Come summers and as the layers of clothing is shed off , the excesses done in winters also start showing up in the form of that bulging belly .All those oil laden Paranthas come back to haunt you when you see that belly in the mirror .So summer time is also correction time for us – a time for exercise , fitness and dieting .
Afterall fitness is not a choice! It has to be for everyone – young or old, fat or fit, anyone who wants to have a better health.You cannot afford to be unfit .It has to be a way of life ,from waking up in the morning to the food we eat and how we eat it ,everything contributes to our fitness .
It has been recently observed that low-Glycemic Index diets have been associated with decreased risk of cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, metabolic syndrome, stroke, depression, chronic kidney disease, gall stones etc .
Glycemic Index (GI) is a measurement carried out on carbohydrate-containing foods and their impact on our blood sugar.
After 50 grams of the food to be measured has been consumed, blood sugar levels are measured over a period of 2 hours. In the second step, 50 grams of a reference food: either white bread or pure sugar (glucose) is consumed and once again, blood sugar levels are measured over a period of 2 hours .
This gives us a comparative data on the impact of the first food on our blood sugar as compared to the impact of either white bread or glucose itself. The impact of the white bread or glucose is arbitrarily given a value of 100 to make the comparison easier.
Most healthcare organizations use a “high,” medium” and “low” rating system for GI.So all foods get classified ‘Very low GI”, “Low GI “,”Medium GI “and “High GI ” foods with the lower GI ones being considered far healthier than thehigher GI ones .
Some examples of foods with a low GI include dried beans and legumes (like kidney beans and lentils), all non-starchy vegetables, some starchy vegetables like sweet potatoes, most fruit, and many whole grain breads and cereals (like barley, whole wheat bread, rye bread, and all-bran cereal).
So the goal is to switch to low glycemic index foods which help in maintaining a healthy bood sugar level throughout the day , ensuring a leaner and fitter you .
A very easy way to reduce the calories in our daily diets is to substitiute refined sugar with honey as one table spoon (15g) of Honey contains lesser calories than sugar and Honey is sweeter than sugar. Thus, less honey is needed to achieve the same level of sweetness, thereby ensuring lesser calories consumed.
Honey has lower Glycemic Index(GI) than Sugar so it does not spike the blood sugar as fast as refined sugar does .So just by adding honey to your green tea or Nimu Pani or fruit shake you can increase the nutritional value of your food and reduce the calorific value of the food.
Natural Honey is a rich source of vitamins, minerals, anti-oxidants and enzymes which is good for the skin too .
A Spoon of honey taken with warm water in the morning is traditionally known to be useful in weight management and also aids in digestion .
Click here to learn more about recipes using honey .
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| Source – http://www.daburhoney.com/ |
Some Sweet Facts about Honey
- One table spoon (15g) of Honey contains lesser calories than sugar and Honey is sweeter than sugar. Thus, you may add less honey to get the same level of sweetness, thereby lesser calories consumed.
- The bees also add a special enzyme to honey while the liquid is being manufactured, which makes the liquid easy to digest.
- Honey has lower Glycemic Index(GI) than Sugar.
- Honey is a source of vitamins, minerals, anti-oxidants and other enzymes that the body requires for a healthier functioning which are not present in Sugar.
Now that you know about the Honey Diet , here is wishing you “Happy Dieting !”
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