What is 'GI' and a List of Common Foods

Many of these Ii use in my nutrition, though i knew very little about Glycemic Index Very useful post. Thank you!
 
Mulletsoldier said:
Yes, any processing has the ability to significantly alter the glycemic index of your carbs. The longer you cook a pasta for example also raises it's GI.
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Great post Mullet! Although frustratingly not only the cooking but also what specific foods you are eating it with eg. if your eating fats or protein with your carbs, again the GI is altered! Unless you literally sit there and eat only 1 food per meal without processing it at all the GI will change! Dont know about everyone else but I usually have a mixture of foods at each meal (tricky)!
 
CHAPS said:
Did you know that adding fat, vinegar or lemon juice to a meal will lower the glycemic index of the food your eating. Try using fresh lemon juice on your water when eating your meal, this will lower blood sugar. Cinnamon as well will lower blood sugar.
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Lemon in warm water first thing in the morning is great too for doing this as well as alkalizing affects and love the Cinnamon on food as well (tastes good too)
 
Very nice info, found some valid answers of my questions in this thread. Thanks for this amazing post.
 
How often do we eat carb sources alone? Because that is what the GI measures. The vast majority of the time we eat some amount of protein, carbs, and fats in a meal. GI is pretty damn crappy at predicting blood glucose response and unsulin response to foods when full meals (protein, fat, and carbs) are eaten. This isn't to say you can just eat table sugar for all your carbs. Just that the glycemic index sucks for judging carb source quality
 
genthoseffect said:
How often do we eat carb sources alone? Because that is what the GI measures. The vast majority of the time we eat some amount of protein, carbs, and fats in a meal. GI is pretty damn crappy at predicting blood glucose response and unsulin response to foods when full meals (protein, fat, and carbs) are eaten. This isn't to say you can just eat table sugar for all your carbs. Just that the glycemic index sucks for judging carb source quality
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While this is true, it can be most helpful for those people looking to add carbs pre, post or even intra training, when they may constitute a decent percentage of the ingredients, and a certain uptake duration is desirable.
What it doesn't take into account is an individuals metabolism or ability to process & shuttle that glucose (etc) around.
Another factor, and one which many people unwittingly get wrong daily, is the order by which they consume their foods. For best digestion, there's a reason we need to eat our veg, carbs and then proteins (particularly meat) in that order, especially for large meals. Yes eating a complete meal makes the GI index a pretty ineffective tool, but appropriate meal planning and consumption can make some use of it.
As an ectomorph with a raging metabolism, I just keep plowing into the carbs all day long, white & brown rice, potato, sweet potato, some oats. After my workout I like to add a 30-40gm scoop of a medium GI sugar like organic coconut palm sugar or rapadura (panela) to my post-workout shake, as it replenishes my glycogen stores quickly and prevents me from getting tired before my meal. Those sugars are far less processed than sources like dextrose, maltodextrin or waxy maize, and also have the benefit of being relatively high in minerals so it's like a little multi-vitamin boost. They taste good too :yumyum:
 
genthoseffect said:
How often do we eat carb sources alone? Because that is what the GI measures. The vast majority of the time we eat some amount of protein, carbs, and fats in a meal. GI is pretty damn crappy at predicting blood glucose response and unsulin response to foods when full meals (protein, fat, and carbs) are eaten. This isn't to say you can just eat table sugar for all your carbs. Just that the glycemic index sucks for judging carb source quality
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And yes, I agree about carb source quality.
 
worker13 said:
what about fruit like apples?
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Eat them. Eat raw, non-gmo fruit. If the sugar in fruit is going to ruin your figure you've got bigger problems, unless your doc tells you otherwise!!
Apples: pectin is good for the gut and green (Granny Smith) apples contain Malic Acid, which is helpful for keeping the kidneys clear of stones forming.
 
nonidentity said:
this is great, bc I always was confused by GI's.. but I don't exactly understand how I can implement this in my diet..
morning meals "banana to kickstart things" then sweet potatoes as my complex carbs.
after workout: maltodextrin, and dextrose for insulin spike. and no carbs after about 4-5 o'clock "while dieting". That's basically a breakdown of the carbs in my diet "I am meticulous about measurements but that doesn't apply here" so how would knowing this help? simple carbs hit your system fast in the morning, complex carbs throughout the day, and simple carbs post workout- isn't that enough info??
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Ah... Sweet potato complex carbs ? I totally forgot that and I m having it post workout ...
Can anyone correct my carbs for the day ... Like I m having sweet potato and grapes as my post workout carb ... Banana in breakfast And rice during lunch.
Please correct my carbs for which it belongs also throw some other carb sources for me.
My goal is to gain muscle.
 
Skip the morning carbs and add them to your periworkout window. Pre, intra, or post. Don't over think things... they GI is not that useful and having carbs first thing in the morning is not a great idea unless you tend to stay lean easily. Setting the body for storage on your first meal isn't the best in that case. For an ectomorph carbs for breakfast make sense otherwise unless training in the AM no need. Also no carbs after 5:00 PM is an old and antiquated practice based off of bioscience. It only worked because people ate less calories overall doing that.
 
GI is not given as much attention as it did years ago. A lot comes into play to setting up your nutrition program so its optimized. The most important component is to make the necessary adjustments along the way. GI has its place, but it's something that cannot be solely relied upon.
 
Thank you for putting together this informative thread on GI. You have done a great job of explaining what GI is, how it works, and why it is important to consume low GI foods. It is true that many people do not understand the importance of GI, and it is great that you are taking the initiative to educate others on this topic. Your explanation of the glycemic load and how it is used to determine the total glycemic response of a food is also very helpful. It is important to note that high GI foods should not be completely avoided, as they can be beneficial in certain situations. However, it is important to be mindful of their consumption and to balance them with low GI foods. Your explanation of the limitations of the GI measurement is also very important, as it emphasizes the importance of experimenting to determine what works best for each individual. Thank you for including a common food listing with their respective GI values, which is helpful for individuals to understand which foods fall into the low, medium, and high GI categories. Overall, you have done an excellent job of explaining GI and its importance in our diet.
 
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