Eating right is one of the cornerstones of a healthy lifestyle. A well-balanced diet may provide you with many of the nutrients essential to maintaining optimal health and help you feel better about yourself, both physically and mentally. However, when it comes to healthy eating, it’s not just about the quantity of the foods you eat; it’s also about the quality. Serving sizes are always important to a healthy diet, but changing the way you think about food can help you make better choices about your sources of nutrition and how these foods interact with your body. 

Low glycemic eating is not just a diet; it is part of a proactive and healthy lifestyle, one that promotes smart dietary choices based on how the foods you eat impact you. Changing your eating habits isn’t always easy, but most of the foods you eat already are part of a low glycemic diet. It’s simply about paying closer attention to what those foods are, how they make you feel and how to manage portions. So, what is a low glycemic diet, and how can you begin making steps towards a healthier you?

Low glycemic refers to foods that have a minimal impact on your blood sugar levels, which in turn impacts your body’s production of insulin. The goal of a low glycemic diet is to incorporate foods that do not significantly raise your blood sugar levels.  

To understand a low glycemic diet, it is important to first understand the glycemic index. The glycemic index (GI) is a measurement of how quickly foods may cause your blood sugar to rise. It was developed in 1981 by researchers at the University of Toronto as a way for people with diabetes to better manage their blood sugar levels. It has since evolved into a method that anybody can use to monitor how their body reacts to certain foods. The glycemic index measures the impact foods have on blood sugar levels on a scale of 1 to 100:

• 0 to 55 are low glycemic foods
• 56 to 69 are medium glycemic foods
• 70 to 100 are high glycemic foods 

Low glycemic foods cause minimal fluctuations in blood sugar levels, meaning they do not significantly increase insulin production. High glycemic foods, on the other hand, may raise blood sugar levels and increase insulin production. The glycemic index measures foods containing carbohydrates, which are macronutrients that your body metabolizes into glucose: a sugar that serves as the body’s primary source of energy. During digestion, carbohydrates are broken down into glucose.

The level of insulin released into your blood is impacted by the foods we eat. Insulin is released in response to the amount of sugar your body is digesting. Remember, low glycemic foods produce minimal fluctuations in blood sugar levels, meaning they do not have much of an impact on insulin production. High glycemic foods may rapidly raise blood sugar levels, thus increasing insulin production. 

When insulin production increases in response to a rapid rise in blood sugar levels, this signals your body to store fat. Therefore, if your diet includes an overwhelming proportion of high glycemic foods, it may lead to your body storing more fat, which in turn, makes weight management more difficult.  

A low glycemic diet is important to help you maintain normal blood sugar levels, and if this is a concern for you, it is important to consult with your doctor. However, paying close attention to the glycemic index of the foods you eat may help you maintain normal blood sugar levels. It may also help keep your body in fat burning, instead of fat storing, mode.*

The amazing thing about a low glycemic diet is that you can eat many of the foods you already eat. A veritable cornucopia of fruits, vegetables, beans, lean meats, and dairy are still available to you. Even healthy fats, like the kind you find in avocados, nuts, and oils, can be incorporated into a low-glycemic diet--just be careful to avoid saturated fats from animal products or the trans-fat found in many packaged foods.* 

Many fad diets will tell you to avoid carbohydrates, but carbs are still a macronutrient essential to a well-balanced diet. There are, as with most foods, “good carbs” vs. “bad carbs.” When it comes to the carbohydrates you include in your diet, it is better to avoid processed or refined carbs whenever possible. This may mean substituting white-flour foods (like white bread) for whole grains and sticking to brown or long grain rice. Carbohydrates are also found in fruits and vegetables. Fiber-rich vegetables, like dark leafy greens, and fruits like berries and apples, are typically low glycemic. Foods like carrots, mangoes, or bananas may have a higher glycemic index, but their glycemic load is still low to medium, making them conducive to low glycemic eating. 

The TLS® Health Guide & Journal provides a thorough breakdown of foods that may support a low glycemic lifestyle. There are even menu plans, and advice on the healthiest ways to cook for this lifestyle.

TLS® CORE Fat & Carb Inhibitor supports leptin sensitivity. Leptin is a hormone secreted by fat that contributes to the feeling of hunger. It signals to the brain when to eat, how much to eat, and when to stop eating. TLS® CORE Fat & Carb Inhibitor may help to promote a feeling of fullness, which may help encourage you to stop eating once you’re full.* 

It may also help to reduce the storage of fat in the body, and slows the absorption of carbohydrates into the bloodstream. In addition, this product may help maintain normal blood sugar and cholesterol levels, and promote normal insulin activity.*

Stress, be it emotional, mental, or physical, may stimulate the adrenal gland to release hormones, such as cortisol, to give your body a burst of energy and strength in order to deal with the stress. Sustained or excessive states of stress may result in continuous cortisol production, which may lead to adrenal fatigue. TLS® ACTS may help promote healthy adrenal gland function, which may support healthy cortisol levels.*

TLS® Trim Tea is a gluten-free, thermogenic tea that is formulated to help curb your appetite, support metabolic balance, and help maintain normal blood sugar and cholesterol levels. Trim Tea contains a blend black tea extract and WellTrim® iG, or African mango seed extract, to help moderate enzyme activity that may reduce the amount of starch you ingest that is stored in the body as fats. It may also help maintain normal insulin activity.* 

 

*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product(s) is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.

WellTrim® iG is a trademark of Icon Group, LLC.

IGOB131® is a trademark of Gateway Health Alliances, Inc. and is protected under U.S. Patent 7,537,790.