What's "Glycemic Index" all about???
 

I keep seeing these commercials about the food program that sell you foods with good carbs based on the "Glycemic Index"

Anybody have a basic explanation of what this be?

t is an indicator of to what degree a food will impact your blood sugar and insulin responose. A lot of current data indicates that for some people, the spikes in blood sugar interfere with weight loss no matter what they try. While cals in-cals out still applies, the insulin peaks and valleys really tamper with their success. There was an article in TIME last week that described it really well.

http://www.time.com/time/magazine/ar...626998,00.html

If you google glycemic index, you can get a ton of information. I did it and found everything, including what foods have what GI value. It's mostly common sense. Sugar is high, protein is low, etc. If you eat suger, your blood sugar goes way up, your body cranks out insulin to counteract it and then your blood sugar goes way down. If you eat something with a low GI, your body stays on a more even keel.

So, when looking at the list of foods on the Glycemic Index, the ones with lower numbers are better than ones with higher numbers, right?

Anybody? :?:

yes the lower the better and it's better to pare hi GI foods such as a banana with something to 'cut it' some folks like peanut butter I use yogurt with my fruit....

On the glycemic index foods are considered low if they are a 55 or lower. Bananas are a 55. Wouldn't that be considered low or, at least, mid?

well since fruit is about the HIGHEST thing I eat on the GI it tends to raise my BS and leave me hungry so i'm better off if I have them with a fat or protein to slow the apsorbtion of the natural sugars.

On the flip side....

The GI of foods is determined by asking the subject to completely fast for 8 hours, then eat the specific single food or ingredient, then they do a blood test. Therefore, the GI of a food is only valid if you eat just that single food on an empty stomach. If you combine two foods in the same meal, it's impossible to know the GI of your meal. Also if you chop your vegetables smaller, chew them more or fewer times, cook them 30 seconds longer, add butter or any other ingredient, then the GI changes. Pasta made in Canada and cooked for precisely 8 minutes had a different GI than pasta made in America also cooked for the same 8 minutes. There are so many variables in place that many dietitians ignore it.


In 2005, the results of a major study were released that seemed to dispute the validity of the GI. The study was funded by the National Institutes of Health and was conducted at a university. They followed over 1,000 people over 5 years and found no connection between high GI foods and elevated blood sugar.

In another study, subjects followed either low or high GI diets for 12 weeks. Both groups were on reduced calorie diets. Both groups lost the same amount of weight. Both groups showed the same amount of improved insulin function, and it was concluded that the weight loss itself was responsible for the improvement, rather than the specific foods eaten.

On the other hand, foods that are lower GI are generally very healthy foods, with decent amounts of fiber and other nutrients. You can't go wrong by choosing them. Focusing on something like the GI encourages you to make more careful food selections, leaving out a lot of junk and empty calories.

BUT, and there's always a but :lol: If you have been tested and diagnosed insulin resistant, then you could benefit from a low GI or low GL (glycemic load) diet. For everyone else, the evidence shows no effect.

Thanks, Suzanne. I'd seen some of that before, but that was very informative!!

OK, thanks. I was thinking that lower GI foods would be better than higher GI foods.

I've got a list that contains manu food items and their GI so now I have something to go by so I don't have to join one of those foods deals and spend a bunch of money on their "special" food.