glycemic index!

[supercheesegirl]

dreda replied to my last post, wondering if I might be especially sensitive to foods with a high glycemic index. I had never heard of this before, so I've been looking around online. OMG. Paying attention to the glycemic index of the food I eat has the potential to solve all my damn problems!

First of all, links:

- "Glycemic Index" on wikipedia
- A story in the Sunday Times Online about a woman who discovered the "GI diet" and how it worked for her (this sounds exactly like me, seriously)
- Another article from the Sunday Times Online about the GI diet and what it does
- Online searchable database listing the glycemic index of various foods, sponsored by the University of Sidney (a bit limited because they don't have a ton of American brands on there, but they do have food from all over the world)

Basically, the glycemic index measures how quickly the carbohydrates in your food turn into blood sugar. A high GI food is digested really quickly, flooding your blood with sugar and giving you an energy rush, but then that blood sugar also disappears quickly, letting you down and causing cravings for more high GI food. High GI foods include candy, cakes, pancakes, white bread, and potatoes. These also tend to be foods that have other bad things in them that cause you to gain weight.

A low GI food, by contrast, is digested slowly, gradually releasing sugar into the blood over a few hours. It keeps you going longer and fulfills hunger better. Low GI foods include fruits, vegetables, grainy breads, pasta, milk. These tend to be the foods that are healthier anyway.

I guess I had known some general info about glycemic index, but not much (like, runners eat pasta before a race). I hadn't known there was a systematic approach to dieting according to GI. I think that dreda may have been spot-on in pointing this out to me. Now that I'm looking, I see the effects of high GI foods in my life all the time. For example, yesterday I was in a rush and I had two pop tarts for breakfast on the way out the door. I spent the entire day hungry and craving chocolate, then I snacked a bunch last night (a raspberry freezie thing after dinner, then a piece of cake, and then I was starving by 9:45 so I ate a bunch of potato chips). On the other hand, Tuesday was not nearly such a bad day--and I had a nice big salad for lunch. Today I started off with a bowl of healthy cereal (Great Grains!) and I am not having cravings so badly.

So, if I pay attention to what I eat, it will reduce cravings, keep me from getting so hungry, and help with weight loss. And there's no calorie counting--you just have to be sensible. Overall, planning what I eat according to the GI diet basically just seems like another way to think about eating healthily. This makes a lot of sense to me.

Here is what a typical day could look like for me:

- breakfast: bowl of healthy grainy cereal (not pop tarts), or whole-wheat toast with nutella (20 g = 30-33 GI!)
- lunch: sandwich on wheat/whole grain bread, with sugar-free pudding snack or yogurt; or leftover pasta; or salad, or hummus with wheat pita
- afternoon snack: mixed nuts, or a banana, or a granola bar (no chocolate bars, no soft pretzels)
- dinner: pasta; or a spinach & hummus wrap; or chicken or fish with a veggie (asparagus or zucchini)
- evening snack (before 9 PM): fruit chips, corn chips, or Dove dark chocolate (37 g = 23 GI!)

The GI index goes from 0 to 100 (100 being straight glucose). Most of the things listed in my possible day are in the middle somewhere, in the 50s or lower. This is a totally do-able day for me. I already eat like this most of the time! I always get frustrated when I think about dieting, because I eat pretty decently for the most part but snack on crap--I can never identify what a healthy yet tasty snack replacement would be, but I need to snack on something, so I get frustrated. This system makes it easy to identify what some healthier snacks are that I would, um, actually want to eat. The fact that Dove dark chocolate is on the low GI list makes me so incredibly happy.

Things to avoid: pizza (dammit), milk chocolate (I don't really like it anyway), white bread, white rices, baked potatoes, pancakes, Aunt Jemima frozen waffles (I just bought a big-ass box, too), Corn Pops, Cheerios, Golden Grahams, Honey Smacks, doughnuts, jelly beans, bagels.

Yummy things that are good in moderation: nutella, Dove dark chocolate, hummus, nuts (like cashews and peanuts), pasta in general, milk, tortillas, peanut M&Ms, fruit sorbet, Snickers bars (41-43 GI), corn chips, multi-grain breads, fruit like bananas and apples and pears and grapes, "carb smart" ice creams.

Also, lean meats and most vegetables don't have enough carbs in them to warrant a GI rating, so those are always good to add in. And according to wikipedia and that Times article, alcoholic beverages are low GI (beer has a higher number, in the 50s), and it's possible that a drink before a meal will reduce the overall GI of the meal. Maybe this is another reason why the French and Italians are so darn healthy?

Comments

[minkrose]

I see that wikipedia notes that South Beach relies on this system - I've found it to be a real gem in helping me choose better foods for myself. I don't follow it religiously but their recipes are really, really good. I do not recommend their Kraft frozen meals, but the High Protein Breakfast bars have fiber and protein WITHOUT the carbs and fat that you find in the sports energy bars. Definitely recommended on the days when you're on the run. They also have a chocolate flavor...

Their 100 calorie snack bars are good too! And if you like cooking, check out one of their recipe books from the library.

[supercheesegirl.livejournal.com]

Thanks! I will definitely add a South Beach book to my library queue as soon as I have room!

[dreda.livejournal.com]

I'm glad it was helpful!

I should say that what has been most helpful for me (and I'm probably 25 pounds lighter than the last time you saw me) is cutting processed/packaged food out of my diet. If I can't identify something on the label, I tend not to eat it. (Within reason - life without Kinder Eggs is not life, frankly.) What is it Michael Pollan says? "Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants."

[supercheesegirl.livejournal.com]

Oh, wow, congratulations! 25 pounds is something to be proud of. I would like to cut more processed foods out of my diet, but it's really hard to cook everything fresh living by myself. My wonderful F and I have talked about this and I'm so looking forward to living and cooking with him. :)

Kinder Eggs! Ah. I love building the strange little toys!

[robotpistol.livejournal.com]

Dreda is very right-on. And so is minkrose: the South Beach Diet book is the first mainstream diet book to use the glycemic index. Also, though they don't advertise it, Weight Watchers pays attention to GI. They also don't call it that; they couch it in terms of fiber, etc. But as you've learned, many low fiber foods like potatoes and white bread are nothing but plain old sugar. Put glucose in your body and poof! It disappears like tissue paper caught in a rainstorm. On other hand, fiber-rich foods like whole wheat or quinoa or even bell peppers stick around for a while and help you feel full.

Of course, common sense must be injected. Carrots and bananas are high GI foods, and strictly following the GI index says you should avoid/moderate them. Personally I don't think anyone should feel guilty for muching on a carrot stick. If you prefer to get your beta carotene from sweet potatoes instead of carrots, well...okay.

I also have a bone to pick with the GI pooh-poohing bagels. The bagels I eat (Thomas's Hearty Whole Grains line, Whole Wheat) have 7 grams of dietary fiber, 3 of which is insoluble. That's 1/3 of a whole day's worth of fiber and it's *seven times* the fiber in a bowl of alleged "whole grain cereal" Cheerios. They ain't yo momma's bagels.

Also, so you don't have to eliminate pizza entirely, may I recommend the Kashi frozen pizzas. The crust is not made of white flour, it's made of the proprietal Kashi 7-grain blend. Half a pizza has 400 calories or something, which is enough for an end-of-day meal. And it has enough fiber to keep me from snacking. Plus, the garlic on the roasted vegetable kind is so strong, you couldn't taste the chocolate if you ate any. Which helps me remember not to bother eating M&Ms at 9 PM.

Actually, I have a variety of food suggestions/substitutions that have worked for me and maybe could give you ideas. I'll just email you.

[supercheesegirl.livejournal.com]

I don't plan to do it strictly, for sure. I don't have a really serious weight problem or a health concern like diabetes, so I don't think there's a need for me to be really strict about it. No one should feel guilty for eating carrots or bananas. Bananas are one of the only fruits I eat regularly. And I couldn't give up pizza completely--I already try to get my pizza with spinach and other veggies so it won't be a complete waste. I like the Kashi pizzas, but I haven't tried the roasted veggie kind.

Mostly I'm just excited about the structure this could give to my eating habits, you know? There are always things telling us to eat this or not eat that, but knowing a little about the science of why it's bad, especially for my body, helps a lot. Now instead of saying, "I shouldn't eat that, it's bad for me" and then eating it anyway, I can say to myself with more authority, "I shouldn't eat that, it's a high GI food that will make me more hungry in the long run. I should eat this other thing instead." I think that will be a lot more helpful.

[jennallen.livejournal.com]

Hey there!

I've been eating a similar way for about a year now. It has reduced so many of things that made life just that much harder such as migraines and killer-cramps. There a few recipes in my journal for foods that are totally great for eating like this.

ps. if they sell this where you are...look for a frozen dessert called Coconut Bliss...it's like Ice cream but better and totally one of those OK things in moderation (sweetened w/ agave nectar). I recommend the dark chocolate one. YUM!

[supercheesegirl.livejournal.com]

I'll look for the Coconut Bliss. Thanks!!

[sleepyworm.livejournal.com]

I read the other day that people who keep a food diary while dieting lose twice as much weight on average compared to people who don't keep one. I know you like to keep track of things in lists! :) Perhaps that could help, especially combined with this GI rating stuff?

[supercheesegirl.livejournal.com]

I've tried to keep a food diary a few times in the past, but it just fizzled out. Partly because I didn't want to have to write something down as many times a day as I eat; partly because I couldn't decide if a notebook to carry around would be more convenient than the internet; and partly because I would snack out and then feel guilty about admitting it. I would like to keep track on LJ, maybe every night, but I'm not sure if I'll be able to keep up with it.

I bet the benefit of the food diary comes because you have to actually think about the food when you write it down. Also you have to write down everything you eat, which might encourage people not to eat stuff they don't want to write down. It's a practice that encourages being mindful, which is something I'm trying to foster anyway. We'll see. Thanks!