GI Index

markwb79

I am taking more of an interest in the GI index and trying to think about it more for my diet/eating.

I cant see anything on a products label to indicate its GI level. Is there a good phone app out there that you can quickly search on?

Thanks a lot
Mark

ugo.santalucia

It's quite simple...

Sugars are high GI
Starch is medium
Starch + fibre is low

That also corresponds to the level of refinement a plant goes through... if you eat unprocessed grains, they are low GI, if you process them to remove the fibre, you get starch and if you start adding substances to make them more palatable, then you are probably adding some form of sugar.

Think about breakfast cereals

Bran, oatbran = low GI
Processed wheat and oatmeal = medium
processed cereals with sugar = high

Where do you find low GI? Generally in unprocessed grains (wheat, rye, spelt, barley, buckwheat, brown rice, quinoa, oats) and pulses like beans, peas, lentils etc...

team47b

There are lots of apps available, look for one that includes glycemic load, as this is as important as GI number.

The GI tells you how fast foods spike your blood sugar. But the GI won’t tell you how much carbohydrate per serving you’re getting. Glycemic Load measures the amount of carbohydrate in each service of food. Foods with a glycemic load under 10 are good choices—these foods should be your first choice for carbs. Foods that fall between 10 and 20 on the glycemic load scale have a moderate affect on your blood sugar. Foods with a glycemic load above 20 will cause blood sugar and insulin spikes. Try to eat those foods sparingly.

Example a banana is GI 51 and GL of 12, a plum is GI 24 and GL of 1.7.

bahzob

This is one of the most authoritative guides to GI (and GL for that matter)
http://www.glycemicindex.com/foodSearch.php

As mentioned above you want to be aiming to eat
- High GI/GL foods immediately (within 30 minutes) before, during and immediately after a strenuous exercise session that uses significant calories. This will provide fuel for the effort, keep glycogen topped up and promote post exercise adaptation. (The insulin "spike" that high GI foods cause is actually a good thing immediately post exercise as it acts as a catalyst to getting the body to shift from energy use to adaptation)

- Low GI/GL foods at other times. This will help appetite management and avoid unwanted insulin spikes (which are a bad thing if not targeted directly at working out or post-exercise adaptation).

Ideally the above should be coupled with the appropriate proteins as its best to consume carbohydrate and protein together.

For more on nutrition this webinar is good if somewhat long: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tnCmTTNx_Jo&list=WL962D2396F51ACD3E

team47b

ugo.santalucia wrote:

It's quite simple...

Sugars are high GI
Starch is medium
Starch + fibre is low

Wheels...it's quite simple...

All hubs are the same
All spokes are equal strength
Most rims are good

PompeyPaul

bahzob wrote:

This is one of the most authoritative guides to GI (and GL for that matter)
http://www.glycemicindex.com/foodSearch.php

As mentioned above you want to be aiming to eat
- High GI/GL foods immediately (within 30 minutes) before, during and immediately after a strenuous exercise session that uses significant calories. This will provide fuel for the effort, keep glycogen topped up and promote post exercise adaptation. (The insulin "spike" that high GI foods cause is actually a good thing immediately post exercise as it acts as a catalyst to getting the body to shift from energy use to adaptation)

- Low GI/GL foods at other times. This will help appetite management and avoid unwanted insulin spikes (which are a bad thing if not targeted directly at working out or post-exercise adaptation).

Ideally the above should be coupled with the appropriate proteins as its best to consume carbohydrate and protein together.

For more on nutrition this webinar is good if somewhat long: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tnCmTTNx_Jo&list=WL962D2396F51ACD3E

Great Reply , keeping it nice and simple / usable, this has really worked for me, although i am lazy and my diet is pretty boring (my fault not GI / GL)