If you are trying to control blood sugars for Diabetic or Weight loss reasons, a look at a Glycemic Index is a great start. But most do not have a lot of Asian ingredients. I found this.
Cool list. Let me take a look. I remember that rice noodle has lower value than rice, but not necessary compared to pasta.
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When I have the brain cells {the Bourbon in front of me tonight says not likely any time soon!} I am going to try and find the source so I can find out what the footnotes mean.
Reading down the indian list also reminded me of the risk of viewing GI in isolation, vs GL, and also general common sense.
For eg, burfi (a sweet made with flour, ghee, and sugar) has a lower GI index than vegetables and grains, and yet it is obviously not healthier.
Has anyone come across eating order / combinations as a tool in addition to this? Meaning if you’re going to eat a carby thing, line your stomach with salad / veg / protein / fat first to ameliorate the spike the carbs will cause.
(My friend who is an endocrinologist advises her patients to pay attention to this, because she says everyone slides, but you can still control the impact of the slide — for eg, if they’re craving ice cream, she says better a small scoop of Haagen Dazs than a bowl of sugar free / fat free subs, bec the high fat in HD actually helps dull the impact of the sugar. Someone recently sent me a link to this IG account that illustrates something similar, pretty interesting.)
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You mean this?
I think you have rightly suggested. Glycemic index (GI) while useful is one of the many parameters. If all else equal, than of course a good with lower GI is better, such as white rice vs brown rice. I think what you said about “eating certain food in order” is true. However, I think in practice it is difficult for people to control/remember.
I am looking at a lot of videos that share studies so you can get some insight to the big picture. But in all my researching, there is one lesson that is evident.
The best diet in the world is worthless if people do not follow it. When you look at long-term studies of extreme diets, the people on them never achieve the goals of the diet long term. And when you look at the various Mediterranean diets, compliance is better. In a recent study I saw, compliance on the MD was very high, in fact, they overachieved dietary targets. The Low Fat group was not able to hit the diet goals of the study even if they did reduce their fat intake.
Also, another actor that needs thinking about is what your goal is. There are diabetes reversing diets that mean you drink nutritive drinks mostly and live on 750 calories a day. For me, this would be a life sentence. I am 65, retired and my life revolves around food. So any changes I make need to reflect that. I can eat healthier and yet retain joy. But to sacrifice most of the joy in my life for some 3extra longevity so I can enjoy more no joy is not a trade-off I want to make.
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Is herbal tea really that high on the glycemic index or are they assuming that one puts sugar in it? Rosemarry tea has the highest number on the list (127) followed by lemongrass (112) and spearmint (109). I looked up fresh rosemary on another list and it says fresh rosemary is 70 (1tsp). One does dry it to use in tea so it is condensed but so much so that it gets it up to 127?
I used to manage carbs using the glycemic index and mostly found it miserable. about five years ago I happened upon intermittent fasting and it’s been great. In the past i’ve never woken hungry for breakfast, skipping lunch wasnt that hard and I eat anything I want for dinner. throw in some exercise and i’m in pretty good shape.
and i’m not a slave to the diet, a couple of times a week i’ll have a croissant in the morning, a couple of times a month i’ll lunch. if my weight moves 3-4 pounds too high i’ll be very strict for a week and lose the extra weight.
anyhow, works for me!
