Did you know that you can help reduce stress on your body just by making sure that most of the carbohydrates (carbs) you eat are the type that keep your blood sugar from rising too fast?

All carbs are broken down into simple sugars and then this sugar circulates in your blood.

Unless you are exercising at the time, when you eat carbs, your body requires insulin to get that sugar from the blood into the cells.

A rapid rise in blood sugar triggers more insulin release.  Sugars leave the blood and enter the cells (unless you have developed insulin resistance … but that is a story for another time).  Blood sugar drops rapidly as well.  It’s a “roller coaster” ride that stresses the body’s balancing mechanisms in many ways.

One way to reduce the rate of release of sugar into the bloodstream is by eating foods that lead to sugar entering the bloodstream more gradually — over a longer period of time.  The Glycemic Index (GI) is a powerful tool for selecting these types of foods.

I encourage you to visit the official website of the Glycemic Index and the GI Database http://www.glycemicindex.com/.  Here you can find the GI of just about any food (the lower the better for our purposes, especially if you are not engaging in strenuous activity).

You’ll also learn why no two carbs are alike, the benefits of eating low GI foods, and tips on switching to a healthier low GI diet.

Remember, when you are looking up the GI of a particular food, lower is “better” with respect to helping keep blood sugar stable.  Below 55 is best.

In addition, here is a tip:  If you are going to eat a food higher on the GI, eat another food at the same time that is low in carbs and higher in protein and good fats.  For example, add a few almonds, or an egg.  The fat will slow down the release of sugars into the bloodstream, and the protein will trigger the release of the hormone glucagon that counteracts the effect of insulin release and helps to keep blood sugar levels more stable.

Once you work with the charts, you’ll quickly get the “hang of it” and you’ll find yourself easily selecting foods that keep your blood sugar more stable.

Of course, if you really “pig out,” even a lower GI food can lead to a significant blood sugar rise (so there is a section of the chart called Glycemic Load (GL) to help keep you on the straight and narrow!

One final word … Just because a food is low on the GI, does not mean it is necessarily good for you.  A couple of examples:

Peanuts have a low GI, but you could have an allergy to them, or they could have too much salt for you, or the oils they were roasted in may not be good for you.

Milk is fairly low on the GI, but again, you could have a sensitivity to dairy, or be lactose intolerant.  Most Americans drink pasteurized milk in which the enzymes have been destroyed by the heat involved in that process.  The lack of enzymes could place a stressful demand on your own enzymatic production processes.

Nevertheless, the GI is a useful tool that, when combined with other understandings about nutrition, can help you reduce physical stress and have an improved quality of life.

[Ed Note:  David Kamnitzer, D.C. is an expert at helping people achieve high levels of health and well-being — far beyond what is available simply through drugs and surgery alone.  He combines his 20-year clinical experience and extensive knowledge in structural, nutritional, and energetic balancing to offer individuals cutting-edge approaches to healing.  To learn more, click here.]

For more great articles like this delivered to your inbox, subscribe to our free natural health newsletter!