Glycemic Index Myth Unveiled

The GI was originally meant to help diabetics know that if they ate more high GI foods, they were most likely going to need more insulin because they would have a quicker and higher blood sugar response. The thought was that if they focused on lower GI foods, they could manage their diabetes better by always maintaining lower and more stable blood sugar levels. This concept has also crossed over into the fitness industry with many diets promoting that you focus on lower GI foods in order to lose body fat. Take note that the one time of day that you can benefit from eating high GI foods would be immediately after a workout to promote an insulin release and replenish your muscle glycogen stores that were depleted during the intense workout.

While the GI is basically a good thing to understand if you want to lose body fat, there are problems with it and reasons why it can be misleading. First, the GI of food is measured using a set dose where the quantity of each individual food must be the same. Therefore, while a certain food like cooked carrots may have a high GI, you’d have to an unrealistically large quantity of carrots to get enough carbohydrates to cause a significant blood sugar response. This is one reason I contend that the GI is not that important if the quantity of the carbohydrates are relatively low. It’s just not logical to think that something as healthy as carrots or bananas, which provide many important nutrients for the body, are going to stifle your weight loss efforts, unless of course, you overdo the quantity.

Also, another reason I contend that the GI of individual foods should not be relied on too heavily is because how you combine your foods into a meal controls what type of blood sugar response you get from the meal. For example, if you combine a higher GI food such as a banana into a meal with portions of protein and healthy fats and/or an additional fibrous food, you’re not going to get as quick of a blood sugar response as if you ate the banana alone.

Also, you can generally assume that the more fiber a product contains, the slower your blood sugar response to that food. You generally want to look for products that contain at least 1.5-2 grams or more of fiber per each 10 grams of total carbohydrates. So, if a carbohydrate source contains 30 grams of total carbohydrates, it would be best if that carb source had at least 4-5 grams of fiber. Whole unrefined grains, fruits, vegetables, and beans are the best sources of carbohydrates to maintain a healthy diet.