Low glycemic index diet
Posted: Wed Apr 17, 2019 11:21 am
Recommended as CFS treatment, my RLS appears got a lot better after starting a low glycemic index diet, so maybe we should add this to the "compilation of what's worked" @ViewsAskew. Other beneficial side effects for me are much better blood fats after 4 months (cholesterol is much better, and my triglycerides are down to 200 from over 450, where 150 is considered normal range), better blood pressure (125:80 instead of 140:95) and weight loss that helps as I'm a bit overweight (2 pounds a month even though I eat as much a I like and don't try to lose weight, and I can't do any sports at the moment).
It took 2-3 weeks for me to see first effects (more energy, less RLS). The blood values need a bit longer.
So this is worth a thread
Fans of that diet will claim that everybody should follow it, and the normal dietary guidelines (low fat, lots of whole grain carbohydrates) should be scratched in favor of low carb. And I tend to agree after reading a lot about it. The diet was originally developed for people with type 2 diabetes, but it seems to have a lot of other benefits too. (My blood sugar values, or whatever is determined for diabetes, were always very good. So whatever worked for me, it doesn't come from better blood sugar.) There is substantial scientific evidence that low glycemic diet is very benefitial for a lot of blood parameters, especially fats: It seems counterintuitive that you can lower your cholesterol and fats by eating more cholersterol and fat, but there we are - apparently the body processes unused carbohydrates into fats, and is very well adapted to gaining energy from fat and protein. The key is to avoid fat in combination with lots of carbohydrates, and avoid certain fat types (trans-fat in particular).
And almost all overweight people will lose weight, at a healthy rate, even though they are allowed to eat as much as they like. And unlike other diets like Atkins you don't have to worry about not getting enough vitamins or an unbalanced mix of nutritients.
Unlike some other low-carb diets (like Atkins), this diet is centered around vegetables/fruit/salad, even though these contain carbohydrates. Also it's not a time limited diet but something that people will follow for the rest of their lives if it helps them. The idea is to limit the insuline production of the body, while ensuring a dietary mix that contains plenty of vitamins, amino acids and essential fats (omega 3) etc. - ensuring that the nutrition mix is similar to the one our ancestors ate 10.000 years ago, but allowing for modern cooking.
You can google "low glycemic index diet" if you want to know more. These are the cliff notes:
* The mix is 20% of the energy comes from carbohydrates, 30% from protein, 50% from fat.
* Eat vegetables 3 times a day and fruit 2 times a day.
* Everything is allowed, but some things should be consumed only in small quantities and not too often (sugar, bread, rice, potatos). The diet has a 4-stage pyramid where vegetables, fruit and fats are the basement (eat as much as you like), dairy products, meat, fish, nuts and pulses are level 2.
* Fats should be "good" fats - lean meat is preferred. I use linseed oil and olive oil to increase the fat content of my meals (salad etc.), and eat a lot of nuts. Butter is encouraged, but no butter substitutes.
* Fiber is OK, even though it's technically carbohydrates. High-fiber stuff is a mainstay of the diet (many vegetables and pulses).
* Almost all vegetables and nuts are fine (you can eat as much as you like), with some exceptions that are fine in normal amounts but not unlimited (like corn). Dairy products are fine if they contain no sugar and no artificial ingredients. (I eat a lot of cheese and yoghurt but no processed cheese.) No need to use fat reduced stuff!
* Whole grain products are better than white flour products, but still bad. They cause a drawn out insuline production, but the body still needs insuline to break them down.
* As for fruit, those with low sugar content are preferred. Sugar should be avoided in general, treat it more as a spice than something that is a substantial ingredient.
* I try to avoid processed food and any preservatives. I eat meat but no sausages, and I avoid all kinds of ready meals.
* There are tables for everything that you can follow, similar to other diets. I do look stuff up occasionally, but I don't count any "points" or whatever.
It takes a while getting used to, but I'm getting along fine. I now eat a lot of dairy products, eggs and nuts, and more meat, vegetables and salad naturally. Some things can be replaced - I use ground almonds and chickpea flour instead of breadcrumbs and wheat flour, and I can bake decent low-carb buns, do battered stuff and bake pies. In a restaurant I'll replace the rice/fries/bread with salad or vegetables. I do replace sugar with artificial sweeteners (I know many RLS patients can't do this), but I use low amounts of unrefined brown sugar too. I always have some nuts handy if I need a snack. Instead of a bagel or sandwich I'll eat cheese, nuts and maybe some vegetables. And my daughter loves that diet, as she's allowed to eat cheese without bread
One more CFS recommendation that I'm following, that may be worth a try for those of you waking up with food cravings: One half slice of whole grain bread with a healthy amount of butter, just before I go to bed. (This is the only bread I still eat.) Due to the combination of whole grain bread and fat it will take the body at least 4 hours to process the bread, giving the brain easily accessible energy for the second half of the night.
Some research that is linked on german websites for the diet (in English):
http://content.onlinejacc.org/cgi/conte ... ct/50/1/14
http://www.ajcn.org/cgi/content/abstract/85/4/1023
http://www.cardiab.com/content/8/1/36
It took 2-3 weeks for me to see first effects (more energy, less RLS). The blood values need a bit longer.
So this is worth a thread
Fans of that diet will claim that everybody should follow it, and the normal dietary guidelines (low fat, lots of whole grain carbohydrates) should be scratched in favor of low carb. And I tend to agree after reading a lot about it. The diet was originally developed for people with type 2 diabetes, but it seems to have a lot of other benefits too. (My blood sugar values, or whatever is determined for diabetes, were always very good. So whatever worked for me, it doesn't come from better blood sugar.) There is substantial scientific evidence that low glycemic diet is very benefitial for a lot of blood parameters, especially fats: It seems counterintuitive that you can lower your cholesterol and fats by eating more cholersterol and fat, but there we are - apparently the body processes unused carbohydrates into fats, and is very well adapted to gaining energy from fat and protein. The key is to avoid fat in combination with lots of carbohydrates, and avoid certain fat types (trans-fat in particular).
And almost all overweight people will lose weight, at a healthy rate, even though they are allowed to eat as much as they like. And unlike other diets like Atkins you don't have to worry about not getting enough vitamins or an unbalanced mix of nutritients.
Unlike some other low-carb diets (like Atkins), this diet is centered around vegetables/fruit/salad, even though these contain carbohydrates. Also it's not a time limited diet but something that people will follow for the rest of their lives if it helps them. The idea is to limit the insuline production of the body, while ensuring a dietary mix that contains plenty of vitamins, amino acids and essential fats (omega 3) etc. - ensuring that the nutrition mix is similar to the one our ancestors ate 10.000 years ago, but allowing for modern cooking.
You can google "low glycemic index diet" if you want to know more. These are the cliff notes:
* The mix is 20% of the energy comes from carbohydrates, 30% from protein, 50% from fat.
* Eat vegetables 3 times a day and fruit 2 times a day.
* Everything is allowed, but some things should be consumed only in small quantities and not too often (sugar, bread, rice, potatos). The diet has a 4-stage pyramid where vegetables, fruit and fats are the basement (eat as much as you like), dairy products, meat, fish, nuts and pulses are level 2.
* Fats should be "good" fats - lean meat is preferred. I use linseed oil and olive oil to increase the fat content of my meals (salad etc.), and eat a lot of nuts. Butter is encouraged, but no butter substitutes.
* Fiber is OK, even though it's technically carbohydrates. High-fiber stuff is a mainstay of the diet (many vegetables and pulses).
* Almost all vegetables and nuts are fine (you can eat as much as you like), with some exceptions that are fine in normal amounts but not unlimited (like corn). Dairy products are fine if they contain no sugar and no artificial ingredients. (I eat a lot of cheese and yoghurt but no processed cheese.) No need to use fat reduced stuff!
* Whole grain products are better than white flour products, but still bad. They cause a drawn out insuline production, but the body still needs insuline to break them down.
* As for fruit, those with low sugar content are preferred. Sugar should be avoided in general, treat it more as a spice than something that is a substantial ingredient.
* I try to avoid processed food and any preservatives. I eat meat but no sausages, and I avoid all kinds of ready meals.
* There are tables for everything that you can follow, similar to other diets. I do look stuff up occasionally, but I don't count any "points" or whatever.
It takes a while getting used to, but I'm getting along fine. I now eat a lot of dairy products, eggs and nuts, and more meat, vegetables and salad naturally. Some things can be replaced - I use ground almonds and chickpea flour instead of breadcrumbs and wheat flour, and I can bake decent low-carb buns, do battered stuff and bake pies. In a restaurant I'll replace the rice/fries/bread with salad or vegetables. I do replace sugar with artificial sweeteners (I know many RLS patients can't do this), but I use low amounts of unrefined brown sugar too. I always have some nuts handy if I need a snack. Instead of a bagel or sandwich I'll eat cheese, nuts and maybe some vegetables. And my daughter loves that diet, as she's allowed to eat cheese without bread
One more CFS recommendation that I'm following, that may be worth a try for those of you waking up with food cravings: One half slice of whole grain bread with a healthy amount of butter, just before I go to bed. (This is the only bread I still eat.) Due to the combination of whole grain bread and fat it will take the body at least 4 hours to process the bread, giving the brain easily accessible energy for the second half of the night.
Some research that is linked on german websites for the diet (in English):
http://content.onlinejacc.org/cgi/conte ... ct/50/1/14
http://www.ajcn.org/cgi/content/abstract/85/4/1023
http://www.cardiab.com/content/8/1/36