How the Glycemic Index can Impact Your Mental Health
How Can a Low-GI Diet Improve Your Mood?
What is the Glycemic Index?
The Glycemic Index is a ranking system for carbohydrates, that measures how quickly they are digested, absorbed and metabolised. The quicker this process is, the higher the GI of the carbohydrate, and the faster it will affect your blood sugar and insulin levels. High-GI foods cause fast peaks and troughs in our blood sugar levels, releasing energy quickly and then causing a crash.
A high-GI diet can cause physical health problems, such as higher risks of cardiovascular disease, heart attacks, strokes, diabetes and weight gain. However, the impact that a high-GI diet can have on your mental health is less widely known.
How Can the Glycemic Index Affect Your Mood?
The peaks in energy caused by consuming high-GI foods also cause periods of low energy and mood in the subsequent crash. Data from a 2016 study shows us that eating a high glycemic diet results in a 38% increase of depressive symptoms among moderate-weight and over-weight people.
We can also become stuck in a cycle of high-GI consumption, as the more we eat highly refined carbohydrates and sugars, the more we crave them as our "comfort foods" during times of low mood.
How can LoGI Food Tech lower the Glycemic Index of your snacks?
The LoGI-bind process is a technological breakthrough that enables us to remove the need for high-glycemic starch and sugar binders in snacks. This means that they wont cause steep peaks and troughs in your blood sugar levels, and they release energy slowly.
Our snacks are also high in fibre which means they protect against blood sugar spikes and crashes.
Taking care of your mental health is one of the most important things you can do for yourself, and maintaining a healthy diet is one of the best steps you can take towards a positive mental state.
Sources for this post:
Medical News Today: What to know about a low glycemic diet and what to eat - https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/low-glycemic-diet#benefits
Subjective Mood and Energy Levels of Healthy Weight and Overweight/Obese Healthy Adults on High-and Low-Glycemic Load Experimental Diets: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5154680/
Food Navigator: High GI Carb Intake may Trigger Depressive Symptoms, study finds - https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5154680/
The BMJ: Food and mood: how do diet and nutrition affect mental wellbeing? - https://www.bmj.com/content/369/bmj.m2382
