52-Week Challenge: Week Thirty

So, I'm not sure if anyone else is doing this challenge with me anymore.  I haven't heard anything from most of the people who said they were going to do it with me in QUITE awhile.  However, I'm going to keep posting each week because I'm going to keep going, even if I have to do it alone.

So this week's challenge is entitled "Satisfy Your Hunger."  Eat balanced and nutritious meals and snacks so you feel satisfied and energized throughout the day.  Doing this is a lot more complex than I thought it was going to be.

The author measures how "satisfying" a meal will be by measuring the glycemic index (GI) of foods.  In very simple terms, the GI measures how a food's carbohydrates affect your blood sugar levels in comparison to the same amount of carbohydrates found in white bread.  The higher the GI, the more rapidly food is digested and absorbed, which results in quicker spikes in blood sugar levels.  Foods with a lower GI not only digest more slowly, minimizing blood sugar spikes, but are also associated with a lower risk of heart disease, diabetes, and obesity.  They are also crucial in stabilizing energy levels, suppressing appetite, and decreasing body fat.

The easiest way to figure out a food's placement on the GI scale is to go to www.glycemicindex.com.  However, to get started, here are a few examples:

LOW GI FOODS:
       *Some whole grains:  barley, flaxseed, oats, rye
       *Most fruit:  apples, cherries, citrus fruits, pears
       *Beans and legumes
       *Fibrous vegetables:  carrots, cucumbers, peppers, spinach
       *Nuts
       *Lean proteins
       *Healthy fats

MODERATE GI FOODS:
        *Some whole grains:  brown rice, whole-grain pasta
        *Some starchy vegetables:  corns, peas, new potatoes, sweet potatoes, yams
        *Some fruit:  apricots, pineapple, plums, raisins, watermelon

HIGH GI FOODS:
        *Some starchy vegetables:  parsnips, turnips
        *Refined grains:  bagels, chips, rolls, white bread, white rice
        *Sugary foods:  baked goods, candy, cookies, juice, sugar

When consuming foods from the moderate to high GI range, try to pair them with low GI foods.  This will lower the overall GI of the meal.  It will prevent blood sugar spikes and stabilize energy and hunger levels better than if the high GI foods were eaten alone.