Understand Glycemic Index and Glycemic Load: 5 Key Principles for Better Blood Sugar Control

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Managing blood sugar levels is crucial for overall health, especially for those with diabetes or prediabetes. Two important concepts to understand to manage health and wellbeing when making food choices especially if you want to manage diabetes are the Glycemic Index (GI) and Glycemic Load (GL). Here are five principles to help you make better food choices based on these concepts: 1. Prioritize Low Glycemic Index Foods The Glycemic Index (GI) measures how quickly a food raises blood sugar levels. Foods with a low GI cause a slower, more gradual rise in blood sugar, which is beneficial for maintaining stable energy levels and avoiding spikes. Examples of low GI foods include non-starchy vegetables, beans, and certain fruits like apples, pears, pomegranate and berries. 2. Consider Glycemic Load for a Comprehensive View Glycemic Load (GL) takes into account both the quality (GI) and quantity of carbohydrates in a food. This provides a more comprehensive understanding of a food’s impact on...

Mental resilience - Being Self Compassionate

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We are more prone to negative emotions as compared to positive biologically and often criticise ourself when we are not able get enough task completed thus we let ourself or others down or we feel that we are not good enough. 

Self-compassion means being caring, kind and understanding to yourself; recognising that you are not perfect; and understanding that in any failure you encounter, there is possibility for learning and development.

The research shows that this self criticism is associated with anxiety and depression and on the contrary self compassionate behaviour is associated with high motivation, curiosity and well being. 


The following are the tips for compassionate attitude for mental resilience,

  • Practice making small constructive gestures to combat habitual negativity, such as thanking one colleague every day and jotting down three items that went well before leaving work.
  • The next time critical thought arise, transform it into compassionate, constructive statements. Imagine how would you convey to a child or to the person you love and care.
  • In punishing your future for the failures of your past, there is no meaning. Learn and  develop out of it, forgive yourself, and then let it go.
  • Doing good for others makes us happy, only if it does not lower our own rate of well-being. Look at the difference you make by being generous and do not forget to give back to yourself
  • Humour helps us cope and stay sane use it to come out of mind chatter.

References:
  1. https://hbr.org/2018/09/give-yourself-a-break-the-power-of-self-compassion
  2. https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/the_five_myths_of_self_compassion