February is Heart Health Month –Low GI Tips for Your Ticker
February is Heart Health Month! Aside from the many other health benefits, low glycemic foods are beneficial to your heart health – primarily for the prevention of future heart health issues.
The main reason for this is the ability of low glycemic foods to help maintain a healthy blood sugar level, which helps to prevent insulin resistance. Although most people have never even heard of it, insulin resistance is a nasty little thing, because in addition to causing type 2 diabetes, it can take a real toll on your ticker.
Insulin resistance occurs when your body is continually forced to produce large amounts of insulin in order to bring your blood sugar level back down after eating high glycemic carbs. Over time, your cells eventually require more and more insulin in order to get your glucose levels back in check. This causes your pancreas to work harder and harder as your cells become less reactive to your insulin hormone, causing glucose levels to begin building up in the blood. Eventually, this can lead to type 2 diabetes as your body can no longer produce the insulin required to maintain a healthy blood sugar level.
Here’s where your heart comes in! People who have insulin resistance also tend to have high blood pressure and elevated triglyceride levels, which is a type of unhealthy fat in your blood. High triglycerides are often a sign of other conditions that increase the risk of heart disease and stroke, including obesity and metabolic syndrome — a cluster of conditions that some argue may be caused by a consistent diet of high glycemic carbs.
Keep your heart happy all year long by choosing slow release carbs as part of your everyday food routine. And don’t forget to stay active! A little cardio goes a long way in keeping your heart pumping strong , allowing oxygen to flow throughout your blood which keeps those endorphins flowing.