Have you ever eating a meal, felt full and then soon after felt hungry AGAIN? Surprising it’s not the amount that you might have eaten but what you have eaten. Different foods have the capability of leaving you feeling fuller for longer because of their GI and GL values.
So what are GI and GL values?
They are the classification of foods based on their effect on our blood glucose levels. Mostly this classification is given to carbohydrates. It replaces the older classification of simple or complex carbohydrates. After we have eaten, food is digested and converted to the base compound of glucose. The amount of glucose that is produced differs according to the food. A food that produces a high spike of glucose in our blood would be classified as a High GI food. A low GI value food would slowly release glucose into the blood and for a longer period of time. So GI values are about the quality of the food and the bodies’ ability to turn it into sugar. GL values are about quality and quantities; assessing the impact of the food (how much of that food is in fact made up of the carbohydrate).
For example
Watermelon has a GI value of 72 (into the high range). The average serve of watermelon is 120 grams. Of that 120 grams, only 6 grams account for the carbohydrate (relatively only a small portion of the total). So the GL value is 4, because the potion that is carbohydrate is small in comparison to the total amount.
Whereas for a white potato baked, without the skin, and baked in no fat, has a GI value of 98(again a high value). The average serve would be 150 grams. Of that 150 grams, 27 grams is the carbohydrate content (a higher proportion). The so the GL value is 26.
But now compare that to another type of potato, a Pontiac without the skin and baked in no fat, is still high at a GI value of 93, the serving size is still 150 grams but the carbohydrate content is only 18 grams. Making the GL value far lower at 17.
The ranges for GI are
High values greater than 70 Medium 56-70 Low below 55
The ranges for GL are
High greater than 20 Medium 11- 19 Low below 10
Generally speaking foods low in GI value will be low in GL value also. Foods in the medium to high range in GI value can range from low to high GL ranges like the example of watermelon.
What can they do for your health?
Foods with a high GI value can be detrimental to our health because it pushes our body to extremes. Low GI level foods don’t stress our bodies as much and provide nutrients and energy levels on more of a constant level. Therefore keep you satisfies for longer periods of time.
So what are the benefits?
- Low GI carbohydrates reduce hunger and keep you fuller for longer
- Low GI carbohydrates prolong physical endurance
- Low GI diets help people lose and manage weight
- Low GI diets increase the body's sensitivity to insulin
- Low GI carbohydrates improve diabetes management
- Low GI carbohydrates reduce the risk of heart disease
- Low GI carbohydrates improve blood cholesterol levels
- Low GI carbohydrates can help you manage the symptoms of Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome PCOS
- High GI carbohydrates help re-fuel carbohydrate stores after exercise
Does that mean I can’t have certain foods?
No, the aim is to have a higher proportion of your meal from the low GI values of foods and the smaller portion of high GI values. Also the choices of the type of foods that you eat can make a vast difference. For example if you wanted to keep the GI values down in your meal and it was based on rice instead of choosing Jasmine rice you could opt for Basmati rice. Jasmine rice is notorious for making you feel full and sated quickly only to leave you hungry again soon after. That is because it has a GI value of 89 – into the high range and a GL of 37. While Basmati rice has a GI of 69 it has a far lower GL value of 28, still high but far lower than the Jasmine rice.
Who can benefit from this type of diet?
We all can basically, but those who need to control their blood sugar levels and energy levels need to pay close attention to a low GI/GL diet.
No comments:
Post a Comment