Do you know what the GI is?

The GI, there may be many of them, but the acronym GI I am referring to is the Glycemic Index.

What this refers to is a reference identifying how fast foods raise your blood glucose index.  The challenge is, surprise, surprise, there is controversy over its usefulness.

First let’s look at what the GI is and then we can look at the controversy.  The foods are rated on a scale from 1 – 100 and typically categorized into three categories:

Low glycemic index (GI of 55 or less): 

• most fruits
• most vegetables
• beans
• minimally processed grains & pasta
• low-fat dairy foods
• nuts

Medium glycemic index (GI of 56 – 69):

• white potatoes
• corn
• white rice
• couscous
• breakfast cereals:  Cream of wheat/ mini wheats

High glycemic index (GI of 70 or higher):

• white bread
• rice cakes
• most crackers
• bagels & croissants
• cakes & cookies
• doughnuts
• most packaged cereals

Now some foods can change dramatically depending on the preparation.   For instance, raw carrots rate about 8 on the GI; whereas cooked carrots rate high, in the 80s.

What is the Controversy?

The index was established utilizing the following protocol:

1) people fasted

2) people would ingest about 50g of a given food

3) blood glucose tests were measured for about 2 hours after ingestion

Sounds good, doesn’t it?  Well, no – it doesn’t!!  Let’s think for a minute.

1) How often do you simply eat after fasting…most people spend the day in the postprandial state, ie., a fed state – not in a fasted state.  Note: full digestion and absorption can take up to 8 hours – depending on the size of a meal.

2) People eat food in complex not one food at a time.  For instance, how much fiber, fat and protein is being eaten with a given food will alter the blood glucose uptake

3) Golly gee whiz, people actually metabolize different foods differently.

So is the GI Index of any value?  Well, yeah it still is…

1) low GI foods tend to be healthier

2) low GI foods tend to have less processing

However, we have to be cognizant of other factors, like:

1) amount of fiber in the food and in the meal

2) amount of vitamins and minerals in the food and in the meal

3) amount of healthy fats and proteins in the food and in the meal

4) amount of AGEs (Advanced Glycation End products) either in the food or in the metabolism of the food

5) body type – different body types will metabolize food differently

So we come back to:

1) eat organic, non GMO, fruits and vegetables