Energy, glucose, insulin & inflammation

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Author: Hannah Kaye
Nutritional Therapist

The first thought that springs to mind when reading the words low glycaemic is weight loss. Yet, the positive effects of following a lifestyle that incorporates low glyaemic food choices, go far beyond that of shaking off a few unwanted kilos. In fact, low glycaemic eating is more about chronic disease prevention than weight loss. This means that even if you don’t have any weight to lose, changing the way you eat and use energy, may significantly impact your health.

Energy cannot be created or destroyed, it merely changes its state. This is what happens when we eat. The food we eat becomes glucose, which is used as fuel to make energy. Foods that are broken down into glucose quickly (like white bread) have a high glycaemic index (GI). Foods that are broken down slowly (like wholegrains) have a low one.

Glucose levels in the blood fluctuate all the time and for different reasons. They can swing from being very high after a meal, stimulant or stress, to being very low, say if you skipped breakfast. If levels are high and surplus to immediate requirements, the body stimulates the pancreas to release insulin. Insulin encourages the body to store excess glucose in the muscles and liver to be used later on. Once these stores are full, glucose is stored as fat, causing you to gain weight.

A stressful lifestyle as well as a diet that consists primarily of high GI foods will lead to blood sugar imbalance. This is a condition in which your body does not handle glucose effectively. Blood sugar imbalance will result in prolonged levels of elevated insulin. These elevated insulin levels contribute to chronic inflammation, which alongside an overabundance of certain fatty acids and oxidative stress caused by free radicals, causes tissue damage. This damage can lead to serious illnesses like heart disease, diabetes, Alzheimer’s, depression and cancer.

Glucose, insulin, inflammation and chronic disease are intrinsically linked. Not only to each other, but also to you, your lifestyle and your dietary choices. EaturGreens aims not only to educate you but to motivate you to take the necessary steps to health management.