake is the combination of foods with a high GI and the absence of even minimal activity. This combination contributes to the development of many diseases: from diabetes to increased cholesterol levels with blockage of blood vessels. Fructose is considered the most harmful fast carbohydrate - its excess leads to the appearance of fatty deposits.

Complete
*Foods with less than 5% carbohydrate content, so their glycemic load index is low and can be consumed in moderation without risk. ** Dairy products, because, despite their low GI, they have a high insulin index, so they should be consumed with caution.

Some useful information about the glycemic index: what does it depend on and how to use it?

The glycemic index is influenced by several factors:

1. The more fiber, the longer it takes to digest (and, accordingly, the lower its GI).
2. The method of preparation is also important. When cooked, the indicator increases, so raw and cooked carrots are not classified equally. The smaller the pieces, the higher the GI, so potatoes boiled in their jackets are healthier than mashed potatoes.
3. It is worth considering acidity. Lemon or orange have an index lower than salty.

Products with a high GI guarantee quick satiety, while those with a low GI guarantee the absence of hunger over the long term. Therefore, nutritionists advise combining foods with different GIs, for example, meat with a vegetable side dish or honey with nuts.

If you are actively involved in sports and burn a lot of calories, you need foods with a high GI to stimulate and repair muscle tissue. If you have a sedentary lifestyle, it is recommended to review your diet by eliminating such foods from daily consumption.

In custody

When eating consciously, it is important to study the characteristics of the food you eat. One of these indicators is the glycemic index. It helps you categorize foods and combine them for maximum benefits. Knowing the GI and glycemic load, you can create complete nutrition for a sports, vegetarian or vegan, or simply balanced diet.

To make it easier for you to navigate, we post complete tables for weight loss: indicating GI, slow and fast carbohydrates, proteins and fats, and calorie content of various dishes.

Getting enough sleep

Scientists have proven that adequate sleep is important for metabolism, along with physical activity and diet.
During sleep, the sympathetic nervous system activates the kidneys, which regulate the amount of sodium and fluid in the tissues. Adequate sleep regulates fluid levels and reduces water retention by subcutaneous tissue. On average, you need to sleep about 7-9 hours a day.

Stress Reduction

Constant stress increases the concentration of the hormone cortisol in the blood plasma. One of its effects is water retention in tissues, which causes swelling. This is because the stress hormone stimulates the activity of ADH (antidiuretic hormone), which retains fluid. The basis of the work of ADH is signals to the kidneys about salt retention, which automatically provokes retention - less urine is released, water remains in the tissues and subcutaneous tissue.

Eliminating stress helps normalize the functioning of ADH, relieves its negative effects on the kidneys, allowing urine to be produced more actively, removing excess moisture.

Correcting Electrolyte Imbalances

If the body does not receive enough electrolytes - ions that have an electrical charge - a fluid imbalance can occur. Positive ions are especially important - potassium, magnesium and sodium, negative chlorine. If the concentration of electrolytes in plasma or cells sharply increases or decreases, this provokes a violation of fluid flow. Swelling inside cells or in the intercellular space is possible.

How to remove water from the body during edema, if the cause is an imbalance of ions

It is important to correlate salt intake with fluid intake; if there is a lot of moisture, more salt is needed, and vice versa.

When playing sports or living in a hot climate with high air humidity, it is necessary to consume additional portions of electrolytes to replenish the loss of salts during sweating.

If a person consumes a lot of salt in food or supplements, it is necessary to drink enough water. Otherwise, the salt will attract, retain fluid and cause swelling.

Taking extra magnesium

Another key mineral needed to maintain fluid balance in the body. It not only regulates the volume of water in plasma or intercellular fluid, but also normalizes the functioning of the nervous system and the transmission of impulses between cells. In the human body, magnesium is involved in 600 different metabolic processes, reducing body weight and the severity of PMS in women, relieving stress.

It actively interacts with sodium and potassium, controlling the filtration of fluid by the kidneys and its reuptake (reabsorption) under conditions of dehydration. Taking supplemental magnesium helps in weight control by removing water and suppressing stress reactions.

Taking Dandelion Extract

Common dandelions are a medicinal plant that has a natural diuretic effect. Infusions and decoctions of dandelion root are used at home to introduce excess moisture to reduce the severity of swelling.

The active substances in the decoction signal the kidneys to more actively filter water and salts, increasing the volume of urine excreted. Over the next 5 hours, the work of the renal glomeruli intensifies, filtering more urine. It is important to consult your doctor first. There are certain restrictions - pathologies of the kidneys, heart or liver.

Glycemic index

Each of the foods, dishes and drinks has its own GI

The numerical value of the glycemic index (GI) is the amount of glucose that enters the blood after digestion of a dish or product. It displays the magnitude of the increase in glycemia, the level of bioavailability of the carbohydrates contained and the absorption of starch.

Empirically, medical scientists have come to the conclusion that with the same amount of carbohydrates in different foods, the glycemic index is significantly different. During research, it was discovered that varieties of starches differ not in absorption time, but in different degrees of absorption, while some parts of starch cannot be broken down at all.

For your information. Starch grain consists of molecular compounds - amylose and amylopectin, with small additions of trace elements, lipids and peptides. It is the ratio of amylose and amylopectin that determines the biochemical behavior of starch-containing products.

GI tables distributed on the Internet show average (rounded) or mixed values, since they can display 2 different ways of calculating GI:

• in relation to white bread;
• in relation to glucose.

When publishing tables, authors do not always indicate the calculation method. By the way, “bread” indices are less accurate, since the standard itself cannot be so. It will constantly change depending on where the wheat grows, the technology of grinding grains and the production of white bread.

Inconsistency of the glycemic index

Freezing vegetables can lower their glycemic index

Diabetics should remember that GI is not a constant value. It depends not only on the quantity and quality of carbohydrates contained.

These indicators change under the influence of the following factors:

1. Variety, variety, degree of maturity, conditions and place of cultivation of agricultural products.
2. Type of cereal processing - amount of cereal crushing, degree of flour grinding, hydrothermal treatment.
3. Direct technology for preparing dishes at home or in catering establishments - cooking from fresh products, freezing, drying, boiling, stewing, frying, fermenting, baking, salting or preservation methods. The quantity and range of seasonings used.
4. Storage conditions and duration, starch retrogradation.
5. Modern production technologies - refining, steaming, pastification of durum wheat, production of cereals or instant products, processing methods for long-term storage.
6. The degree of grinding and preservation of the cellular structure of products in the dish. The consistency of the dish when served is liquid or solid.
7. The type of monosaccharides in the product is fructose, glucose and/or galactose.
8. The ratio of amylose and amylopectin, as well as the presence of resistant starches. The degree of decomposition of starches and the preservation of cellular structure after cooking.
9. Calorie content is the amount and ratio of not only carbohydrates, but fats and proteins. The presence, namely the amount and ratio of: fiber, indigestible fiber, non-nutrients, minerals, vitamins and organic acids.

Consuming more regular water

This helps eliminate fluid retention in tissues and cells. The body strives for an ideal balance - optimal intake and elimination. If a person is constantly suffering from dehydration, the body will regularly turn on mechanisms to retain fluid so that metabolic processes do not stop.

If a person achieves optimal balance, the body actively removes excess water through the kidneys and through the skin, which eliminates swelling and prevents its occurrence. Consuming enough water is not limited to preventing edema. This is necessary to activate the breakdown of fat and proper brain function.

• Reference point - feeling thirsty

  . It is important to drink a few sips of plain water every time the urge arises, but you do not need to drink 1-2 glasses at a time. In hot weather or during exercise, fluid consumption increases.

• Another landmark - urine color

  . If it is pale yellow in color and transparent, it means that the body receives the optimal amount of water and the tissues are fully hydrated.

Secrets to lowering the glycemic index

It turns out that you can eat your favorite foods, control your blood glucose levels and lose weight without special diets or heavy physical activity. Preference should be given to products with low GI (up to 55), and to prepare dishes with high GI values, it is necessary to resort to some tricks of their preparation technology or create special combinations of ingredients.

Potato

Make mashed potatoes without eggs, and with olive oil, not butter.

Fried or home-baked potatoes, in any variety, are becoming a particularly rare, “holiday” dish. Occasionally you can treat yourself to puree.

In order to prepare diet mashed potatoes you need:

1. Boil the potatoes whole – “in their jackets”.
2. Peel, add olive oil, salt and puree.
3. If reheating is necessary, use non-stick cookware with a small amount of hot water added to the bottom.

By following this technological scheme, you can lower the GI by 10 points in relation to the indicated indicators in the GI tables.

Nutritionist advice. Do not use milk, eggs or butter to make mashed potatoes - these combinations increase the GI of mashed potatoes by almost 50%. Follow the same scheme when preparing the side dish “boiled potatoes”.

Porridges and cereals

Replace butter with meat gravy!

There are instructions for preparing side dishes, soups and cereals - always use whole grains:

• pearl barley, not barley;
• oatmeal, but not cereal;
• buckwheat, not chopped buckwheat.

On a note. Eliminate instant porridge, semolina and couscous from your diet. Whenever possible, use only whole grain flour.

Pasta

The ideal pasta is combined with plenty of herbs and olive oil.

In order to lower the GI by 10 points from those indicated in the tables, do not cook any types of pasta (from hard or soft wheat varieties) until cooked, and serve al dente. However, doing better is even more difficult. Cool the boiled pasta completely and reheat with the sauce before serving.

In the case of pasta, price matters. It is better to buy expensive Italian products made from durum wheat.

Fruits and berries

The best fruit is red grapefruits, which should be eaten with white peels.

It is better to completely avoid berries and fruits, with the exception of grapefruits, but if you include them in the menu, you should give preference to a minimum amount of unripe fruits. Their GI is almost half lower than that of ripe or overripe counterparts, as well as dried fruits.

Eating Selected Healthy Foods

The easiest way to remove water from the body for weight loss is to eat more foods that regulate fluid balance (especially those rich in potassium)

. This mineral stimulates the kidneys to excrete excess sodium, and with it, water.

• Dark green leafy vegetables
• Beans
• Bananas
• Avocado
• Tomatoes
• Yogurt or other dairy products.

Magnesium supplements or products containing the following substances help in the fight against edema

• dark chocolate;
• dark green leafy vegetables;
• nuts and whole grains.

There are a number of herbal products that have a mild diuretic effect:

• corn silk;
• horsetail;
• parsley;
• hibiscus;
• garlic;
• fennel;
• nettle.

Although fluid retention does not cause bloating or discomfort, limited consumption of foods that cause flatulence is also beneficial for edema. The dangerous group includes highly processed foods with sufficient fiber content, beans and dairy products (with lactose). It is worth choosing low FODMAP foods for a while to see the effect.

Glycemic Index Diet and Diabetes

Diabetes is a complex disease that affects millions of people around the world.

Those with diabetes cannot process sugars effectively, which can make it difficult to maintain healthy blood sugar levels.

However, good blood sugar control helps prevent and delay complications, including heart disease, stroke, and nerve and kidney damage.

A number of studies show that a glycemic index diet lowers blood sugar levels in people with diabetes.

A 2021 review of 54 studies found that low-GI diets reduced hemoglobin A1C (a long-term marker of blood sugar control), body weight, and fasting blood sugar levels in people with prediabetes or diabetes.

In fact, some studies link high GI diets to a greater risk of developing type 2 diabetes. One study of more than 205,000 people found that those who ate the highest GI diet had a 33% higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes than those who ate the lowest GI foods.

A systematic review of 24 studies found that for every 5 GI points, the risk of developing type 2 diabetes increased by 8%.

A low-GI diet may also improve pregnancy outcomes in women with gestational diabetes, a form of diabetes that occurs during pregnancy.

Moreover, a low GI diet has been shown to reduce the risk of macrosomia by 73%. This is a condition in which newborns weigh more than 4 kilograms at birth and is associated with numerous short- and long-term complications for mother and baby.

Conclusion: A low GI diet appears to lower blood sugar levels in people with diabetes. Higher GI diets have also been associated with an increased risk of type 2 diabetes.

Reducing carbohydrates

Another option for removing excess water from the body. Simple sugars are stored in the muscles and liver in the form of glycogen, which also retains water in the tissues. For every gram of glycogen in the body, there are 3-4 grams of water. This explains why people immediately lose weight when they switch to a low-carb diet, which reduces glycogen stores.

Carbohydrates also stimulate an increase in insulin levels, which increases sodium retention and water reabsorption in the kidneys. Low-carbohydrate diets cause insulin levels to decrease and excess sodium and water to be introduced into the kidneys. Try changing your carbohydrate intake and see how the swelling goes down.

The Glycemic Index Diet: The Complete Guide

The glycemic index diet is based on the concept of the glycemic index (GI).
Research has shown that a glycemic index diet can lead to weight loss, lower blood sugar levels and a reduced risk of heart disease and type 2 diabetes. However, the way the diet evaluates foods has been criticized for being unreliable and failing to reflect the overall healthfulness of foods.

This article provides a detailed overview of the low GI diet, including what it is, how to follow it, and its advantages and disadvantages.