The Glycemic Index For Weight Loss?

The Glycemic Index
For
Weight Loss?
By
Ron Lagerquist

"Here's a little test. What enters more gradually into the bloodstream, the popular rice cake or a sweet fruit?"

Of the three macronutrients, carbohydrates are the most efficiently converted into the human fuel, glucose. But the rate of that conversion can greatly differ, depending on the type of carbs and how they are processed. Those concerned about weight loss and weight management need to really take note here. We are all caught up in counting calories, but being able to distinguish between fast-releasing and slow-releasing carbs is as important to weight management as knowing the calorie content of the food you are eating. Why? The body deals with excess blood sugar by releasing insulin, which converts harmful levels of blood glucose into—that’s right!—body fat. Most of the processed, refined carbohydrates people eat today contribute to weight gain and uneven energy throughout the day. Because they’re absorbed so quickly, they give you an energy “spike”, which is soon followed by a drop in energy. Also, fast releasing carbohydrates are hard on the insulin-producing organ, the pancreas. A diet high in sugar-spiking carbs plays a large factor in food addiction and diabetes.

Here is a little test. What enters more gradually into the bloodstream, the popular rice cake or a sweet fruit? Most would answer confidently that fruit enters the bloodstream at greater speed because it is a loaded with sugar, whereas, a complex carbohydrate like rice cakes must be digested and broken down into glucose. Wrong!

According to the Blood Glucose Response Table below, many processed grain-type foods spike blood sugar levels more quickly than fruit. It may surprise some to discover that a boiled potato rises blood sugar faster than sweet tasting grapes. Protected simple sugars locked into the soft fibers of fresh fruit is a perfect fuel for human cells. Fruit is a low concentrated, slow-releasing, energy-sustaining, carbohydrate compounded with vitamins, minerals, water-soluble proteins, electrolytes, enzymes and trace elements.

What the popular low carb, high protein diets do not tell you is all carbs are not created equal and cannot be painted with the same brush. A quick look at the Glycemic Index will display vast differences within the carb family. The key is choosing foods that release their energy gradually, such as whole grains, brown rice, beans, fruits and vegetables, so as not to raise blood sugar levels, which forces the body to convert blood sugar to body fat. Slow-releasing foods will ensure uniform energy throughout the day, ridding the common roller coaster ride of highs and sugar blues most experience. Eat the right kinds of carbs and you might not need those four cups of coffee.

Glycemic Index Of Common Foods

Three GI ranges

~ below 55 . . . . . . . . low, or slow releasing
~ 55-70 . . . . . . . . . . . intermediate or moderate releasing
~ 70 and above . . . . . high, or fast releasing

quality carb rating:

* = good
** = excellent

Grains & Pasta	GI	Breakfast Cereals	GI
*bulgur	48	**large flake oatmeal	49
instant noodles	46	**Red River Cereal	49
white spaghetti	43	puffed wheat	74
white spaghetti, boiled 5 min	36	Post Shredded Wheat	67
*whole wheat spaghetti	42	* All Bran with Psyllium	45
spirali	68	Kellogg’s Rice Krispies	82
egg fettuccine	32	Cheerios	83
*basmati rice	58	Kellogg’s Cocoa Krispies	77
*brown rice	55	cornflakes	84
short grain, white	72	Breads, Cakes, Muffins
**wild rice	57	white bread	71
parboiled rice	48	whole-wheat bread	69
taco shells	68	**pumpernickel	41
*buckwheat grouts	54	*bürgen mixed grain bread	34
brown rice pasta	92	bagel	72
Crackers, Crisp Breads		rye bread	76
water cracker	78	waffles	76
*high fiber rye crisp bread	65	pita bread	57
crisp bread	81	croissant	67
ryvita	69	apple muffin	59
rice cakes	80	**multi grain bread	48
soda crackers	82
Fruits		Snacks
**cherries	22	*raisins	64
**grapefruit	25	**apricots (dried)	31
**apples	38	peanuts	15
**plums	39	Snickers bar	40
**pears	38	*popcorn	55
**oranges	44	corn chips	74
*pineapple	66	jelly beans	80
**apricots	57	pretzels	81
**mangoes	56	dates	103
**bananas	54	potato chips	75
**kiwi fruit	53	Legumes
**grapes	46	broad beans	79
Vegetables		**kidney beans	52
**asparagus	15	*baked beans	48
**broccoli	15	**canned chickpeas	33
**cauliflower	15	**boiled green lentils	29
**celery	15	**boiled soy beans	16
**green beans	15	Sugars
**cucumber	15	maltose	105
**lettuce	15	*honey	58
**peppers	15	sucrose	65
**snow peas	15	fructose	23
**spinach	15	white table sugar	65
**tomatoes	15	Beverages
**zucchini	15	*apple juice	40
**carrots, cooked	39	**orange juice	46
**sweet potato	54	Coca-Cola 12 oz. can	77
boiled potato	56	**soy milk	30
micro waved potato	82	**carrot juice	45
instant potato	83	**pineapple juice	46
mashed potato	70	**grapefruit juice	52
**beet	64
**peas	48
*corn	55