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Healthy Eating - One of the Best Recipes for Health You Will Learn

By Charlotte Watts Dip.ION BANT – Nutritional Therapist – www.totalbeing.com and www.healthyconvenience.com

This sounds sensational we know, but this week we discuss the Glycaemic Index (GI), one of the most pertinent and effective pieces of information we have obtained in the last ten years. The GI is basically a table that grades carbohydrate-containing foods according to how quickly they release their sugars into the bloodstream.

This is highly useful information that was initially used to look at the diverse effects that any carbohydrates could have on the ability of diabetics to control their insulin levels; this has then been used to help many conditions related to blood sugar management. Poor blood sugar balance can occur as a result of stress, refined foods, increasing sugar content (see article “Not So Sweet”) in diets and bred into foods themselves, is the most common underlying cause of illness that we see. It has been associated with degenerative diseases such as diabetes, arthritis, osteoporosis, cancer and heart disease as well as increasingly common symptoms such as headaches, fatigue, irritability, mood swings, weight gain, skin complaints and depression.

You may have seen more and more books on the market recently as the GI value of foods is now being recognised as a valid health standard even by the establishment. Nutritionists have used it for many years though following research and books by Professor Jennie Brand-Miller¹ who holds a Personal Chair in Human Nutrition in the School of Microbial Biosciences at the University of Sydney. Her research interests have focussed on all aspects of carbohydrates—diet and diabetes, the glycaemic index of foods (GI), insulin resistance, lactose intolerance and oligosaccharides in infant nutrition. With other fellow Australian scientists, they devised a table - see below (larger versions can be found in their books).

It was found that some foods behave in a surprising way when introduced into the body. They were measured against pure glucose, which was given a reading of 100, the rate that it reached the bloodstream in two to three hours. Thus it was realised that the simplistic idea of simply separating carbohydrates into complex and simple sugars was not enough. For instance a baked potato is a complex carbohydrate and therefore deemed a good staple food for a diabetic to eat. The research showed that it has a GI value of 85 and so “spikes” circulating blood sugar very quickly – a major rethink has had to occur with attitudes to grains also changing.

The table below shows common carbohydrate foods with a rating compared with this 100 mark and ordered in high, medium and low columns. High (more than 70) means that the sugar in the food reaches the bloodstream also at the same speed as glucose itself, these should not be eaten on their own or they can cause too steep an increase of blood sugar (note a value of 85 for a baked potato). They can be safely eaten in small amounts with a low score food (under 55), to even out the score into the medium range (55-70) and keep blood sugar levels under control. Include those in the medium or high categories only with protein or other low GI foods.

Notice foods that may surprise you in their release of sugars (high GI); corn flakes and parsnips have very high scores and should be eaten with foods that bring the score down overall. Proteins and oils can help bring down the GI score of a “high food”, so lean chicken with parsnips and adding nuts to cornflakes soften the blow of these foods. Some “treat” foods such as ice cream and biscuits are surprisingly low, but this is often due to their high fat content and they should still be eaten sparingly.

The pancreas produces the hormone insulin in response to the ingestion of carbohydrates, depending on how quickly they enter the bloodstream. A slow absorption of carbohydrates means less work for the pancreas and less risk of developing Type 2 diabetes, where it can eventually become exhausted due to high demands on insulin production. A low GI diet can help to increase the body’s sensitivity to insulin, which means that it will get sugar into the cells more effectively to be burnt, rather than storing it as fat. With a low saturated fat diet, it can also help to keep blood fats low and therefore help reduce high cholesterol and heart disease related risks.

The theory that led to the low carb/high protein diet for weight loss is firstly that it is not actually consuming fat which makes you lay down fat as weight on the body. The rise in obesity has coincided with people eating uncontrolled amounts of carbohydrates, in the belief that they will not make you fat because they are lower in calories. In fact the low-fat diet revolution has contributed to the national weight gain by generally lowering the amount of beneficial fats people eat in relation to carbohydrates. The body knows how to deal with the right amount of fats; it is carbohydrates alone that trigger the production of the hormone. When insulin is high, fat is not broken down and the less fat, the more likely the overall GI value of a meal will be high.

Blood sugar balance is crucial in all body systems. Eating large amounts of refined carbohydrates and sugar causes a surge of sugar entering the bloodstream; insulin is the one hormone we produce to bring these overly high levels down. The body likes to maintain very even blood sugar levels and any excess glucose that the insulin cannot get out of the blood into the cells for energy, it will convert to fat and store it in places where we tend to put on weight. Low GI foods are of course also best for weight loss, as less insulin will be produced on eating them. Eating sweet foods keeps blood sugar levels from maintaining a nice, even keel and so keeps the cravings for them going; also eating foods that raise blood sugar levels too quickly (high GI), therefore provoking a higher insulin response can perpetuate the cycle.

It is important to remember that it is not fat that is stored as fat, but sugar. This may not seem logical, but the body is used to dealing with a certain amount of fat and in fact needs it for many body functions. Sugar on the other hand, is extremely damaging and the safest place for any not used instantly for fuel is to be stored as fat.

Total Being Opinion

It has been a milestone in nutrition that this important work is now being recognised as a major tool in health and the prevention of degenerative disease. Many people are jumping on the bandwagon and the books available on the market with “GI” in the title are on the increase. There is also now a revolution to have the GI values of foods displayed on the front of packaging, a welcome and more conscientious choice than simply “low-fat” or “complex carbohydrates”. The only concern is that it may also help less than ethical manufacturers sell you an overly processed product in the name of health. It is better to gain an understanding of the GI values of food and prepare your own accordingly.

Once you have this information, it is interesting to monitor how your body reacts to certain foods. What you once saw as a burst of energy from a baked potato can now be more accurately seen as a sugar rush and the slump later may alert you to this – that is of course if you didn’t have it with protein and oils to bring down the GI value!

It may seem complicated stuff, but it is not a question of becoming obsessed and counting values; you will soon get a handle on the best eating patterns and the GI table can really help you to choose breakfast, lunch dinner and snacks that will set you up for the day and help to reduce any cravings.

See www.totalbeing.com for a Nutritional Assessment to choose the right diet and supplements to help you get in control of your health!

See www.healthyconvenience.com for help remembering how to get healthy – for posters, shopping guides and recipes.

References

1. Brand-Miller J, Foster-Powell K. The New Glucose Revolution and other related titles, ISBN 0733615007, Hodder