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Glycemic Index or Glycemic Load?

NoCrbs4Me said:
I avoid batter. Anyway, that's all too complicated for me. My low GL plan is simply less than 50 g of carbs a day. Easy peasy. I could eat more, but I want to stay in ketosis - it's great for running. It's interesting how many different diets people are on here.
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not complicated really, just eat the low GL foods & the right portion size if you want to lose weight, easy peasy.
 
Paul59 said:
not complicated really, just eat the low GL foods & the right portion size if you want to lose weight, easy peasy.
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Oh, well that's what I'm doing. It's pretty difficult to stay under 50g of carbs a day if you're eating high GI/GL foods, so I eat low GI/GL foods. In my case it's very low GI/GL.
 
In either type of diet it is essential to eat to our meters, and in the long run there really isn't a lot of difference between GI/GL and low carb. I still eat potatoes every day and a piece of bread, but by using my meter I know what portions I can eat.
 
I started by eating mostly low GI foods and some occasional medium GI foods but I was always careful with portion sizes. If a low GI food releases it's carbs slowly, not eating a lot of it mens there is less to release slowly. For example, I ate, and still do, eat a parboiled brown rice which has about 19g carbs per 100g. Some of that is undigestible carbs so its about 15g really and as I only ate 75g portions, I'd only get about 12g of carbs. Very nice with prawns, some homemade tomato sauce with red onion, and some chopped chilli.
 
Paul59 said:
that sounds really nice. must give that ago.
You must add that to the recipies thread.
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I'll add it here for now, not sure which recipe thread to add it to?!?

Juice 3 carrots, 1 Apple, about 1 inch piece of Ginger ( I add more, I can't get enough of Ginger) and 1/2 lemon ( optional)
 
Rose28 said:
Really? Would that be because of the carrots or Apple?
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Both, especially together, and especially juiced. Juicing breaks down the starch and sugars and makes them worse (just like mashed potato as opposed to new potato). I can only eat a small portion of carrots (cooked) and half a small apple.

I understood the GI/GL is for the raw article, and that cooking/juicing alters matters and raises the GI. Shoot me down if I'm wrong.
 
Bluetit1802 said:
Both, especially together, and especially juiced. Juicing breaks down the starch and sugars and makes them worse (just like mashed potato as opposed to new potato). I can only eat a small portion of carrots (cooked) and half a small apple.

I understood the GI/GL is for the raw article, and that cooking/juicing alters matters and raises the GI. Shoot me down if I'm wrong.
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I'm not sure what the answer is to the last sentence... I'll tell you what, Im not going to shoot you.. Lol

But I'm sure someone who knows will come along and put us right...
 
Yorksman said:
I started by eating mostly low GI foods and some occasional medium GI foods but I was always careful with portion sizes. If a low GI food releases it's carbs slowly, not eating a lot of it mens there is less to release slowly. For example, I ate, and still do, eat a parboiled brown rice which has about 19g carbs per 100g. Some of that is undigestible carbs so its about 15g really and as I only ate 75g portions, I'd only get about 12g of carbs. Very nice with prawns, some homemade tomato sauce with red onion, and some chopped chilli.
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That rice dish does sound very nice indeed and with a bonus of such little carbs.

I think if there's one thing you've all said... Its portion control ... That's the way GL works
 
NoCrbs4Me said:
Oh, well that's what I'm doing. It's pretty difficult to stay under 50g of carbs a day if you're eating high GI/GL foods, so I eat low GI/GL foods. In my case it's very low GI/GL.
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I totally avoid high GL & only small amounts of medium with low that contain fiber, seems the higher the fiber the better & it keeps you going & that is in both senses. ;) if you know what I mean.
 
Paul59 said:
when you say spike by what sort of amount would you call spike? From what I've read on the d,uk site as long as your 2hr is 8.5 or below your ok or 9 for T1.
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The 8.5 at 2 hours is the NHS recommended maximum for type 2's, but this is too generous according to all the research into diabetic complications. It is now thought that a maximum of 7.8 is more desirable, preferably less. It is better to aim for non-diabetic levels, which are up to 7.8 at 1 hour after carbs, down to 6.6 at 2 hours.

http://www.phlaunt.com/diabetes/14045524.php

The closer we get to non-diabetic readings, the greater chance we have of avoiding horrible complications.

Here are what doctors currently believe to be non-diabetic readings:

Fasting blood sugarunder 100 mg/dl (5.5 mmol/L)
One hour after meals under 140 mg/dl (7.8 mmol/L)
Two hours after meals under 120 mg/dl (6.6 mmol/L)

If you can do better than this, go for it. At a minimum, The American College of Clinical Endocrinologists recommends that people with diabetes keep their blood sugars under 140 mg/dl (7.8 mmol/L) two hours after eating.
 
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NoCrbs4Me said:
Well, it's no highly processed veg oil, no grains, no rice, no potatoes/starchy veg, no fruit. Just fresh veg that grows above ground. Meat (especially organ cuts), fish, poultry, full fat yogurt, cheese, butter, cream, olive oil. What I follow is close to a "primal" diet. Similar to a paleo diet but with dairy. It's pretty easy to do. Here's a good website: http://www.dietdoctor.com/lchf
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Thats exactly how I eat, gave me excellent results for ALL health markers.
 
douglas99 said:
The reason I wanted to stay on a low GI/GL was I don't particularly like eating fat, and especially I didn't want to reduce my ability to eat carbs overall.
A low carb, high fat diet has the effect of reducing the ability to handle carbs, until your body gets used to eating them again.

So as I dive, or even decide to spontaneously go out somewhere, I find staying on a low GI/GL diet means I have a much wider choice of food I can eat, and know I won't see a spike.
Portion control means I may not tolerate a full plate, but then again, I find I can stop eating when I hit my self imposed limits.
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^ This. :)
I fould that GI/GL system in combination with set amount of carbs allowed in each meal, gives me the best control over my BG without restricting my food too much. It takes some time to get used to it, and at first it requires some math and weighing of ingredients (at least at home), but after three monts I can tell how much I can eat from one look at the plate.
 
Paul59 said:
when you say spike by what sort of amount would you call spike? From what I've read on the d,uk site as long as your 2hr is 8.5 or below your ok or 9 for T1.
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8.5 is way too high. I used to aim at below 7.0

The NHS pushed a 'eat healthy carbs' diet primarily because they were worried about people eating too much fat and having high cholesterol and also because they believed that diabetes is a progressive disease and that it was inevitavbly going to get worse and you would end up, at some time in the future, on insulin. Keeping your two hour upper limit to 8.5 was seen as good.

But, as Roy Taylor pointed out:

"The Belfast diet study provides an example of moderate weight loss leading to reasonably controlled, yet persistent diabetes. This study showed that a mean weight loss of 11 kg decreased fasting blood glucose levels from 10.4 to 7.0 mmol/L but that this abnormal level presaged the all-too-familiar deterioration of control".

Now, that is fasting (12 hour) blood glucose, not two hour postprandial blood glucose but if you aim at 7 two hours after a meal, in time, you will find your fasting levels, or early morning levels, below 6 or even near 5.

As Taylor points out:

"The extent of weight loss required to reverse type 2 diabetes is much greater than conventionally advised. A clear distinction must be made between weight loss that improves glucose control but leaves blood glucose levels abnormal and weight loss of sufficient degree to normalize pancreatic function."
 
Rose28 said:
That rice dish does sound very nice indeed and with a bonus of such little carbs.
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This lamb and barley stew, which uses pearl barley, one of the lowest GI grains, was one of the first meals I learned to cook. You can't use too much pearly barley as it will set solid, so it has, inbuilt portion control! The dish is warming and tasty and highly nutritious and your BG levels won't bat an eyelid. Very easy to cook too.

Lamb-stew-with-pearl-barl-006.jpg
 
Rose28 said:
@Paul59 Thank you so much for explaining this in so much detail.
I'm a lacto vegetarian and very restricted with food choices.

GL looks like a much wider choice of food, that I pick and choose as a vegetarian.

I've got lots of reading to do! :rolleyes:

Thank you
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Hi Rose28 I use and tweak ...seems to work , but I do what I feel is right for me , do a bit of all diets ...sometimes ....you will find a way which helps and works for you ...:) for example tonight my quorn and veg cottage pie will have a sweet potato mash with swede ....and a nice portion of green beans to go with it ....it works for me ....that is the important part
 
Bluetit1802 said:
Both, especially together, and especially juiced. Juicing breaks down the starch and sugars and makes them worse (just like mashed potato as opposed to new potato). I can only eat a small portion of carrots (cooked) and half a small apple.

I understood the GI/GL is for the raw article, and that cooking/juicing alters matters and raises the GI. Shoot me down if I'm wrong.
Click to expand...
Rose28 said:
I'm not sure what the answer is to the last sentence... I'll tell you what, Im not going to shoot you.. Lol

But I'm sure someone who knows will come along and put us right...
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The answers are here.
http://www.montignac.com/en/the-factors-that-modify-glycemic-indexes/
 
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