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Some of the following information was taken from the newsletter referred to earlier called Take Charge. The issue was July 2004, Volume 7, issue 3. I wanted to take the time to bring up this important issue in light of the ongoing fad of low carbohydrate diets.
Some of the more popular diets include Atkins, The South Beach and the Zone. When picking a healthy way to eat, the best method is through knowledge and study sprinkled with common sense. One way to determine the efficacy of a diet plan is to understand the concept of glycemic index. In this way we can begin to realize that the issue isn’t low or no carbohydrates but the more healthy carbohydrates. The fact remains that we need carbohydrates for proper function and health. Understanding blood sugar issues and glycemic index will begin to make this clearer.
Basically the glycemic index is a ranking of carbohydrate foods based on their immediate effect on blood sugar levels. The speed at which a food is able to increase a person’s blood glucose level is the glycemic response.
Carbohydrates that break down quickly during digestion have the highest glycemic indexes. The blood glucose response is fast and high. Carbohydrates that break down slowly release glucose gradually into the blood stream and have low glycemic indexes.
To illustrate this, carbohydrates that “push out” insulin quickly tend to also favor a greater release of inflammatory hormones. Low glycemic foods such as vegetables and some fruits tend to cause a slower insulin response, which favors more healthy biochemistry. I have seen many people with osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis appreciably lower their level of pain and discomfort by eating the right foods and especially foods with a lower glycemic index. Foods with high glycemic indexes include sugar, bread, pasta, potatoes, etc. Foods that typically have a low glycemic index include vegetables, some fruits, and whole unrefined grains (as opposed to refined grains and white flour.)
Basically, an important fact to realize is that there are different kinds of sugars. When you eat a slice of bread, the flour from the bread breaks down into sugar. The same thing happens when you eat a piece of fruit, drink a glass of milk or eat a chocolate bar. Each of these foods contains a different kind of sugar. Fructose is a sugar in fruit, lactose is found in milk and sucrose is found in a candy bar. All these sugars are broken down during digestion and provide you with energy.
In regards to an overall good meal, being conscience of GI and their healthy factors is the following. When looking at a plate you can visually cut it in half. One full half should consist of your vegetables. The other half can be split into two quarters. One quarter should be the healthy lean protein portion and the other should include a good quality starchy carbohydrate that is from whole unprocessed food and not refined. There are good glycemic index charts available and for more information you can certainly contact our office.
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