15 replies to this topic

[Tomorrow]

What are high GI foods? Why do they cause acne in some people?
Is pasta a high GO food?

[seVen]

yes and yes, and usually pasta also contains wheat which makes some (many?) break out.

[Tomorrow]

yes and yes, and usually pasta also contains wheat which makes some (many?) break out.

ALright thanks for the reply and info but what exactly are high GI foods? I dont get the concept

[R.S.]

It has to do with how fast a carb is broken down - the faster the breakdown, the higher the surge in insulin, the more IGF-1 and therefore more oil production, clogged pores and inflammation. This is how it breaks down. You need to look at the glycemic load, though. In general, fruits and vegetables are lower glycemic loads while grain and flour products are higher on the chart, white bread is one of the highest. Sprouted bread / pasta is the lowest of grain products, I believe. You can find charts breaking down all foods as far as their GI's and GL's on the internet, just search google.

[Danny©]

yes and yes, and usually pasta also contains wheat which makes some (many?) break out.

ALright thanks for the reply and info but what exactly are hi GI foods? I dont get the concept

The GI is a value that tells you how much a food raises your blood sugars after you have eaten it
You can imaginate a sort of flat line before eating and a big rollercoaster like line after you have eaten
How much high that rollercoaster line is determines how much that food raises your blood sugars

That's the simple story, now for the variabiles:

Having raised GI is not the only important factors. The big high line is supposed to goes down to normal
levels quite quickly. Fat delays this lowering of blood sugar and keep blood sugar high levels sustained for a longer longer time. This is anything but healthy or desirable as sustained blood sugars are also a culptir in elevated insulin secreation and or candida overgrowth and neurological damage.
Thats's why while eating fat lower the GI of foods is never a good idea to eat an high GI food with lot of fat

The amount of carbs is still relatively important because the GI affects your blood sugar accoding to the amount of carbs consumed of an higher GI food. That amoung is called a GL. A low GL makes an high GI irrelevant. Carrots for example have an high GI but carrots contain a limited amount of carbs and therefore you would need to eat tons of carbs to raise your blood sugar significantly and therefore raising them very high because of the high GI value. A low GL means that you need a lot of that food before its GI can have a relevant effect on your blood sugar

The higher in fiber a food is the lower the GI is because fibers (fibrous polysaccarides) delays the absorption of carbohydrates, actually they balance so that little is absorbed at one time.
High fiber foods have usually a GI lower than 40 and what you would see in a glucometer graphic is your blood sugar raising slowly and going down quickly. Fruits are an example of high sugar foods that are generally low in the GI. The exception are fruits where there's less fibers and an higher concentration of suagrs like dates, dried fruits and watermelon and few others

Refined carbohydrated which have their fibers and kernel removed (hence becoming white) have usually an high GI because of the lack of fibers balancing the sugar absorption. Pasta though have generally a low GI especially if it is prepared with eggs. Whole pasta has a lower GI but it's especially to be preferred because out of 100 grams of pasta and 350 calories mostly is carbohydrates and protein in refined pasta while it's also more minerals and vitamins (hence nutritrion) in whole pasta.
Rice has an high GI and brown rice has a low GI. Bread have an high GI and whole wheat brad is to be preferred because of its low GI but also higher nutrients content

The GI refers to foods eaten alone but it's known that when different foods make a meal the effect of the GI is not so easily predictable anymore or changes a lot. To make it simply it's observed that protein when eaten with carbohydrates help balancing the sugar absorption even more while fats eaten with carbohydrates keep elevate blood sugar levels for longer while also lowering the GI

Insulin is not so easily predicted by the GI. The reason is that unlike popular belief that insulin is a carbohydrate hormones which is secreted only when carbohydrates are eaten (hence the myth that now carbs diets eqaute to non-insulin diets) insulin is actually necessary for the uptake of amino acids. Fats indeed doesn't affect insulin levels but both carbohydrates and protein affect insulin
The GI predicts though the insulin response quite properly with few exceptions: foods which are both high in carbohydrates and fats and have a low GI actually have an high insulin response: i.e. ice-cream
High complex carbs food which have an high GI have actually a lower insulin response: i.e. white rice
Foods which have NO GI because of their lack of carbs have actually a very high insulin response: i.e. beef
Indeed eating beef causes a major secretion of insulin in the body than eating white rice

Danny

[Tomorrow]

Awesome. Thanks for the explanations guys

[bryan]

Having raised GI is not the only important factors. The big high line is supposed to goes down to normal
levels quite quickly. Fat delays this lowering of blood sugar and keep blood sugar high levels sustained for a longer longer time. This is anything but healthy or desirable as sustained blood sugars are also a culptir in elevated insulin secreation and or candida overgrowth and neurological damage.
Thats's why while eating fat lower the GI of foods is never a good idea to eat an high GI food with lot of fat

I think you might be a little confused about all that. Eating fat along with carbohydrates slows down the absorption of sugar into the blood, so blood sugar doesn't rise as high, or as quickly. I'm not aware that blood fat has any significant influence on the subsequent LOWERING of blood sugar, but I'll believe it if you can cite some evidence for it.

The higher in fiber a food is the lower the GI is because fibers (fibrous polysaccarides) delays the absorption of carbohydrates, actually they balance so that little is absorbed at one time.

Not just ANY kind of fiber does that, SOLUBLE fiber does that.

Fruits are an example of high sugar foods that are generally low in the GI. The exception are fruits where there's less fibers and an higher concentration of suagrs like dates, dried fruits and watermelon and few others

The GI of fruits depends not only on the presence or absence of soluble fiber, but also on the TYPES of sugar contained in them. Glucose has a high GI, sucrose a fairly high one, but fructose (commonly found in many fruits) has a low GI.

Refined carbohydrated which have their fibers and kernel removed (hence becoming white) have usually an high GI because of the lack of fibers balancing the sugar absorption.

Even whole wheat has a high GI, despite its fiber content, because the fiber is almost entirely INSOLUBLE.

Rice has an high GI and brown rice has a low GI. Bread have an high GI and whole wheat brad is to be preferred because of its low GI but also higher nutrients content

Brown rice has a high GI, just like white rice. Whole wheat bread is also just as high as white bread, although I agree that it's more nutritious.

Bryan

[Susan1967]

I don't know a lot about this subject but I wanted to pass on this information.

I was briefly watching tv today (I think it was on TLC - the learning channel) and saw a commercial for a "diet" plan, sort of like Jenny Craig or Wait Watchers, where you signe up and get food supplied daily.
The diet was promoting a low GI diet. So, really low in high glycemic index carbs and a higher balance of low glycemic index carbs. And I'm not sure, but I think that having ready made foods like Jenny Craig and Wait Watchers is maybe not the best or healthiest in the world, they help teach people how to plan out healthy meals making wise choices in the types of foods that are used in meal preparation. So it may be an option for some people.

If I were single, it would be a viable option. Buying that type of food for my whole family is not as feasible, however.

I'll have to pay better attention next time it's on tv and see if they also just give advice on meal planning, without having to buy their food, as that would be way more helpful to me. On the other hand, I think I have a pretty good grasp on what is high GI and low GI. I didn't think I did but have been noticing that a lot of my food choices that I've making for years are right on the money, so at least that's something.

[Danny©]

Having raised GI is not the only important factors. The big high line is supposed to goes down to normal
levels quite quickly. Fat delays this lowering of blood sugar and keep blood sugar high levels sustained for a longer longer time. This is anything but healthy or desirable as sustained blood sugars are also a culptir in elevated insulin secreation and or candida overgrowth and neurological damage.
Thats's why while eating fat lower the GI of foods is never a good idea to eat an high GI food with lot of fat

I think you might be a little confused about all that. Eating fat along with carbohydrates slows down the absorption of sugar into the blood, so blood sugar doesn't rise as high, or as quickly.

Exactly, indeed as I said consuming carbs with fats lowers the GI of carbs

The higher in fiber a food is the lower the GI is because fibers (fibrous polysaccarides) delays the absorption of carbohydrates, actually they balance so that little is absorbed at one time.

Not just ANY kind of fiber does that, SOLUBLE fiber does that.

Not completely true
Soluble fibers are very effective in lowering GI while insoluble fibers are LESS effective in lowering the GI but they still lower it.

Am J Clin Nutr 1991 Aug;54(2):414-9 (Glycemic response and fiber content of some foods)

Fruits are an example of high sugar foods that are generally low in the GI. The exception are fruits where there's less fibers and an higher concentration of suagrs like dates, dried fruits and watermelon and few others
The GI of fruits depends not only on the presence or absence of soluble fiber, but also on the TYPES of sugar contained in them. Glucose has a high GI, sucrose a fairly high one, but fructose (commonly found in many fruits) has a low GI.

The reason I didn't mention the types of sugar is that anyway sugars have always a mix of glucose and fructose, fructose have a low GI compared to glucose but it is also not high in fruits except few ones.
Fructose is rarely more than 20/30% of all the sugar contained in fruits

Refined carbohydrated which have their fibers and kernel removed (hence becoming white) have usually an high GI because of the lack of fibers balancing the sugar absorption.

Even whole wheat has a high GI, despite its fiber content, because the fiber is almost entirely INSOLUBLE.

This time you're wrong. Whole bread has an average a GI of 49 whereas white bread has an average GI of 70. I should have mentioned that anything below 55 is low GI anything above 55 is high GI

Rice has an high GI and brown rice has a low GI. Bread have an high GI and whole wheat brad is to be preferred because of its low GI but also higher nutrients content

Brown rice has a high GI, just like white rice. Whole wheat bread is also just as high as white bread, although I agree that it's more nutritious.

White rice has on average a GI of 70
Whole rice has an average GI of 49
Maybe there's a linguistic difference between brown rice and unrefined rice. I'm thinking of whole rice as unrefined rice and it has a low GI

[bryan]

Refined carbohydrated which have their fibers and kernel removed (hence becoming white) have usually an high GI because of the lack of fibers balancing the sugar absorption.

Even whole wheat has a high GI, despite its fiber content, because the fiber is almost entirely INSOLUBLE.

This time you're wrong. Whole bread has an average a GI of 49 whereas white bread has an average GI of 70.

It's fairly common on this board for people to cite somewhat conflicting data on the GI's of foods, and this is gonna be one of those occasions! Here's a list of glycemic indexes from a book on diet and nutrition, which almost certainly was obtained from official published sources at the time:

Bakery goods

pastry: 59
sponge cake: 46
white bread: 69
whole wheat bread: 72
whole-grain rye bread: 42

Notice that whole wheat bread is actually slightly HIGHER than white bread! Whole-grain rye bread is lower, probably because of its higher soluble-fiber content.

Similarly, other people here have posted data showing the the glycemic indexes of white rice and brown rice are similar, but I don't have that information right at hand. The bottom-line to all this is that just because some food is BROWN, that doesn't necessarily mean that its GI is lower than its WHITE version!

Bryan

[Danny©]

Refined carbohydrated which have their fibers and kernel removed (hence becoming white) have usually an high GI because of the lack of fibers balancing the sugar absorption.

Even whole wheat has a high GI, despite its fiber content, because the fiber is almost entirely INSOLUBLE.

This time you're wrong. Whole bread has an average a GI of 49 whereas white bread has an average GI of 70.

It's fairly common on this board for people to cite somewhat conflicting data on the GI's of foods, and this is gonna be one of those occasions! Here's a list of glycemic indexes from a book on diet and nutrition, which almost certainly was obtained from official published sources at the time:

Bakery goods

pastry: 59
sponge cake: 46
white bread: 69
whole wheat bread: 72
whole-grain rye bread: 42

Notice that whole wheat bread is actually slightly HIGHER than white bread! Whole-grain rye bread is lower, probably because of its higher soluble-fiber content.

Similarly, other people here have posted data showing the the glycemic indexes of white rice and brown rice are similar, but I don't have that information right at hand. The bottom-line to all this is that just because some food is BROWN, that doesn't necessarily mean that its GI is lower than its WHITE version!

Bryan

I would be a bit suspicious of that source because it doesn't list all the characteristics of foods
I've always used mendosa list http://www.mendosa.com/gilists.htm
as you can see there are many different versions of whole wheat breads according to the amount of kernel, fibers also for pastry there's a long list of different foods.
I think that the problem with listing whole wheat bread at 72 is that there's not one single quality of whole wheat bread and whole wheat bread sold at supermarket or bakery is famous for actually being white bread with kernel and fibers added to it (sometimes coffee too)
For example you can see that in mendosa list foods different according to their provenience
Also, the GI for whole-grain rye bread differs so much to be 41 in certain cases and 62 in others
Look at this for example: Coarse wheat kernel bread, 80% intact kernels and 20% white wheat flour = 52

It's not that I think the list in your book is wrong just quite incomplete

Danny

[xtr3m]

Rice, brown
Brown (Canada) 66±5 150 21
Brown, steamed (USA) 5 50 150 16
Brown (Oriza Sativa), boiled (South India) 5 50±19 150 16
mean of three studies 55±5 150 18
Calrose brown (Rice Growers Co-op., Australia) 87±8 150 33
Doongara brown, high amylose (Rice Growers Co-op., Australia) 66±7 150 24
Pelde brown (Rice Growers Co-op., Australia) 76±6 150 29
Parboiled, cooked 20 min, Uncle Ben's Natur-reis ® (Masterfoods Olen, Belgium) 64±7 150 23
Sunbrown Quick TM (Rice Growers Co-op., Australia) 80±7 150 31

The rightmost values are GL's. Below 10 is low, 10 to 20 is moderate, and anything over 20 is high. So brown rice is not that good either, eh...

[R.S.]

Let's generalize here. As far as eating low GI/GL:
Most fruits and vegetables = low to mid GI/GL.
Grains = better whole then refined but still higher in most to all cases then the majority of fruits and vegetables in GI/GL.
Sprouted grains = lower GI/GL then unsprouted ones.
Legumes, nuts and meat = safe foods as far as GI/GL is concerned.
Dairy = Low to mid GI.

[Danny©]

Rice, brown
Brown (Canada) 66±5 150 21
Brown, steamed (USA) 5 50 150 16
Brown (Oriza Sativa), boiled (South India) 5 50±19 150 16
mean of three studies 55±5 150 18
Calrose brown (Rice Growers Co-op., Australia) 87±8 150 33
Doongara brown, high amylose (Rice Growers Co-op., Australia) 66±7 150 24
Pelde brown (Rice Growers Co-op., Australia) 76±6 150 29
Parboiled, cooked 20 min, Uncle Ben's Natur-reis ® (Masterfoods Olen, Belgium) 64±7 150 23
Sunbrown Quick TM (Rice Growers Co-op., Australia) 80±7 150 31

The rightmost values are GL's. Below 10 is low, 10 to 20 is moderate, and anything over 20 is high. So brown rice is not that good either, eh...

GL is important when correlated to GI
GL is the amount of carbs for every 50 calories or so. In other words how much carbohydrates a food has
But if the GI of the carbs contained in that food is low than it doesn't matter whether the amonut or carb is high or low. On the other hand if the GI is high but the amount of carb is low then the GI is irrelevant
Look at the second item "steamed rice from usa" you have a low GI of 50 and a moderate GL of 16, that's not a bad food, that's not a food that will send your sugar through the roof ...

Danny

[Ell-]

That's interesting whole wheat bread has a higher GL than white bread

[Susan1967]

But it's still waaaaaay healthier.
A refined grain is stripped away of the bran and germ, as well as all it's vitamins and nutrients, leaving only the starchy part. They have to add back vitamins and then call it "enriched" but it still lacks the fiber portion of the grain.
With regard to bread, higher GI or not, whole grain is always a healthier choice, IMO.