THE G.I. FACTOR AND WEIGHT REDUCTION: THE NEED FOR EXERCISE
A ‘fast metabolism’ is not necessarily a matter of luck. Exercise, or any physical activity, speeds up our metabolic rate. By increasing our kilo-joule expenditure, exercise helps to balance our sometimes excessive kilojoule intake from food.
Exercise also makes our muscles better at using fat as a source of fuel. By improving the way insulin works, exercise increases the amount of fat we burn. A low G.I. diet has the same effect. Low G.L foods reduce the amount of insulin we need which makes fat easier to burn and harder to store. Since body fat is what you want to get rid of when you lose weight, exercise in combination with a low G.L diet makes a lot of sense!
Why exercise keeps you moving. The effect of exercise doesn’t stop when you stop moving. People who exercise have higher metabolic rates and their bodies bum more kilojoules per minute even when they are asleep!
The body loves to store fat. It is a way of protecting us in case of famine. In the midst of plenty we are building up our fat stores.
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ALCOHOL IN DIABETES
The Australian dietary guidelines suggest that alcohol intake should be limited. In diabetes there are additional reasons why intake should be limited.
1. Alcohol may affect blood glucose levels.
2. The effects of too much alcohol may be similar to the symptoms of hypoglycemia. (It may be important for friends to be aware of this.)
3. Many alcoholic beverages contain significant amounts of carbohydrate.
4. All alcoholic beverages are high in energy. This is important where weight control is a problem.
5. Alcohol may induce high blood fat levels and would need to be avoided if this were a problem.
A moderate intake of alcohol should not affect your diabetes. The following points should be kept in mind.
1. Don’t drink on an empty stomach. Food in the stomach will help slow the rate of absorption of alcohol from the stomach.
2. Choose beverages with a low carbohydrate content – Spirits, Dry Wines, Dry Sherries, Dry Vermouth.
3. For a longer drink mix with low carbohydrate drinks: Diet Coke, LoCal Lemonade, water, Soda Water, Natural Mineral Water, artificially sweetened Tonic Water, LoCal Dry Ginger, Diet Pepsi.
4. Avoid using alcoholic beverages with high carbohydrate content – Sweet Wines, Sweet Sherries, Sweet Vermouth, Liqueurs, Port and Stout.
5. Beers – all varieties contain carbohydrates (including diabetic beer). A low alcohol variety however contains less alcohol, is lower in energy and would be better.
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