4.16.2010

Food's Glycemic Index

In her book Making the Cut,  Jillian emphasizes "steering clear of carbohydrates that have a high glycemic index (GI) ".   I wanted to learn a bit more about the importance of food's GI and in short this is what I learned:

  • What is the GI? 
    • A food's GI indicates how its carbs will affect your blood stream during digestion.
  • What effect do foods with a high GI have on our bodies? 
    • The quicker (higher GI) carbs turn into glucose, the quicker your insulin level will spike. High insulin levels is a bad situation if you are trying to lose body fat since fat loss cannot occur in the presence of high insulin levels. Instead high insulin levels could promote fat storage! 
  • Benefits of eating low GI foods
    • Food with low GI suppresses your appetite.
    • Provides more energy stable levels since the blood sugar is better controlled.
    • And this one is my favorite! It allows you to eat more without body fat storage. 
 Here is a GI food chart I found online, it gives you an idea of the GI levels of some food.
** Every time you eat a protein with a carbohydrate the total GI of the meal will go down since protein is a very complex molecule and thus slows down the digestion of the carb. Fats also have this effect. So if you consume high GI food make sure you pair it with a protein. 
 Here's what a low GI food pyramid would look like!


What are your thoughts on food's GI? 
Before I read Jillian's book I had no idea what glycemic index was! But I find that without knowing most of the time I do follow a low GI diet. 


5 comments:

  1. We've learned a little about the glycemic index in my nutrition classes, and the general consensus seems to be that it's a fine general guide, but not to get too hung up on specifics because the evidence is not all there! Foods interact with each other when you eat them, so foods can move around on the index if you eat them with other foods. I think the best thing to do is to concentrate on fruits, veggies, whole grains, and lean proteins. I say that as a dietetics student - my teachers would be proud ;)

    Have a great weekend!

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  2. I think most of this makes sense, but I have also heard that high glycemic foods are better right after a workout to speed up recovery.

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  3. I have read about the gylcemic index before & visited it in my undergrad nutrition class. I honestly do not follow it though/make a conscious effort to remember and look up if something is LOW on the GI scale. It just isn't for me. I like just doing moderation and eating what my body is craving while making an effort to include protein in!

    THANK you for sharing!!

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  4. This is interesting stuff! I didn't really know about the term GI but I do know to not eat many carbs, mainly because things with lots of carbs have a lot of points in WW. I am def gonna check out the food chart, thanks!

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  5. gosh i have mixed feelings on the whole gi thing.....not sure how i feel about it. i like your information and like the chart!have a great weekend!
    xoxo

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