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Glycemic Index: Potato & Sugar Drinks Impact Long-Term Weight Gain

August 23, 2011 By GI Editor Dave Leave a Comment

Participants in a recent study conducted by the New England Journal of Medicine gained an average of 3.35 lb. a year in the U.S. – a concern because the gain is so gradual it's sometimes hard to identify the causes.

Exploring patient behaviors more closely, Harvard researchers noted changes in lifestyle factors and a steady worsening in body mass index simultaneously contributed to the poor results.

Potato Based Foods & Sugar Drinks a Heavy Influence

Among the major correlations with the most weight gain we're those with a diet most commonly associated with potato chips (GI score of 54 – 74) who gains 1.69 lb, regular potatoes (baked, GI of 65) with 1.28lb, sugar based beverages (no GI) at 1.00 lbs, and unprocessed meats.

bag of potato chipsFoods with a strong reverse correlation (weight loss rather than weight gain) involved vegetables, log GI based whole grains (whole grain bread, GI score 40),  nuts, and yogurt (lowfat GI score 14).  [see Glycemic Index Chart for more scores]

Other factors not surprisingly involved:

  • Physical activity (-1.76 lbs. for those engaged in regular activity)
  • alcohol use (+ 0.41 lb per drink per day)
  • smoking (+5.17 lb for new quitters)
  • sleep (weight gain associated with those with < 6 hours or  > 8 hours of sleep a day)
  • Television watching (+0.31 per 1 hour watched per day)

Glycemic Index and Dietary Choices Matter

Dietary and lifestyle choices can have a huge impact on normalizing weight and managing a healthy metabolism.  Diets high in the glycemic index and that feature low glycemic foods (see our glycemic index chart for more details) provide powerful advantages.  Other related diets like the south beach diet plan also perform well.).

While the observations noted in the New England Journal study aren't revolutionary, they confirm the premise of a managed diet and correlate strongly with the benefits gained when adopting a low glycemic index diet.  It's interesting to see weighted averages correlated by activity too!

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Filed Under Featured, Glycemic Index, Glycemic News

South Beach Diet – Day 7 and 8

April 30, 2011 By GI Editor Dave Leave a Comment

Pain.  I'm officially in the difficult stage, and I think I know why.

I had the luxury of a day off on Friday.  That and a weekend, with plenty of running around with my wife and activities.  That means temptations, and I had a ton of them.  It's not that I'm hungry as much as I'm craving.  Craving foods I can't have.  Really frustrating. 

I was at the grocery store and longing at everything I couldn't eat.  Getting sick of eggs, chicken, and salad, the staples of Phase 1 of the South Beach Diet plan.  Lasagna, even the prepackaged frozen kind looked amazing.  Pizza, oh yea.  Pasta — you name it, from penne to linguini to ravioli to regular spaghetti.  Ya, I'm craving big time, and planning Phase 2 whole grain varieties I'll be able to eat again.

But until then this part has sucked,  I think it's honestly because of having more free time and temptation, and another realization that it's much easier to get through a phase 1 day when it's part of your regular (planned) routine. Work, scheduled.  Eating time – planned.  But not now, not on this weekend #2 that I'm in on Phase 1.  Even low glycemic index foods don't matter yet (those come on Friday, when I get to phase 2 status). 

I'm not going to sugar coat it.  Ya, eat regularly.  Snack.  Blah blah.  I'm not hungry but I am craving.  Found several sugar free substitutes I'm trying tonight for a little treat.  Small reward – but I'm a car wreck of cravings today — but I didn't cheat at least…!

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Filed Under Glycemic Index, South Beach Diet

Using Vitamin D to Control Blood Sugar

February 24, 2011 By GI Editor Dave 1 Comment

vitamin d diabetes low blood sugarVitamin D may have new support as a complimentary supplement for those looking to help control diabetic blood sugar levels (levels averaging a fasting blood glucose of > 126 mg/dL).  See our recent updated blood sugar chart information for a summary on blood sugar levels among diabetics, pre-diabetics, and normal blood sugar levels.

A new study published by the American Journal of Clinical Medicine indicates that study participants who received elevated amounts of Vitamin D showed a decrease in average blood glucose levels.  The study involved participants who we're already diabetic, monitoring their results over a 3 month period.

Participants received one of 3 sample meals fed twice a day.  Plain yogurt, vitamin D fortified yogurt (500 IU of Vitamin D), and one that had both vitamin D fortified (also at 500 IU) and calcium.  

After three months, the plain yogurt group saw an increase from 187 to 203 milligrams (mg/dL), while the both of the other vitamin D fortified groups saw blood sugar drop from 183 to 172.

We haven't see that many tests using straight fortified Vitamin D, and the yogurt twist made it recognizable.  Despite the relatively low sample size (and anybody but us find it odd that the research was done by a research group in Iran – the National Nutrition and Food Technology Research Institute), it's a worthwhile study worth taking note of.

There's some speculation that the vitamin D may be elevating tissue sensitivity to insulin, and may help stimulate the production (timely production that is) of insulin.  This could be great news for those with diabetes, following a glycemic index diet, or possibly on a similar low sugar/low carb nutrition plan like the south beach diet plan.

As always, be sure to check with your health care provider as taking too high a level of vitamin D could be toxic. 

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Filed Under diabetes, Glycemic Index, South Beach Diet

New Blood Sugar Chart Information

February 18, 2011 By GI Editor Dave Leave a Comment

One of the most popular requests we get is information on diabetes, high blood sugar, and how a low glycemic nutrition plan can be used for those who are diabetic or pre-diabetic.

blood sugar chartNow you can review blood sugar chart information to see how blood glucose levels in normal, pre-diabetic, and diabetics interact.

What's most useful is for the large number of readers who are pre-diabetic.  Many don't realize how fine a line there is between the onset of diabetes and "normal" blood glucose levels.  This is because the fasting glucose levels for pre-diabetics and non-diabetics is almost the same.  This means that for many of us who get regular blood work, the glucose levels can appear 'normal', but you may actually be pre-diabetic or at risk.

The best way to check this is to have your blood monitored after a meal, then repeat the test if the results indicate pre-diabetic levels.  It's actually not difficult to do and can be a life changing discovery.

In the meantime, a low glycemic meal plan offers a lot of benefits well beyond weight management – specifically, a more relaxed and less pronounced spike in blood glucose and the resulting release of insulin.  This means a low GI meal plan helps you manage your nutrition and keep your system in natural balance, and can compliment your treatment plan.

We'll be adding to our hyerglycemic and hypoglycemic condition and diabetes awareness research shortly.  In the meantime, stay healthy and informed!

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Filed Under diabetes, Featured, Glycemic Index Tagged With , , ,

Realistic Nutrition for the New Year

December 27, 2010 By GI Editor Dave Leave a Comment

Bring on the new year and realistic nutrition plans.

After eating my 10th chocolate peanut cluster that my grandfather brought on Christmas, reality came crashing back home. I've got to get back in gear and on a more structured nutrition and weight loss plan for the new year.

weight loss new years resolution

I'm not talking about fad diets, those awful gimmicky late night commercials pushing man girdles, diet in a pill 'burn' solutions, or ridiculous hang upside down exercise equipment.  Who do these marketers think we are anyway?  

No, I'm talking about realistic wellness plans.  Nutrition plans that teach you how foods affect your metabolism, the role your diet and digestion has on your blood sugar and energy levels (yes, even for those who aren't diabetic or pre-diabetic).  Having focused on heart health and realistic nutrition plans, especially for parents and working adults, two similar plans have consistently bubbled to top which present realistic plans that enable real weight loss.  

Low Glycemic Diet – Focuses on teaching you to select foods that are low or moderate on the glycemic index, controlling your blood sugar and digestion.  

South Beach Diet – Similar but includes a 2-week "rapid carb detox" phase that drives rapid weight loss, then reintroduces "good carbs" and focuses on blood sugar and digestion

If you're trying to find the right plan for your new year's resolution and are tired of the fad and gimmicks that are virtually everywhere, these are both great options.  You'll learn nutrition approaches that you can use the rest of your life.  I've researched both of these plans extensively, having lost my father to heart disease and can attest how effective both can be when followed.  

Both plans offer an online version which helps you jump start your diet.  This is a HUGE help, as the first 10-14 days are the most challenging because you're learning how to get started, adjusting to new foods, and getting support to ensure you're on the right path. 

Get started today — I know I am.  Those peanut clusters pushed me over the top!

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Filed Under Free Trial, Glycemic Index, South Beach Diet

Free South Beach and Glycemic Food List Widgets!

October 7, 2010 By GI Editor Dave Leave a Comment

We're pleased to announce the launch of our new 100% free food list widgets!

Wanting to add our popular glycemic index food list or south beach diet food list to your website or blog?  Now you can with a couple of clicks!

We've added support for both of these widgets.  Click below for details:

South Beach Food List widget for websites/blogs

Provides a list of acceptable foods for both Phase 1 and Phase 2 of the South Beach Diet plan.

Glycemic Index Food List for websites/blogs

Provides a scrolling list of our comprehensive glycemic index food list.

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GI News—October 2010

October 2, 2010 By Scott Leave a Comment
[COLLAGE]
  • ‘Cruise instead of spike and crash’ with low GI foods says Olympic swimming champion Ian Thorpe
  • ‘Wholegrain’ hype: is it time to redefine ‘true’ whole grain foods? Prof Jennie Brand-Miller opens the debate
  • Focus on food not nutrients – Dr David Ludwig challenges ‘dietary guidelines’ orthodoxy
  • The scoop on desserts with Emma Stirling
  • Renaming HFCS as corn sugar. Dr Alan Barclay investigates
  • 8 new GI values from the US

It’s Good Food Month here in Sydney, so it seems timely to think about enjoying good low GI food for real satisfaction and good health. To show you what we mean and give your tastebuds a treat, we are sharing a recipe from Bistro Moncur chef Damien Pignolet’s new book, Salades. In his introduction Damien gently reminds us that the role of salads in the French kitchen is quite different from the bowl of green leaves that ‘tends to pass for a salad in Australian and British cooking’. Try his ‘Rustic Salad of chickpeas, prosciutto & preserved artichoke and garlic and anchovy vinaigrette’ in this issue and I think you will agree c’ést delicieux. And low GI too!

Good eating, good health and good reading.

Editor: Philippa Sandall
Web management and design: Alan Barclay, PhD

.

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GI News—September 2010

September 2, 2010 By Scott Leave a Comment

[COLLAGE]

  • Wanted! Low GI fast food choices
  • Why it’s time to raise the bar and lower the GI cut-offs for fast foods
  • Low carb or low fat for weight loss? The choice is yours if you can stick to it
  • Masterchef. The other ‘big M’ and healthy home-cooked meals
  • How nutrition health halos trick us into treating
  • Will you have a statin with that?

‘If starting tomorrow at noon, we all went into Taco Bell and Burger King and ordered only salads, their menus would change faster than you can say Lite Italian’ writes Prof Brian Wansink in Mindless Eating. ‘Within a year, people would be able to eat a Taco Salad Bell any time they wanted to make a run for the border. Within another year there would be another Broccoli King … No food company is in the business to make us fat. They’re in the business to sell us food. If we want fattening food to mindlessly eat, companies will fix it. But they will also fix us healthy food we can mindfully eat if they can profitably do so.’

Vote with your feet. It’s up to us, not governments and self-appointed nutrition nannies. If we all demand healthy low GI fast food options, you can be sure the food companies will supply them. Our job is to make it profitable for them to do so. That means we have to order them and not the tempting high calorie, high fat, high GI alternatives. So here’s to great tasting baked ‘fries’ or wedges made with lower GI potatoes, lean meat burgers on really grainy low GI buns and curries and stir fries served with lower GI rices.

Good eating, good health and good reading.

Editor: Philippa Sandall

Web management and design: Alan Barclay, PhD

.

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GI News—June 2010

August 7, 2010 By GI Editor Dave Leave a Comment

[COLLAGE]

  • Prof. Walt Willett on why supplements are not a substitute for fruits and vegetables
  • Prof Jennie Brand-Miller talks about fruit juice
  • Fructose: 10 things you need to know
  • Deli meats and diabetes risk
  • Why the media get nutrition stories wrong
  • 2 new recipes from the Low GI Kitchen
  • GI value of soccer ball-sized ‘king of the fruits’ durian

Fruit and veggies play a central role in a low GI diet with studies showing that people who eat 3–4 serves of fruit a day, particularly apples and oranges, have the lowest overall GI and the best blood glucose levels. So, when you want a little sweetness in your life, reach for the fruit bowl for a snack that is widely available, portable, and easy to eat – just like other sweet snacks, but without any added fat and sugar. In GI News this month the focus is on fruit and you’ll find the GI values of many of your favourites throughout this issue. Dietitian Emma Stirling joins us this month too with the scoop on tropical fruit, including the soccer ball-sized ‘king of the fruits’ durian.

Good eating, good health and good reading.

Editor: Philippa Sandall
Web management and design: Alan Barclay, PhD

.

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Health Burden of Obesity Rises

August 2, 2010 By GI Editor Dave Leave a Comment

life_years_lost_obesity_1.jpg

The negative impact of obesity on the quality and quantity of life more than doubled within a span of just 15 years, researchers report.

WebMD Health

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