|
Eating GI foods has nothing to do with American soldiers, and everything to do with how the food you eat affects your blood sugar levels.
The glycemic index is a ranking of foods based on their immediate effect on blood glucose (blood sugar) levels. Carbohydrate foods that breakdown quickly during digestion have the highest glycemic indexes. Their blood sugar response is fast and high. Carbohydrates that breakdown slowly, releasing glucose gradually into the blood stream, have low glycemic indexes.
Eating low GI foods has many benefits, including:
- Helping to control diabetes
- Helping people lose weight
- Lowering blood lipids
- Improving the body's sensitivity to insulin
At the other end of the spectrum, high GI foods are great for re-fuelling your carbohydrate stores after exercise.
The glycemic index is determined in large part by the soluble fiber content, fat content, and type of sugar that make up the food. Higher levels of fat and fiber slow the absorption process.
Foods are therefore rated according to how quickly the carbohydrates are metabolized. As suggested above, those with a high rating release their energy quickly, and are best just after a workout, while foods low in the GI index are best later in the day, and before a workout.
The best policy is to eat a low GI snack two hours before your workout. If you can't do that, the alternative is to eat something that is high on the GI index just before you workout to be sure you don't run out of fuel half way through.
For those looking to lose weight, it is best to focus on foods lower on the GI index. Foods with a high GI index rush sugar into your bloodstream and initiate an excessive insulin response - this prompts the body to store more fat. In addition, because you feel less satisfied, you get hungry sooner and want to eat again - this cycle is endlessly repeated by those people who eat lots of high GI foods.
To get you started, the following lists show the GI scores of some popular foods:
Low GI:
- Apples
- Beans (kidney)
- Broccoli
- Cantaloupe
- Cauliflower
- Cherries
- Grapefruit
- Grapes
- Peaches
- Peanuts
- Plums
- String Beans
Medium GI:
- Apricots
- Beans (garbanzo, lima, navy)
- Bread (pumpernickel, rye)
- Candy Bars
- Ice Cream
- Milk
- Oatmeal
- Oranges
- Orange Juice
- Pasta
- Peas
- Tomato Soup
- Yogurt
High GI:
- All-Bran Cereals
- Bananas
- Bread (wheat, white)
- Carrots
- Corn
- Corn Chips
- Low-Fat Ice Cream
- Instant Mashed Potatoes
- Potato Chips
- Puffed Rice Cakes
- Raisins
- Rice
|
