Most of us will have been told that we should be eating more “low GI” carbs and eating less “high GI” carbs. But is this really the case? Does GI matter?
The Glycaemic Index
First off, let me give a quick rundown of what the Glycaemic Index (GI) is. It is a system that was developed back in the 1980s. It was created as a way to rate by how much different sources of carbohydrates raised blood sugar levels. Each food was given a score out of 100. High GI foods having a greater effect on raising blood sugar, and low GI foods having less of an effect on blood sugar. Since we ideally want to keep our blood sugar levels stable, it seems that the advice of favouring low GI foods over high GI foods makes sense.
The problem
Here’s the thing. When the Glycaemic Index was put together, each carbohydrate source was tested when consumed in isolation. On the surface, this doesn’t sound like an issue. However, this does not reflect how the majority of us will consume our carbohydrates. We eat our food in meals, that include a mixture of carbs, protein, fats, plus fibre. All of these have an effect on slowing the rate of digestion. This also limits any potential blood sugar spike. Rarely would we ever eat a source of carbohydrates in isolation – which is how they were tested when putting together the Glycaemic Index.
Therefore, the Glycaemic Index is unrealistic. You could argue that white rice should be avoided, as it is high GI and it will spike blood sugar levels. However, eat that white rice with steak and broccoli, and no longer will it spike blood sugar.
You could argue that bread should also be avoided, as it is high GI and will spike blood sugar. But use that bread to make a turkey sandwich, and again any blood sugar spikes won’t be an issue.
Best Sources of Carbs on a white wooden background. Top view
Another problem
To point out further how flawed the Glycaemic Index, is it turns out that every individual’s blood sugar levels react differently. People have different levels of sensitivity to carbohydrates. So while a carbohydrate source might spike one person’s blood sugar, it may have minimal effect on another person!
Conclusion
The Glycaemic Index isn’t a particularly reliable way to judge how “healthy” a food source is. For example, a chocolate bar is actually a “low GI” food due to its fat content. Despite chocolate having a high sugar content!
But really, as long as you are aiming for the majority of your food to come from natural, minimally refined, minimally processed, whole foods, then your diet should be just fine!
https://howistayfit.com/training/training-during-ramadan/ Training during Ramadan admin 07/05/2019 When you cannot eat or drink for 16 hours or so each day, what do you do?! Training during Ramadan? A question I get asked regularly each year, is how to best eat and train during the month of Ramadan. Ramadan is a holy month for Muslims around the world, for it is within this month that the Muslim holy book, the Qur’an, was revealed to the Prophet Muhammed. A special requirement for this month is that all Muslims who are able to, are required to fast every day from sunrise to sunset, abstaining from all eating or drinking, and not even water is allowed. Harder than Intermittent Fasting Clearly this is very different from the Intermittent Fasting (IF) protocols that are popular at the moment. At least with IF you still drink fluids whilst fasting. But for Ramadan, this is not the case! To make matters even more difficult, the Islamic calendar is ba...
https://howistayfit.com/training/abolic4/ Another Supplement That Works! My “A-Bolic4” Review admin 28/02/2019 As you probably already know, I am generally not a big fan of nutritional supplements. The reason being, is that most of the time I don’t notice any results that warrant spending money on them. Apart from Alpha Lipoic Acid (ALA), I usually just stick to the few basics like whey protein, creatine, omega-3 fish oil, and multi-vitamins. However, I am quite excited by the results of a new supplement that I have been experimenting with: A-Bolic4 A-Bolic4 The product I have been using is called A-Bolic4. It is made by an American company called The Lab, and it is marketed as an “anabolic growth supplement”. They claim that it “supports anabolic growth, increased metabolism, cellular integrity, and male sexual health”. My Experience Before I talk more about the supplement, and what’s in it, let me talk about my res...
https://howistayfit.com/diet/post-workout-protein/ Post Workout Protein and the Anabolic Window admin 13/04/2019 I remember it so well. Every time I would pack my gym bag before heading off for a workout, I would always be sure to include my post workout protein shake. It would be ready mixed in my shaker bottle, ready to be slammed back as soon as I finished the session. And on the odd occasion when I forgot to pack my protein shake, I would be horrified! I would hurry home as fast as I could, to quickly get my protein down as fast as possible. My eyes would be on my watch, as I raced the clock to consume my post workout protein shake within 45 minutes of finishing my workout. Because if I didn’t get my protein in time, that gruelling workout I had just put myself through would be a total waste. It would result in no muscle gain if I didn’t have protein within the 45-minute post workout anabolic window!...
Comments
Post a Comment