in the body after digestion. For example, some starchy foods are bound by an outer layer of very complex starches like the legumes (beans, lentils, split peas), which increases the time it takes for them to be digested. So even though legumes are relatively high in carbohydrates, they have a lower glycemic response because of their complex encasing.
Carrots are another example of glycemic inconsistency. If a person consumes 50 grams of carrots, which are required for the test, they’ve eaten about five cups of carrots. Not many of us would eat that many carrots. And even in that high quantity, carrots are still in the low glycemic category, just a little higher than many other vegetables.
There is also the antioxidant potential of foods to consider, meaning the amount of antioxidant nutrients a food contains, like beta carotene and vitamin C, that are abundant in many fruits and vegetables. Carrots and beets (very rich in beta carotene) are often targeted as vegetables we should toss out with the corn chips, yet carrots are in the low glycemic category and beets are moderate. In Chinese culture, carrots are often used as cooling medicine.11
Carrots, beets, and other brightly colored vegetables are especially important to include in our diet to prevent disease. These days many health professionals suggest we eliminate carrots and beets because of their glycemic rating, but the Coconut Diet does not exclude them because of their high nutrient and fiber content.
The New Glucose Revolution: Complete Guide to Glycemic Index Values (Marlowe & Co.) may be helpful for you to determine the foods that are higher in sugar. It offers the glycemic index value of most foods, and it’s in a small book size you can carry with you for quick reference.
In the Coconut Diet, we have eliminated the foods that are higher on the glycemic index and foods that do not have fiber and turn to glucose rapidly. We eliminate the foods that aren’t rich in nutrients. We also omit fruit for the first three weeks because of the higher sugar content and because many people suffer from yeast overgrowth. This diet encourages foods that do not promote a rapid rise in insulin and, therefore, do not promote fat storage, and foods that are rich in fiber and thus slow down the release of sugar into the bloodstream.
What Causes Sugar Cravings?
High-carb foods usually cause the pancreas to overcompensate by releasing too much insulin. This causes blood sugar to swing too low. We feel hungry, moody, and irritable. Other hormones are released including cortisone and norepinephrine. Norepinephrine makes us nervous and stimulates the brain to crave more carbs. So we eat a bowl of breakfast flakes, or a bagel, a cookie, or a bowl of ice cream. And our blood sugar goes up and then way down.
Sugar cravings can also be caused by a yeast overgrowth known as Candida albicans. This condition can sometimes cause uncontrollable urges to eat sweets (one of the preferred foods for yeast). If you suspect this might be you, take the Candida Questionnaire. Also, a chromium (trace mineral) deficiency can cause sugar cravings as can a protein deficiency.
Whatever the root cause, this cycle of carb cravings, blood sugar swings, and mood shifts leads to carbohydrate addiction, insulin resistance, and weight gain. This can be true for many individuals who find it difficult to lose weight. In many cases overweight individuals eat less food than normal weight individuals, but their choices are often simple carbohydrate foods due to carbohydrate, or specifically sugar, cravings.
The past three days my sugar cravings have been gone. I actually didn’t realize it until I was driving today and thought to myself, “I haven’t had any sugar attacks in at least two days.” Recently, the only thing I have done differently was to bump up the amount of virgin coconut oil I was taking. I was getting 2–3 tablespoons per day. Now I am adding 3 tablespoons directly to my morning smoothie (made with stevia, no sugar) and then getting some more with cooking and such. I have been doing this for about a week. The morning energy boost is awesome and I really feel good. My son was eating chocolate-covered raisins last night, which is normally a huge snack time for me. He passed the box to me and I ate a couple and then handed it back. It did nothing for me. I am so elated that maybe I can finally get the sugar out of my system and get my immune system back up to par. I would love for my recurrent yeast infections to be a thing of the past too.
Michelle
The Truth About Insulin
Insulin is a powerful hormone. Primarily it pushes glucose out of the blood and into muscle, where it is converted into energy. It plays a critical role in blood sugar balance, weight management, and many other important health factors.
When blood sugar goes up, the pancreas releases insulin to deal with the sugar, but it often over-reacts by releasing too much insulin. Then our blood sugar goes down, often way down, and so we eat more carbs to bring it up again. And then the pancreas releases more insulin—and on it goes.
Things like alcohol, pastries, candy, ice cream, pie, cake, refined flour products like bread, bagels, and pasta, and starches such as white potatoes and white rice rapidly break down to sugar and quickly enter the bloodstream where it causes insulin to spike. “It doesn’t take much to cause your blood sugar to go up,” says Ron Rosedale, M.D. He notes that one saltine cracker can take blood sugar to over 100, and in many people it can cause it to go over 150.12
When insulin becomes overabundant, the normal, target cells in the muscles and liver will no longer recognize it. When this happens on a continual basis, you have a bunch of insulin floating around in your bloodstream all the time. When insulin becomes the dominant, active hormone, it triggers a hormone imbalance that sets the stage for weight gain, obesity, Type II diabetes, and even cancer.
Insulin Resistance
Once glucose is in your blood, insulin carries it to the trillions of cells in your body. When you are more insulin sensitive, your body will do a much better job of shuttling glucose (blood sugar) into your cells. The “open doors” of your cells allow this fuel in where it is used for energy. How easily glucose is shuttled in means how sensitive your cells are to insulin.13
When your cells are not sensitive to insulin, insulin levels go up. Target cells will develop what is termed insulin resistance, which leads to hyperinsulinemia. When your cells are insulin resistant, your body must contend with extra “free roaming” glucose that can’t get into your cells. Some of this will be stored as fat and lead to weight gain. Without insulin sensitivity, you may struggle with your weight continually over a lifetime.14
In light of these factors, it is vitally important to stick faithfully with a low-carb diet, not only to facilitate weight loss, but also to prevent premature aging and disease. To assess your sensitivity, see the Insulin Resistance Quiz.
I want to pass along a bit of my experience with regard to diabetes. I have been taking coconut oil for several months. I first started cooking with it and replacing the vegetable oils in my home. Then I started taking it by the spoonful—about 2 tablespoons daily. I was diagnosed as a Type 2 diabetic in July of 2001 and immediately put on medication. I have been looking for a way to reverse this condition since diagnosed. I have found a world of info out there on various supplements and diet, but not from my doctor who just said “Welcome to the club!” and told me to take my meds. He also sent me to a nutritionist to take diabetic classes.
Bottom line is this: I have been able to work with my doctor to slowly remove myself from the medication and control my blood sugar by diet, supplements, and with coconut oil. I am now off the medication.
