The GI Diet Blog and Board

I found another article today that is relevent to this blog. I love posting “top 5″ top articles either ones I’ve written on my own based on my own experiences, top 5 found from other sources. Top 5 ways to boost your metabolism naturally seems to list similar tips I’ve seen in the past: eat breakfast, eat more protein, get rid of refined grains to name just a few that I’ve seen.

This article also specifically mentions a low glycemic index diet as the method of eating to boost metabolism.

It’s a great read folks.

http://www.startribune.com/1244/story/1241141.html

The above article is another fairly informative article but I have a few comments about it.

When in doubt, take the water test. Just drop a little bit of a food in a glass of water. If it dissolves quickly, it has a high glycemic index. If it dissolves slowly, it’s probably low on the glycemic index.

First of all, I never thought of trying that, but that’s kind of neat. I mean, put a leaf of lettuce in a glass with water and it will take a LONG time to dissolve. So that’s a neat tip.

But here’s where I’m disappointed with the article:

But just because a food has a low glycemic index doesn’t mean that it’s healthful. “Steak and crème brûlée both have a low glycemic index,” Heber notes. “But they are loaded with fat and calories. You can gain weight on anything if you eat enough of it. It doesn’t matter what it is.”

What I have to say about this is simply: the writer is misinformed. steak isn’t low gi, it is NO GI (raw steak with no bbq sauce or sugery marinade). It’s kinda like confusing “low carb” with “low gi” These concepts are *not* the same, people!

Low GI is an all encompassing food plan. In fact, the proper low GI diet book will list what meats are low and high GI. For example: high gi meats listed in the book *I* use include:

Low GI meats include:

In other words, there’s special emphasis on lean fat meats. The same applies for cheeses.

Be informed. Low GI is *not* the same as saying something is Low *carb*

Swap in/swap out.

Fridge Wisdom is a great little article that landed in my email or msn messenger service this afternoon. It’s not directly GI related but I’d say at least 80% of this article can be applied to a GI inspired diet, when considering leaner sources of protein, or ways to reduce carbs and increase fibre.

It’s got 20 points and is a great read! I feel vindicated in that this article mentions swapping in red potatoes as an alternative; something I’ve been trying to explain to my dear old pop who’s not interested in the finer details of GI but is never the less supportive.

Low-Carb A ‘Reasonable Alternative’ To Low-Fat, Portion Control Diet, Study Finds

Jimmy Moore from livinlavida low-carb wrote about this study this week. It’s an interesting read. In my search for articles this morning, I landed on another one that suggested that a low GI or GL diet has no long term impact on weight loss, study. I beg to differ.

The Glycemic Index Diet

So, the article above links to a review of the GI Diet book that I’ve used over the last 3 years: Rick Gallop’s “The GI Diet”

The author decided to try it, and claims to have had “mixed” results, having lost 1.5 lbs in the week long experiment. Given that we don’t know what weight the author started out with, this is never the less a positive review, and an informative article.

He reminded me about a “red light” food though, and that’s eggs. I have to confess, I use regular eggs on a regular basis, mostly due to the fact that they are cheaper than egg substitutes.

When I’m “hardcore”, I do use a combination of egg whites and egg substitutes for maximum egg protein, without the added cholesterol. So, make a note of that if you’re looking at the GI diet.

I’m excited to see this article, and will continue to find more, because I think the GI diet is still being under reported, unlike the other diets.

The reason in my mind is simple: it’s not really a diet. I use the word “diet” because it’s most recognized by surfers. Fact is, it’s more like a “formula”. Bodybuilders and other athletes are prime example of people who use nutritional information and get their food intake down to a science. Maybe that’s why I like the GI Diet so much. It’s scientifically sound.

Sometimes, “common sense” needs to be dressed up a little I guess.

Rick Gallop does a fine job in making the GI Diet analogous to traffic signals. Although the author questions why some fruits are “red light”, he should consider that the philosophy on why GI works for anyone is that, on average you will lose weight more effectively when your blood sugars are more controlled. That’s the case for diabetics, and I believe that’s the premise for most other lower carb/smarter carb diets…. that we can all benefit from blood sugars that are stable, without sugar spikes brought on by high GI or high carb foods.

I did have a little chuckle about him complaining that while on a GI diet, he can’t have margaritas with the ladies. Folks, that’s the thing with any diet. Yes, avoid the bad stuff, but don’t beat yourself up if you’re not *completely* on target during *any* phase that any diet calls for. This is not about hating ourselves, starving ourselves. It’s about knowing smarter ways to eat healthier for life.

Below is an excellent article that mentions the health benefits of soy. It specifically states that soy is a lower glycemic index food. That’s why I love my Soy milk folks.

Enjoy the read folks. I love finding news articles that promotes the glycemic index. Can you feel the buzz? I sure can!

Soy provides many health benefits

Incidentally? This was a hard fought battle eventually won by my wife. I spent about a year after I was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes dismissing soy, hating soy, refusing soy. The truth of the matter is: try out the products out there. Some will taste good to you and some won’t. Like with soy milk for example, I’m a loyal product user there unlike regular milk. But once I discovered the brand I use exclusively, I can tell you that the switch from regular milk to soy milk was an easier change from 2% to skim milk when I used to drink skim.

So the following article gave me some food for thought.

Nutrition emphasized this month - National Nutrition Month promotes ‘100% Fad Free’ theme

I found it very interesting that this article was essentially condemning the popular “fad diets” and stating which ones used the glycemic index incorrectly as a measuring stick of sorts.

I generally try to avoid debates of which “plan” is better, and for the most part, the article suggests to follow the standard formula of eating less calories than what your body uses to promote weight loss. This really isn’t “news” if you ask me.

I agree with most of what the article discusses, but I put forth the question to myself and to readers: do you think the GI “diet” is a “fad diet”?

Well, I can only speak for myself. Learning about the glycemic index for me was about managing my blood sugar levels first. When I realized that in doing so, this also promoted significant but a moderate paced weight loss, I knew I found the formula that personally works *for me*. And really, that’s where I end most debates if I’m talking to say, and Atkins “fan” or with someone who follows other “flavours” of low gi “inspired” diets (I happen to consider South Beach Diet as a prime example of a gi inspired diet).

The truth of the matter is: I firmly believe, with most but not all of what this article is discussing: simple changes, that will last a lifetime, not something to follow just for weight loss. I did however, notice that the writer ended the article with promoting MyPyramid Food Guideline. (In Canada, the newest guideline can be found here.

This is somewhat disappointing to me. Essentially, she’s saying, “avoid all diets, and follow the government standard food guide… it’s your best option for health”. If that’s the case, then why are there special guidelines for diabetics? Why didn’t my doctor for example, suggest I follow Canada’s Guide rather than Glucose Revolution or the G.I. Diet? The answer is: because government standards or *any* food standards don’t work for *all* people.

This is the very reason why I don’t debate with my atkins friends, or friends who lost weight on atkins for a time, and then switched. I’m not a nutritionist. I merely researched what my primary doctor suggested, and made it work for me.

I will say one thing. A friend of mine who’s on Atkins made a keen observation the other day. He’s following Atkins again to promote weight loss. Although critics focus only on the fact that it’s a promoting high protein/high fat, they completely ignore the work that is done by followers of Atkins. My friend for example, eats much more healthier carbs on Atkins than he does following no food plan at all. No food plan meaning multiple trips to McDonald’s or the local taco stand. On atkins, he’s eating salads every day, and avoiding the chip aisle. And while sure, he’s probably consuming more protein than I am, my guess is, our carb intake is probably not as different as one might think. I’m pretty sure too: anything like a proper atkins or south beach plan is 1000% better than that quick chip or burger fix.

The main approach to anything is: do your research. Do not rely on any one source of information. Not everyone on Atkins is eating a pound of bacon everyday with a side dish of coleslaw. Many are actually consuming the same amount of carbs as I am, and calling them something else (ie: “net carbs”). As with most things in life, your mileage may vary.

One thing’s for sure. If I were to follow my government suggested food plan, my blood sugar would have been the same as it was 5 years ago. I think I’ll pass, thanks.

So, this another one of those bread debates. Couple of weeks ago, I talked about bread options and watching your weight AND your wallet. Now, after reading this, I’m rethinking that strategy. Of course, my own personal solution when in doubt: just avoid bread altogether.

But, if you’re a sandwich fan, and don’t want to completely eliminate bread from your general food plan, then you might want to take a look at this article.

Chew on this: Unprocessed whole grains are best

Test your glycemic IQ

So, here’s a spoiler from this article:

4. The American Dietetic Association does not support the claim that a diet based on low glycemic index causes significant weight loss or controls appetite.

This is surprisingly true, and it’s my hope that more research will encourage the American Diabetes Foundation will eventually include the glycemic index as a method of blood sugar control.

I ran into this difference when first diagnosed in 2002. My doctor recommended the GI Diet / Glucose Revelution, etc. Luckily the diabetes foundation of Canada promotes and talks about GI.

For more information, check out this link: Glycemic Index - A new way of looking at carbs

This is a link to an abstract of a study where it was concluded that a reduced glycemic load in someone’s diet is a good alternative to other popular methods to weight reduction.

Abstract: Effects of a reduced-glycemic-load diet on body weight, body composition, and cardiovascular disease risk markers in overweight and obese adults1,2,3