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GI confusing

Lilliepop

Lilliepop

Well-Known Member
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267
Hello. I'm totally confused now. Just reading about the GI diet. Apparently it's not advisable for a diabetic to go on it because it's high in fat. I thought it was okay for diabetic to eat fat. Ie cheese pizza is low GI but high in fat. Is it because of the pastry that a diabetic can't eat it or the high fat content? I was seriously thinking of trying the GI diet but don't know now. I wish I could get my head round it all.
 
No a low GI diet is not normally a high fat diet . It is true though that the glycemic index itself is just a ranking of foods according to how they raise glucose and fat will tend to lower the GI (certainly over the 2 hours that is tested, glucose levels may raise later)

Have a look at the Univ of Sydney site.
This is what they say about this in their FAQs
http://www.glycemicindex.com/index.php
16. Some high fat foods have a low GI. Doesn't this give a falsely favourable impression of that food?
Yes it does, especially if the fat is saturated fat. The GI value of potato chips or french fries is lower than baked potatoes. Large amounts of fat in foods tends to slow the rate of stomach emptying and therefore the rate at which foods are digested. Yet the saturated fat in these foods will contribute to a much increased risk of heart disease. It is important to look at the type of fat in foods rather than avoid it completely. Good fats are found in foods such as avocadoes, nuts and legumes while saturated fats are found in dairy products, cakes and biscuits. We'd all be better off if we left the cakes and biscuits for special occasions
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Who says a high fat diet is bad for diabetics? You've got a lot of people on here who would disagree with that.

There are some problems with GI because it actually varies a lot from individual to individual. But in principle a low GI diet ought to be of some help to a diabetic, T1 or T2. The ultimate low GI diet is a low carb diet, since only carbs have a GI. The GI of non - carbs is zero or close to zero.
 
The old theory that saturated fats are bad for us, and that polyunsaturated fats are better for us, is pretty much dead in the water.
 
Right I will have to digest all that a bit but so far still can't work out whats is the best diet to do. Low carb or low GI. Anyone tried the low GI diet with good results with BG?
 
I'm a LCHF girl too.

I've tried low gi and low GL eating, but for my body, the LCHF diet works the best.
 
Lilliepop said:
Right I will have to digest all that a bit but so far still can't work out whats is the best diet to do. Low carb or low GI. Anyone tried the low GI diet with good results with BG?
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Yes I use the GI diet amongst other things to keep my bg under control ( I'm type 1), as Phoenix says a GI diet isn't high fat so not sure what book your reading :)

If you want some good books to read on the glycemic index then look for books by Rick Gallop.
 
I think there is some confusion here on the term 'GI'? Low-GI is always good for diabetics (and anyone) as low-GI food is absorbed more slowly and minimises sugar spikes. A GI diet has no meaning that I'm aware of. A low-carb diet is what most of us find is the right approach to keeping blood sugar down; this means the total carbs per day is limited. If these carbs are also low-GI then that is even better. As Spiker says, fat has very little effect on blood sugar so is OK for diabetes and the mantra in the media and experts about keeping fats down has been shown to be based on invalid data so, in summary, keep the carbs down and make up with fats and protein as well as the obvious veg for fibre etc
 
Daibell said:
I think there is some confusion here on the term 'GI'? Low-GI is always good for diabetics (and anyone) as low-GI food is absorbed more slowly and minimises sugar spikes. A GI diet has no meaning that I'm aware of. A low-carb diet is what most of us find is the right approach to keeping blood sugar down; this means the total carbs per day is limited. If these carbs are also low-GI then that is even better. As Spiker says, fat has very little effect on blood sugar so is OK for diabetes and the mantra in the media and experts about keeping fats down has been shown to be based on invalid data so, in summary, keep the carbs down and make up with fats and protein as well as the obvious veg for fibre etc
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I completely agree, but it is my understanding (pls someone correct me, if I am wrong) that 'following a GI or low GI diet' generally means picking foods with a GI that is lower than around 50.

At least, that was the basic guideline I got from Montignac, back in the day.

Unfortunately, the closer I slipped towards diabetes, the more 'intolerant' I have become of many of the 'under50' foods. Many of them spike me.

Also, with 'low GI eating' there is usually less emphasis on portion size, whereas GL eating always tracks portion size - that was one of the reasons it replaced GI as the trendy diet, for a while.

LCHF incorporates these ideas but takes them further and is much stricter about the GI (carb content).

Of course, I am basing these opinions on info that I absorbed quite some time ago. My opinions may be out of date by now!
 
GI does that mean glycemic index and low GL glycemic load? What's the difference? I think it sounds more confusing than LCHF so might give up and stay on that. I have ordered a book have a read up on it but I can see me sending it back.
 
GI is a number indicating how quickly a particular carbohydrate is absorbed. This disregards how much of that carbohydrate might be eaten in a portion. If you do the GI value and portion size you get the Glycaemic Load (GL).
 
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