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2004/03/17, 12:45 PM
Some useful Glycemic Index information (taken from this site, also has a list of common foods with their GI .. http://www.diet-i.com/glycemic-index-foods-list.htm )
Complex vs. Simple Carbs - The Old Glycemic Foods Classification
Carbohydrates used to be classified as simple carbs or complex carbs, depending on the number of simple sugars in the molecule. For example, carbs containing one or two simple sugars like fructose or sucrose were termed simple carbs, while starchy foods were categorised as complex carbs because starch is made up of long chains of the simple sugar, glucose.
Glycemic Index - The New Glycemic Foods Classification
Complex carbs were thought to trigger smaller increases in blood glucose than sugary foods. But the blood glucose (glycemic) response to complex carbs has been found by researchers to vary considerably.
Now, the basic indicator of the relative glycemic response to dietary carbs is the Glycemic Index (GI). For example, a baked potato has a glycemic index value of 85, while cooked brown rice has a glycemic index value of 55. According to the traditional system of classifying carbohydrates, both brown rice and the baked potato are complex carbohydrates despite the difference in their effects on blood glucose levels.
High GI Foods vs. Low GI Foods
Foods with GIs below 55 are regarded as low glycemic index foods. GI values above 70 indicate a high glycemic index, and foods with GI values between 55 and 70 are intermediate.
How to Switch to a Lower Glycemic Index Diet:
Use breakfast cereals based on oats, barley and bran.
Use dense, chewy breads made with whole seeds, not white bread.
Eat less potatoes, but more al dente pasta.
Choose basmati rather than white rice.
Enjoy all types of vegetables.
Eat plenty of salad vegetables with vinaigrette dressing.
Balance a meal containing high glycemic index foods with extra low-GI foods.
Adding food acids (like citrus fruits) helps slow stomach emptying and reduce glycemic response.
Eat fewer sugary foods like cookies, cakes, candy, and soft-drinks
This site is awesome.. type in your food, it tells you the index, load per serving etc.
http://www.calvin.biochem.usyd.edu.au/GIDB/searchD3.htm
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: ] ~ Danielle
Action may not always bring happiness, but there is no happiness without action.
~Benjamin Disraeli
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