Not All Food Behaves the Same

GI :: Glycemic Index (Low: 1 – 54; Moderate: 55 – 69; High: GI > 70)
GL :: Glycemic Load

Posted on August 06, 2010
Do you love pasta? Reduce it’s glycemic index and load by cooking only certified whole-grain pasta al dente.

Need a table sugar (sucrose) substitute? Try brown sugar (molasses) or xylitol. Sucrose is considered high glycemic by all experts. Xylitol is considered to have a low GI and GL. Brown sugar has more nutritious value than sucrose and it considered by some to have a moderate GI.

Do you eat popcorn at the movies every time you go? Instead of buying snacks there, take ‘em from home. Will save you money and more nutritious. You could take unsalted peanuts, almonds, pumpkin or unsalted sunflower seeds. If all fails and you are forced to purchase something at the movies, buy bottled water and peanuts, M&M’s, or chocolate covered raisins. Please keep portion size in mind… Do not eat the whole box!

Posted July 05, 2010
The egg is a fascinating food. It is a great source of protein (white) and essential fatty acids (yolk). Eating them scrambled, however, makes it easy for you to eat quickly. Try eating them as an omelet instead. This will force you to pause while you cut the next piece off. Use this time to chew what was last placed in your mouth. Chewing and slowing down will help you feel full with less food and for a longer period of time after the meal.

Beans offer a lot of nutritional value. Most health professionals suggest them baked (in a soup-like presentation). Most people however like them refried. The problem with refried beans is the amount of oil used to cook and recook them. Instead of drowning them in oil, LIGHTLY OIL pan. Beans will taste like beans and not it was fat laden. When reheating, use water or milk instead of oil.

Posted June 19^th, 2010
Many people eat Total or Special K cereal for breakfast because of their nutritional value. But their glycemic indexes are almost as high as sweetened cereals like Corn Pops (GI: 80; GL: 21). Switch, instead, to a more fiber-full product like All-Bran whose GI is 38 and GL is 8. Remember that recommended serving sizes are 1/2 cup. 250mL of whole or nonfat milk has a GL of 4. Be sure not to have ANYTHING else with this small breakfast or you risk increasing fat reserves. It is best to have this as breakfast after exercise, when cortisol levels are elevated.

We all need carbohydrates. These can be found in grains, starch-rich food (like potatoes), fruits, and vegetables. Eat grains, breads and starch-rich foods earlier in the day and with extreme moderation. Set a goal to eat these before 1pm. Eat fruits and vegetables as frequent as possible, throughout the day.

Fruit and vegetable juices can have same glycemic load as soft drinks. Although filled with nutrients, these should rarely be consumed by people attempting to get rid of excess body fat. The most common are orange, carrot, and apple. No, no, and NOOO. If you MUST have a drink of juice, limit it to 1/2 cup (ex: 1 orange) and ONLY AFTER exercise, when cortisol levels are elevated.

Posted June 9^th, 2010
Fructose, the sugar found in fruits and honey has a low GI, but is converted into fat almost immediately after entering the liver. Do not use as a sweetener. Xylitol is a sugar derived from xylose that has a GI of 7 and a GL of 1 and is not processed by the liver, as fructose.

One scoop of ice cream has a low GI but a moderate GL. Eating a scoop with a two hour fasting window before and after will not spike your insulin levels. A second scoop will make the GL of this treat above 10. (A low GI/GL does not mean that it is a healthy food. It simply means it will not spike insulin levels)

Orange Juice has a GL above 10 and is therefore almost immediately absorbed and converted into fat. Eat the whole orange instead. The fiber will help control fructose and glucose absorption, bringing the GL down to the 3 – 6 range. (This means you should only eat 1 – 3 oranges depending on the size to keep from going over GL 10)

Posted June 8^th, 2010
A slice of white bread has a high GI of 73 and exceeds GL 10. Toasted, this bread’s GI drops to 50 and the GL to 7. (GI and GL may be lowered by adding green vegetables or beans)

A raw apple has a fairly low glycemic index and moderate load (GI: 34 – 44; GL: 4-6). Skin it, it becomes very high glycemic (no pectin fiber to control absorption of fructose).

100g of blueberries has a glycemic load of 6. You would have to eat 600g of strawberries to equal the load (100g of strawberries has a glycemic load of 1).