Low GI carbs.

Frank the tank

What are they and which foods are a good source?

The reason I ask is they were mentioned in another thread with regard to help lose weight.

Many thanks.

scapaslow

GI or Glycaemic Index is a ranking of carbohydrates and their immediate effect on blood sugar levels. Generally wholegrain foods which contain complex carbs like oats which need to be broken down by digestion into simple sugars are low GI and something like dried dates or honey are very high. However, it seems to be more complicated than that....

Something called GL or glycacemic load is supposed to be a better measure as it measures the quality rather than quantity of carbs in a particular food for a certain weight. e.g. carrots are high GI but low GL as you'd need to eat a lot of them to get the same carb effect as eating say chocolate.

Also if you eat fat and/or protein with your carbs it slows down the insulin release e.g. pasta with oil/cheese will release more slowly than plain pasta.

Generally speaking wholefoods have lower GL than refined foods so things like oats, beans, peas, veg and most fruit are good where coco pops and even cornflakes are not. There should be a list on the net somewhere.

I have read that there is some evidence that maintaining a level blood sugar level can help with weight loss as it keeps the metabolism steady which in turn keeps appetite steady.

This does not mean high GI foods are out. When you are on the bike high GI is good for keeping up your energy levels e.g sports drinks and in the recovery period afterwards insulin spikes are much lower than normal so higher GI foods are OK.

Frank the tank

Thanks for taking the time to answer, most helpful.

Cheers.

tlw1

yep - cheers for the time to answer that question. Ate a low GI meal last night and feel v rough - wonder if its because of low blood suger (or the beer, champers and rum)