The GL Diet Made Easy: How to Eat, Cheat and Still Lose Weight. Nigel Denby
GL and Heart Disease
Coronary heart disease occurs when arteries supplying blood to your heart muscle become narrowed by a build-up of fatty material. This slows down the supply of blood, and hence oxygen, to your heart. A heart attack occurs when the blood supply to part of the heart muscle stops altogether, usually because of a blood clot in the narrow part of the artery.
Eating a diet high in hydrogenated/trans fats and saturated fat, low in fibre and low in fruits and vegetables can contribute to the build-up of fatty material in the artery walls.
You can reduce your risk of developing heart disease by following the GL Diet. It has been found to be more effective than a low-calorie, low-fat diet. Evidence from around the world suggests that a low-GL diet may reduce the risk of heart disease in a number of ways.
In 1999 the World Health Organization and the Food and Agricultural Organization recommended that people in industrialized countries base their diets on low-glycaemic foods in order to prevent coronary heart disease, diabetes and obesity.
Several studies show that certain blood fats linked to heart disease are lower in people following a low-glycaemic diet. A low-GL diet is naturally high in fruits and vegetables, which are rich in antioxidants and have a protective role in heart disease.
‘Is it worth getting nutrition right – and is it easy? We at HEART UK say yes – and yes! Simply eating well really is a good investment towards staying well.’
Michael Livingstone Director, HEART UK charity
Low GL and Female Health
Many women find that a low-GL diet helps to improve hormonally driven symptoms associated with premenstrual syndrome (PMS), polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) and the menopause.
From our experience, women usually feel improvements very quickly after lowering the GL of their diet and eating healthily. So stick to the GL Diet and monitor the reduction of your hormonal symptoms.
Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS)
This affects 10–15 per cent of women in the UK, although many don’t even realize they have the condition. Symptoms include:
• Pelvic or abdominal pain from cysts on the ovaries
• Infertility, difficulty in becoming pregnant
• Recurrent miscarriages
• High blood pressure
• Acne
• Being overweight, rapid weight gain, difficulty in losing weight
• Baldness or excessive body hair
• Irregular periods
New research suggests that PCOS may be linked to raised levels of insulin in the blood, which stimulates the ovaries to produce too much testosterone. We discussed in Chapter 2 how eating high-GL foods causes high levels of insulin. Your body can become resistant to the effects of insulin and need more and more to be produced in order to have the same effect.
Carrying excess weight makes the symptoms of PCOS worse. A weight loss of 10 per cent is effective in improving symptoms.
Many dieticians working with patients suffering from PCOS recommend a low-GL diet to help control the levels of insulin produced by the body and to help with weight loss.
For more information and advice on PCOS visit the charity website www.verity-pcos.org.uk
‘I’ve lost 6lb in two weeks so I’m thrilled. I have PCOS and endometriosis. The PCOS makes losing weight super hard and so the 6lb are even more exciting!
Emma from London
diet freedom online club member
‘Thank you for the amazing things your diet has given me, like my life back! My close friend was diagnosed with PCOS, and when she described it to me I discovered that I had the same symptoms. So I researched diets and, lo and behold, I found the GL Diet. WOW! I’ve now been on it for two weeks and am a new person – I wouldn’t go back if you paid me! I have energy and am no longer dizzy. The strangest change, though, is that my legs aren’t as hairy – so exciting!’
Roma from Scotland
‘I’d been gaining weight steadily since my diagnosis of PCOS. It felt like everything was going wrong at once and I was in a real downward spiral. I knew my diet wasn’t great before, but it wasn’t until I tried the GL Diet that I realized that what I ate could make such a difference. After just a week I had more energy than ever, and friends couldn’t believe how well I looked. I’m finally back in control of my weight, and for the first time in two years I feel I can influence how my PCOS affects me.’
Simone from London
The Menopause
The menopause is a time when a woman’s fertility declines. For most women, this occurs in their 50s, although some women may face the menopause much earlier or later than this.
As you go through the menopause your ovaries produce less of the hormone oestrogen. This reduction triggers the brain to release other hormones in an attempt to make the ovaries work harder and keep producing eggs. Symptoms such as hot flushes, sweats, muscle and bone pain and poor concentration are all linked to these hormone surges.
The GL diet can be beneficial to menopausal women in a number of ways:
• Menopausal symptoms are hormone-related; the GL Diet better regulates the level of the hormone insulin in the blood.
• Stable blood sugars improve poor concentration and irritability.
• Many menopausal women find they gradually gain weight – the GL Diet is effective at helping to control weight.
• The menopause is a time when a woman’s risk of heart disease increases; the GL Diet has been shown to be effective in helping to prevent heart disease.
• A low-GL diet can reduce the risk of breast and endometrial cancer in post-menopausal women.
‘I first saw Nigel in his menopause clinic. I thought I understood GI back then although I clearly didn’t really know what I was doing as I was getting nowhere fast. As well as trying to lose weight I wanted to control my mood swings and hot flushes and get a bit of my old spark back. Nigel taught me how to use GL, which made so much more sense to me than GI. He also talked me through the other aspects of my diet and lifestyle that would help me. In a few months I lost over two stone and my mood, energy and general feeling of wellbeing improved dramatically. I have now retired and see Nigel once a year to keep an eye on things, but after three years the weight is still off and I feel better than ever – there really is a life after menopause!’
Sheila from London
Low GL and Cancer
As with type 2 diabetes and some female health problems, some cancers are linked to our hormones. Breast, endometrial and prostate cancers have all been linked to the levels of insulin in our blood. Cancers of the digestive tract (stomach and colorectal) also seem to be linked to levels of insulin and other related compounds in the body. High levels of insulin occur when high-GL foods are eaten (see Chapter 2.)
Research has also shown that a high-GL diet is positively related to the risk of colorectal, prostate, stomach, endometrial and breast cancers. This is most likely due to the effect high-GL foods have on our insulin levels.
Low GL and Child Health
The GL Diet has been shown to reduce food intake and body weight in children. Having a low-GL breakfast