I had another one of those epiphany moments today. I had a “Jumbo Jammy Dodger” which was 2 massive pieces of shortbread biscuit with oodles jam in the middle. Now I know this isn’t what I usually eat, but I fancied something sweet and it looked really nice. So I demolished said baked items with a large, sweet cup of tea.
What followed is the body’s typical response to a refined, high GI food. I had a massive sugar rush for approximately 10-15 minutes where I was completely hyperactive and felt great. I was on top of the world, talking at 1,000mph and giggling like a teenage girl. However, what followed was a massive low, where I felt tired, lethargic, and thoroughly miserable.
Why?
When you eat a high GI food, typically your blood-sugar levels go through the roof, and in order to send the sugar to your muscles, your insulin levels surge. What follows next is sometimes referred to as a “sugar crash”, as your insulin and blood sugar levels plummet back to their original levels. It can leave you feeling like you have a bad hangover.
Whilst this can be a little inconvenient every once in a while (like today - I have been like a bear with a sore head ever since), if your diet consists of a lot of high GI foods where your body regularly experiences these insulin spikes, not only will you regularly feel lethargic a lot of the time, you could put putting your health at serious risk - including obesity, heart disease, diabetes and cancer.
This puts a serious question mark over one particular school of thought for dieters, which is to have a little of what you fancy every once in a while. If like me your diet is based on a good range of low GI foods with complex carbohydrates, proteins and good fats, then a refined, high in sugar treat like the one I had today might not be such a good idea - especially if it’s going to make you feel how I did!
I’m now at the point where I feel like a good sleep, but I am looking forward to chicken and brown rice with Nando’s sauce for dinner, so that should gently massage my sugar levels and fuel me for tomorrow’s Sunday Club Ride - which will no doubt be painful!
I like the new format of being able to scroll down through previous entries. Lovin your work at the mo…
Diabetes is one of the almost hidden side effects of bad eating habits. 5 years ago I found myself 5 months pregnant and diagnosed with pregnancy related diabetes. Many people wander round in a prediabetic state and every sugary snack pushes them closer to type 2 diabetes, blindness, circulatory problems, amputation.. scary thought eh?
I’m fairly certain I was in a pre-diabetic state. I went to uni with someone who had diabetes, it causes a heart attack, liver and kidney problems, and she’s had to have an amputation. It’s another one of those things that people just brush aside as not being too dangerous, but in reality it’s a killer!