Water pear around waist? "Low GL diet" helps you lose weight easily

Office workers sit for long periods of time and suffer from annoying abdominal obesity? Be careful. Ignoring signs such as a protruding belly and a thicker waistline will not only affect your appearance, but may also increase your risk of chronic diseases such as metabolic syndrome, diabetes, and hypertension in the future. Experts say that if you want to get rid of abdominal fat, in addition to being active, learning the "low GL diet" and choosing the right food is the key to easily losing belly fat!

Waist size is closely related to health. Women ≥ 80 cm and men ≥ 90 cm should be careful.

Why is waist size related to health? According to a 2007 survey data released by the National Health Administration, one in five adults over the age of 20 in the country suffers from metabolic syndrome. The cause of metabolic syndrome is closely related to abdominal obesity. Therefore, it is very important to control your waist circumference on a daily basis. Generally speaking, the waist circumference of adult men should be controlled at ≤ 90 cm, while that of adult women should be ≤ 80 cm. Once it exceeds the standard, it means abdominal obesity, that is, excessive visceral fat.

Don’t underestimate abdominal fat! Negligence may lead to 5 major chronic diseases

What are the potential health concerns of abdominal obesity? In his book "Low-GL Healthy Food for Slimming Belly: A Magical Weight Loss Method That Will Not Make You Fat Again or Painfully Lose Weight by Eating", Dr. Nam Ki-sun, a well-known Korean nutritionist, mentioned that abdominal fat is the source of many chronic diseases. If its severity is ignored, it may increase the risk of the following five major diseases in the future:

1. Metabolic syndrome:

Abdominal obesity is not only a disease, but also one of the criteria for determining whether one suffers from metabolic syndrome. The so-called metabolic syndrome is a chronic disease of metabolic disorders, the precursor of which is the simultaneous occurrence of multiple lifestyle diseases such as high blood sugar, high blood pressure, high blood lipids, and obesity.

When three out of five diagnostic indicators (excessive waist circumference, high blood sugar, abnormal blood pressure, high triglycerides, and low high-density lipoprotein cholesterol) are met, you can be diagnosed with metabolic syndrome. If patients with metabolic syndrome have abdominal obesity, the risk of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases will also increase.

High concentrations of lipids and sugars will make the blood viscous and flow to various parts of the body, leading to vascular diseases such as arteriosclerosis.

2. Diabetes:

When the human body consumes carbohydrates, blood sugar levels rise. At this time, insulin, which regulates blood sugar, will increase its secretion to lower blood sugar. If the body is often in a cycle of high blood sugar and high insulin, it will not only increase the burden on the pancreas, but also develop into abdominal obesity. Eventually, insulin will no longer work on the body (insulin resistance), and it will develop into diabetes due to imbalance in blood sugar regulation.

3. Hypertension

The accumulation of visceral fat and abdominal fat will increase the substances in the body that control vasoconstriction. If the blood vessels continue to contract, blood pressure will rise abnormally.

●4. Hyperlipidemia and arteriosclerosis:

If neutral fat accumulates in the body, cholesterol will rise and cause hyperlipidemia. When you suffer from hyperlipidemia and your blood contains too much neutral fat or cholesterol, the viscosity of your blood will increase. Once the blood is too thick, it can easily cause lasting damage to your blood vessels and trigger early arteriosclerosis.

●5. Cardiovascular disease and cerebrovascular disease:

Excess carbohydrates that are not consumed by the body will turn into neutral fat, affecting the normal metabolism of carbohydrates and lipids. High concentrations of lipids and sugars will make the blood viscous and flow to various parts of the body, leading to vascular diseases such as arteriosclerosis. If its hazards are ignored, in the long run, it may cause damage to the cardiovascular and cerebrovascular systems, further threatening life safety.

The GI (glycemic index) value refers to the speed at which the carbohydrates contained in the food are digested and absorbed by the human body, as well as the blood sugar level it increases.

Eat right to lose fat ~ Experts teach you the "low GL diet"

In view of the potential health hazards of abdominal obesity, Dr. Nan Jishan, a nutritionist, emphasized that the key to getting rid of abdominal fat is to avoid consuming excessive and overly refined carbohydrates. Therefore, if you want to get rid of the protruding belly, the key is to consume carbohydrates that digest slowly, that is, eat low-GL foods.

Which foods are low in GL? Dr. Nan Jishan, a nutritionist, pointed out that before discussing what low-GL foods are, it might be helpful to first understand what GL is? GL refers to the glycemic load (blood sugar change, Glycemic load) of the human body after eating, which can be calculated using the following formula:

GL = GI value of the food × carbohydrate content (g) in one intake / 100.

In fact, the GI (glycemic index) value that the general public looks at refers to the speed at which the carbohydrates contained in the food are digested and absorbed by the human body, as well as the blood sugar level it increases. The lower the GI value, the slower the digestion and absorption by the human body, which helps control appetite and lose weight. But it is worth noting that the GI value does not take into account the amount eaten, so it is difficult to apply in practice. The GL value takes into account the GI value and the amount eaten at one time, and is more suitable for adjusting the diet.

How to eat a "low GL diet"? Pay attention to 4 dietary points

Why does eating low-GL foods help avoid fat accumulation and improve the problem of protruding belly? Dr. Nan Jishan, a nutritionist, explained that low-GL foods are foods that are low in carbohydrates and are digested and absorbed more slowly. Therefore, if carbohydrates are consumed correctly, it is not easy to cause blood sugar to soar, the body will not be forced to secrete excessive insulin, and the human body will not easily feel hungry due to acute hypoglycemia.

If you want to implement the low-GL diet principle, moderate intake of nuts and vegetable oils in your diet will help supplement the fatty acids and unsaturated fats necessary for the human body.

In addition, under a low GL diet, the appropriate amount of glucose ingested by the human body can be fully transported to muscle tissue and completely converted into energy for consumption. In this way, it is naturally beneficial to avoid excessive energy being converted into fat and stored in the body, helping to maintain a normal weight and prevent lifestyle diseases. The standard for a low GL diet (average per day) is less than 70 GL and less than 150 g of carbohydrates.

In addition to using the formula to calculate, if you want to implement the low GL diet principle, you may wish to keep in mind the following 4 dietary points, which are simple ways to easily achieve the standard:

●1. Switch to a whole-grain diet: consume high-quality carbohydrates and eat less refined carbohydrates.

●2. Eat high-protein foods that are low in saturated fat: beans, fish, eggs and other lean meats with low oil content are good sources of protein.

●3. Eat more vegetables: Vegetables are rich in various minerals and dietary fiber essential to the human body.

●4. Intake of nuts and plant oils: beneficial for supplementing essential fatty acids and unsaturated fats for the human body.