How High - Carbohydrate Rich Foods Preparation Influences Blood Glucose Response

If you have diabetes or know someone close to you that has diabetes or is at risk of getting diabetes or any other metabolic syndrome, then this message is just for you.

Most people rely heavily on staple foods like ugali, rice, potatoes, pasta, and others like the matoke. You'll notice that they are mainly carbohydrates (CHO).  These foods contribute to more than 50% of the energy intake and it's obviously a fundamental component of a balanced diet. 

CHO being the main source of energy, its digestibility depends heavily on the proportions of sugars, starch, and fiber present within CHO.  

'It's easy for you to get instant energy from taking glucose or beverages with high sugars like soda and fruit juices than from eating a banana or rice.' 

It'll take you even more time to get energy when you eat food like oats. All these foods have different effects on your blood glucose levels whether you have diabetes or not, it will cause an increase in your blood sugar levels and will require your body to produce and release insulin so that it can balance or neutralize the excess glucose from circulating in your blood.

When you eat foods rich in refined carbohydrates such as sugar, white rice, refined grain flours, white bread, fruit juice, candy, cookies, cakes, etc. know that they will be easily hydrolyzed or turned into glucose components by an enzyme called pancreatic amylase and brush border enzymes in small intestines. Definitely, your blood glucose levels will rise sharply and also drop quick. When this happens you feel full faster and then hunger sets in after a few minutes or hours, that's how you end up eating more calories from this kind of carbohydrates. 

When you eat foods rich in resistant starch, most of us like referring to them as high fiber foods, they will not be easily hydrolyzed in the small intestines to release additional glucose into the bloodstream. In turn, it will undergo fermentation by the gut bacteria in the large intestine which will improve your general gut health.

Some examples rich in resistant starch include sweet potatoes, wholemeal grains, whole fruit, vegetables, beans, seeds, etc. 

When your diet is full of these foods, you'll feel full for longer hours and your blood glucose will not spike as sharply as compared with those from refined food sources.

In one study, three different ways of food preparation were compared and the effects it has on blood glucose levels after two hours of consuming pasta. These methods were:

• Freshly cooked (hot) food
• Cooked and then cooled 
• Cold then reheated food

It turned out that those who consumed freshly cooked (hot) food such as pasta, and potatoes recorded higher levels of blood glucose after two hours post-prandial. Those who ate reheated food had their blood glucose return quick to baseline than cold foods within the same duration of two hours. 

spaghetti mixed with carrots, green capsicum, and Sossi soya

Therefore, it was concluded that cooling CHO can result in retrogradation and subsequent resistant starch formation, then reheating before intake can significantly result in a faster return to baseline blood glucose levels.

However, you have to remember that the amount of food especially these types of carbohydrates will greatly determine how much energy you'll consume and how much it will spike your blood glucose levels. Each person has specific and special CHO needs. Therefore it's advisable to get an individualized diet guide from a registered nutritionist/dietitian. 

If you want me to help you with a customized plan to either reverse or manage your diabetes, call or email me now via 0715925445 or ayerestephen@gmail.com

Lifestyle Diseases Can Be Conquered Through Diet and Positive Lifestyle Change

 

Perhaps almost everyone is now familiar with the term ‘Lifestyle Disease’ and will not fail to give one or two examples of some. Well, these are diseases that we were never meant to have because it is caused by the lifestyle which we have complete control over it.

I have seen people saying that diabetes is in their family and they fear that they will get it in the future! This I say, they end up being diagnosed with Diabetes and some even score a bonus for their correct prediction by getting hypertension on top of diabetes. 

Hey! Let’s get this right if you knew this was going to happen, what were you doing to prevent that from happening? 

If we could give every individual the right amount of nourishment and exercise, not too little and not too much, we would have the safest way to health. - Hippocrates

It may not be your fault not to be born into a family where diabetes or hypertension is hereditary. But you can enjoy your whole life without necessarily completing the cycle of being diagnosed with Diabetes or hypertension. 

It’s time you embrace that everyone is genetically exposed, but this doesn’t mean it’s a must we fall sick. It’s the lifestyle we choose to live or make our kids go through that will determine whether they develop more superior genes or more defective genes. In other words, genetics holds the loaded gun, but it’s our lifestyles that pull the trigger.

BOOM! Just like a timed bomb went off!

If we have to control and completely combat these lifestyle diseases, perhaps we should apply the basic LAWS TO HEALTH. These laws are not complicated. They are things that we ignore daily. You don't need a master's degree or Ph.D. to understand these laws.

• The first law to conquer these lifestyle diseases is Good Nutrition. 
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Looking good and feeling good go hand in hand. If you have a healthy lifestyle, your diet and nutrition are set, and you’re working out, you’re going to feel good - Jason Statham  

• Good nutrition does not mean you do a complete diet overhaul (Sometimes it does - got ya!). Also, know that not everything tasty or sweet is healthy. Remember, human beings are not carnivores, we are omnivores. But why not balance our animal food sources consumption with those from plants? Why would one eat meat, dairy, and other processed animal products every day and forego vegetables, seeds, and nuts?  Over the years, science is proving that animal foods are causing more harm than benefits when compared to plant-based foods.

• The second law is Exercise. We value money and we spent almost three-quarters of the day working and thinking about how to make more money. In the end, the money we get will be for medical treatment. Funny right! No, it’s not. 
  
  
  
• We must start investing time to take care of our bodies through exercise. I don't mean you stop working but try never to miss out on your body workout routine. Obesity is also on the rise because of our sedentary lifestyle. Let me console you a bit, ‘you’re not fat, it’s just that your body loves storing fats.’ Then if that is the case, why sit your asses down and let your body win! 

• The third law is Sunshine. Yes! The one thing that you don't like especially during noon hours when it's scorchingly hot. But, what about the other times when it's not that hot? Nowadays we leave our houses before sunrise and get back after sunset. Who has time to busk on the un! I’ll just get my vitamin D supplement and get sorted! You are rich, no problem. But did you know that your body was designed to make vitamin D on its own with the help of the sun? Now you know.
  
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• The fourth law is Water. "Hey, doc, how much water should I be drinking in a day?" This is a common question everyone likes to ask. Perhaps you have already asked yourself the same! But should you be waiting to be reminded to drink water? Simple, let your body guide you, if your urine is not clear, DRINK WATER, DRINK WATER until you pass clear urine throughout the day. When you get dehydrated, your organs fail and this may result in an injury, especially your kidneys. Drink your water.
  
  
  
• The fifth law is Fresh Air: You can do days without food, water, and sunshine, but you cannot last an hour or even less without air. We pollute our environment daily in many ways, littering every corner your eyes can set. People smoke in public without minding how others feel. So, what prayers should we cast for our air to be clean? You know it right! Yes. Good, let’s do it for the sake of breathing in the fresh air.
  
  
  
• The sith law is Temperance: Which simply means moderating everything that you do. Stop overdoing things, be it alcohol, dieting, or too much sunshine exposure, know and understand your limits.  Avoid whatever you know will cause you more harm than benefit.
• The seventh law is Rest: Who has time to rest? Sleep is very important but nowadays, it’s luxurious to sleep more than 5 hours.  God wasn’t crazy to create day and night and said we should have rest. We need time to re-wire our brain and let our body reset itself through self-healing. I’m not advocating sloth. 
  
  
  
• The eighth and the last law is Trust. Trust in your divine power, read books as food for the brain, meditate and connect with one another. Exist peaceful with each.

By exploring these laws of health, you’ll realize that it doesn’t recommend you any medication. But it doesn’t mean you don’t go to the hospital for check-ups or seek doctors' help.

In a nutshell, if we can all adopt a system where the food we eat is natural (organic), and increase our daily physical activity, we will create healthy and productive nations.

For nutrition support contact me via email at ayerestephen@gmail.com or WhatsApp me at 0715925445.