The Glycemic Index and learning to love carbs

Ok, I’m going to fess up. In the past I think I was in danger of developing a fear of carbs. When I was losing weight I did go low carb and high protein for a while – and obviously this worked for me. However, restricting my diet in such a way was not the healthiest way to lose weight. Since then I have tended to avoid eating pasta, rice, potatoes and bread as I worried that eating these foods would lead to me gaining weight.

I do think that my body responds well to more protein and less carbs, because this approach helps to regulate blood sugar and prevents blood sugar ‘highs’ and ‘lows’ which can lead to hunger, energy slumps and weight gain. But as I work out quite a lot now my body needs carbs for fuel and I have been looking for a way of incorporating these foods into my diet without gaining weight. This is where the Glycemic Index comes in.

So what is GI?

It's a scale that ranks food on the effect they have on blood sugar levels. The scale runs from 0 to 100 and glucose is used as the reference and has a GI of 100. The effect that other foods have are compared to this. So the GI of a food tells us whether it raises blood glucose levels a little, moderately or a lot. Due to its focus on blood sugar levels GI is often used by diabetics to help balance their blood sugar levels.

Low, medium and high GI

A low GI food is one where sugar is released into the blood stream slowly and so give more sustained energy release, helping to keep you going for longer. A high GI food is one where the sugar is released quickly into the bloodstream and can result in energy highs followed by a quick energy slump.

A food is classed as low GI if it has a value of 55 or less

A food is classed as medium GI if it has a value of 56-69

A food is classed as high GI if it has a value of 70 or more.

What GI do foods have?

There are many books and GI tables available which can give you the exact GI of foods. Examples of foods in the low, medium and high GI category can be found here. However, it is worth noting that in my research of GI I have seen the same foods labelled as different levels of GI. I have just tended to try and use some common sense with it all.

From the information I have read it appears that the main foods to reduce consumption of are white refined carbs such as white bread, pasta and rice, sugary cakes, biscuits and other sweet treats and also some higher GI fruits such as bananas and dried fruits.

You can alter the GI of a food by eating different foods together. Fat, protein and fibre can all lower carbohydrate absorption and therefore the GI of a food. This total impact of foods together is known as Glycemic Load.  

So for example a good way to enjoy bananas and dried fruit would be with another low GI food such as yoghurt or in a green monster with milk and spinach (both low GI).

Another good example of this is my Leek Potato and Bean Soup. Using new potatoes instead of regular potatoes and adding beans to the mix lowers the GI of the soup in comparison to if it had been made with just regular potatoes.

What I have tried to do in the past is actually use high GI foods for fuel when exercising. This is why my favourite banana and date softserve was so effective in fueling my running – but also why I ended up raiding the muesli box. The bananas and dates must have sent my blood sugar levels high and then left me hungry and needing more, hence the muesli binges. What would be better for me in the future is eating a banana and a few dates in an hour before a run rather than the night before, then that sugar would be available as fuel ready for my run.

Cooking methods can also affect a foods GI, for example boiled potatoes have a higher GI than baked potatoes. Eating things in a raw or most natural state tends to keep the GI lower.

Some of the best low GI carbs seem to be:

• Quinoa
• Brown Basmati Rice
• Wholemeal Pasta
• Pearl Barley
• Rye, Wholemeal or Sprouted Wheat Bread
• Baked goods made with spelt flour
• Starchy veggies such as sweet potatoes, swede, squash, new potatoes
• Beans and pulses – as these are an excellent mix of carbs and protein they keep blood sugar well balanced

Another tool I have used is the GI plate:

This suggests that you fill half your plate with veggies, quarter with protein and quarter with low GI carbs. My meals often have a big portion of veggies with a little protein and carbs as this table suggests and I find that this keeps me feeling nice and full!

There are downsides with using GI and GL for weight loss as you would still need to be aware of portion sizes and fat content, but for weight maintenance this could be really useful. Its also worth remembering that you are allowed to treat yourself occasionally too! When I have some white pasta at the Italians I know that I will end up with a big energy slump not long after eating it so I plan to have a low GI snack afterwards such as an apple and some greek yoghurt to rebalance by blood sugar levels. Its these kind of strategies where I find using GI and GL principles to really work for me.

I’ve already mentioned that I found an excellent book at the library: The Holford Diet Low GL Cookbook. I haven’t read much of the diet side of it but I have found the recipes to be really good. In future when I post a recipe based on one of these I will note that it is low GL.

So if you think that you may be a bit carb sensitive like me, using GI and GL to help you make lower sugar food choices could be useful. Now that I know what the best low GI carbs are I have been incorporating them into my diet a lot more and I’ve never felt better!

Have you came across the Glycemic Index and Glycemic Load? What are your thoughts?

Useful Links:

Weight Loss Resources – The GI Diet Report

The Glycemic Index

The GI Diet Traffic Light Chart

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