Gillian McKeith's Food Bible (48 page)

Finally, eat smaller, more frequent meals and regular healthy snacks through the day, especially mid-morning and mid-afternoon, when blood-sugar levels may fluctuate.

Insulin imbalances

When we eat, glucose from the digestion of carbohydrates is absorbed into the blood. At this point, blood-sugar levels are raised. This sends a signal to the pancreas to release insulin. The insulin’s job is to carry the glucose from the blood to the cells in order to bring blood-sugar levels back to normal. Once in the cells, glucose can be used for energy or stored for later as glycogen.

In a healthy diet this process works perfectly. However, excessive consumption of refined carbohydrates, particularly sugary foods, upsets the balance and everything starts to go haywire. Your body has to produce increasing amounts of insulin to keep blood-sugar levels normal. Eventually, you become resistant to the insulin, so more needs to be produced. Once this happens, the glycogen stores become full and glucose is converted to fat.

You are then caught in a vicious cycle where the more unstable your blood-sugar levels, the more prone you will be to craving sweets and unrefined carbohydrates like bread, and the easier it is to lay down fat. But this does not need to be the case.

I started going to the gym last year and I started watching Gillian’s programs to lose some weight. I was a dress size 14 weighing 165 pounds. Since listening to Gillian’s advice I have gone down to a dress size 8 to 10 and I now weigh 130 pounds! I suffered badly with a lack of confidence and losing the weight has really helped. I now have my life back.

Glucose tolerance self-check

If you recognize three or more of the symptoms listed below, you may have a problem with the regulation of insulin and glucose in your body.

Difficulty in concentrating.

Excessive consumption of caffeine, chocolate, or cigarettes.

Excessive sweating.

Excessive thirst.

Extreme difficulty in getting out of bed.

Falling asleep in the middle of the day/feeling really drowsy.

Inability to get going without a caffeine/nicotine fix.

Irritability without frequent meals.

Need for more than eight hours’ sleep per night.

Breaking the cycle

In order to break this cycle so you don’t end up a complete sugar junky on a roller-coaster ride to poor health, you need to eat a diet that keeps insulin levels as low as possible. Over time, this can improve the cellular response to insulin so less is needed to keep blood-sugar levels normal. The less wide the swings of insulin you produce, the less likely you are to store glucose as fat.

Avoid all foods that cause blood-sugar levels to rise rapidly. These include sugar, white bread, white rice, white pastry, white pasta, white potatoes, chips, fries, processed foods, alcohol, caffeine, chocolate, cakes, pastries, cookies, candy, and soft drinks.

Eat small, regular meals and snacks rather than large meals.

Include fiber and protein with each meal, as these slow down the release of glucose from carbohydrates. Examples include fish or chicken with vegetables and salad or beans with grains and vegetables.