Top 4 Supplements To Lower Cholesterol (and Which Ones To Avoid!) [914091]

The Importance of Regulating Blood Sugar: Understanding Rice's Impact

Maintaining a healthy blood sugar range is crucial for optimal health. When we talk about food and its impact on our bodies, one staple that often gets overlooked in the conversation is rice. While it may not be at the forefront of most discussions around diabetes or weight management, rice plays an essential role in determining your blood sugar levels.

The Relationship Between Rice Consumption and Blood Sugar Levels

Rice has been a primary source of carbohydrates for many cultures worldwide. However, its high glycemic index means that it can cause a significant spike in blood sugar upon consumption. This is particularly concerning for individuals who are managing diabetes or pre-diabetes because excessive carbohydrate intake from sources like rice can push their blood glucose levels into an unhealthy range.

When you consume rice as part of your meal, especially if you're not balancing the glycemic index with other nutrient-dense foods such as vegetables and proteins, it may elevate your blood sugar to dangerous highs. The immediate effects might seem minimal or even insignificant; however, this can contribute significantly over time towards developing insulin resistance – a precursor to more serious metabolic disorders.

Understanding Glycemic Index: A Key Player in Blood Sugar Regulation

The glycemic index (GI) of foods is essentially their ranking based on how much they raise blood glucose after consumption. Foods are categorized as having either high, medium, or low GI values depending on the degree and speed by which they affect blood sugar levels.

Rice falls under a category known commonly in the context of diabetes management for being somewhat detrimental due to its moderately elevated GI score when prepared typically (about 70-80). It's not like white bread though; however brown rice, or cooked basmati has lower indexes than other forms. To effectively incorporate it into your diet while controlling sugar spikes consider does glucerna spike blood sugar pairing whole grains with vegetables and protein-rich foods.

Dietary Balance: Tips for Consuming Rice Without Exacerbating Blood Sugar Issues

One effective strategy when working on lowering blood glucose levels from food items is to focus heavily on moderation rather than completely eliminating them. For individuals aiming at balanced meal plans that include some form of rice as part of it, following these tips can offer better control:

• Mix with protein: Balancing out high-carb foods like rice by non diabetic blood sugar level 2 hours after eating consuming more lean proteins during meals such as chicken breast or lentil soup is one surefire way to keep blood sugar fluctuations down.
• Balance carbs and veggies: Combine whole grains rich in fiber (brown rice for instance) not only reduces the GI effect but increases satiety.
• Healthy Cooking Methods: Choose steaming over deep-frying, since oils significantly post meal blood sugar 150 increase calories which affect body weight thereby impacting glucose regulation.

When considering specific nutritional advice related to any particular food or situation consult an expert because personalized care might vary depending on your needs as well other health factors involved at a given time.

In this video, I reveal the top 3 supplements for lowering cholesterol. And the ones to ignore and save your money for something else! 📚Get your FREE recipe e-book here. Read the full Guide on Cholesterol Lowering Supplements Below: 🛍️ All my YouTube Gear: KEEP IN TOUCH: 🌍 My website - 📸 Instagram - @marialuceyrd_dietitian 🔵 Facebook - @marialuceyrd 📧 Email [email protected] DISCLAIMERS & DISCLOSURES 🤍 This content is for educational and entertainment purposes only. Always speak to a healthcare provider about your unique health needs. Please use this video (as with all of my videos) as educational, not as unique recommendations. This description contains affiliate links. ⏰TIMESTAMPS 00:00 Introduction 00:17 Heart Health and Cholesterol Lowering Series 00:33 Food First or Supplements? 00:56 Fibre Supplements 01:17 Different types of fibre 01:32 soluble and insoluble fibre 02:01 Viscous fibre 02:18 Psyllium husk 02:58 How to take fibre supplements 03:29 Plant stanols and sterols 05:11 omega 3 fish oil supplements 06:27 What to look for in an omega 3 supplement 06:38 general multivitamin 07:17 red yeast rice supplements 08:50 summary 09:01 The power of a plant-based diet Full Article Available on the Website: As a dietitian, many would think that I would be very against supplements. However, I firmly believe we really need them in many cases. In fact, there is a lot of strong evidence to support the benefits of some supplements. However, it is important to point out that the supplement industry makes a lot of money and is very poorly regulated. So always consult your doctor or your personal Registered Dietitian before taking any supplement. Fibre Supplements So, let’s start by looking at fibre supplements. If you read my previous article, "The No.1 food to lower your cholesterol," you will know that fibre is an amazing secret weapon when it comes to cholesterol-lowering—fibre from food, that is! Not all the benefits of diets high in fibre can be achieved through supplementation—if only it were that easy. There is now a huge market for fibre supplements, and in theory, you would think these would also be great for lowering cholesterol... However, there are over 100 different types of fibre, and they all offer benefits in their own unique way. Just like if you had 100 different people in a room, everyone would have their own unique skill. Broadly speaking, two main types of fibre are incorporated into fibre supplements: soluble and non-soluble. Soluble fibre can be further divided into two types: nonviscous and viscous. We want to focus on viscous soluble fibre, which becomes a thick gel when it comes in contact with liquids in your gut. Due to this characteristic, it can bind to cholesterol in the small intestine, preventing its absorption into the bloodstream and sweeping it through your digestive tract to eliminate it in your stool. Insoluble fibre and nonviscous soluble fibre do not possess the ability to bind to cholesterol like this. So when we are looking at fibre, it’s the high viscosity, gel-forming fibres, which include (beta-glucans, psyllium and guar gum, that have been shown to lower cholesterol levels. So, you will want to read the label of any fibre supplement to see which type of fibre it includes. My recommendation is that if you are looking for a fibre supplement to lower your cholesterol, start with psyllium. A lot of research supports its use to reduce LDL cholesterol. Psyllium For Cholesterol Lowering Psyllium: comes from the husks of seeds from the psyllium plant. It is found in a variety of whole-grain foods as well as fibre supplements such as Konsyl, Metamucil, and other store-brand versions. Psyllium has been the most extensively studied soluble fibre, either administered alone as a supplement or in various grains. Studies have shown that doses between 6 and 15 grams per day can lower LDL levels between 6% and 24%. Psyllium is also non-gas forming, so it's suitable for those with IBS. Other soluble fibre supplements are on the market; however, no studies support their use in lowering cholesterol levels.  How To Take Fibre Supplements: Follow the directions on the packaging. Fibre supplements should be taken with a whole glass of water for them to work most efficiently. You don’t want to end up like a blocked kitchen sink. They can result in some GI side effects (like cramping and bloating), so it’s often best to divide the dose throughout the day. Generally, you should not take fibre supplements around the same time as you take certain vitamins and other medications as the fibre may lower its effectiveness.