Glycemic Index Diet?

17 years ago

Hey all

I seem to recall that someone (or a few people) are following a low Glycemic Index diet. My DH has been diagnosed as pre-diabetic and from what I have found online, it seems that a low GI diet can be helpful in controlling blood glucose as well as other health benefits, including weight loss.

Can you share your experiences and thoughts about a low GI diet? I would love some first hand info before I go out and spend a fortune on books.

Thanks

Alexa

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Comments (8)

User
17 years ago
Sharon CB was into it big time and did very well on it. Not sure if she still is....hopefully she'll chime in.

I lost 15 pounds on it last year and for the most part it stayed off but I need to get back on track and loose another 10 or so.

I bought Rick Gallops GI book , great recipes and clear guidelines, very easy to follow.

Here is a link that might be useful: Rick Gallop
sushipup1
17 years ago
I'm not sure if I am following any particular diet, but I have tried to eliminate most starches and sugar from my diet. No orange juice, but I can eat an orange. Veggies and salads and proteins and fruit, pretty simple to follow usually. I do break out every so often, like the brownie sundae I shared with Jim at the Christmas party. I miss the pasta and polenta and the sourdough bread, and really good fries, but I'll treat myself to those things on occasion.
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arley_gw
17 years ago
Another great intro to it is at mendosa.com. Davis Mendosa is a science writer whose passion is translating scientific research into readable English. He's a big supporter of the Glycemic Index approach to nutrition, and he's very readable. Good place to start.

The book by Jennie Brand-Miller (at the link) is very good as well.

All GI diets work on this principle: the ingestion of carbohydrates makes your blood sugar go up, and that causes insulin release. Insulin can be considered the 'storage hormone' to get stuff into the cells; lower insulin release, the less effect. The Glycemic Index is a way to quantify the effects of different foods on your subsequent insulin levels. For instance, a white potato and a sweet potato have about the same amount of carbs, but the sweet potato has a lot of fiber which slows down the absorption of the carbs and therefore makes less of a 'spike' in your blood sugar. Even though the sweet potato and the white potato are calorically similar, the sweet potato doesn't mess your blood sugar up as much as a white potato.

I have been on a GI diet in the past, and it's quite effective. However, one problem is that most of the comfort foods (potatoes, rice, bread) are really high on the GI list. You need to develop strategies to have comfort foods which don't wreck your blood sugar. Some of changes aren't difficult at all: dark bread instead of white, for instance. And parboiled ('converted') rice is better than ordinary white rice.

Chana dal is an asian chickpea which has a lot of carbs and is tasty, but has a very, very low GI value. Use it for hummus or in chili.

Good luck!

Here is a link that might be useful: Glycemic Index
canarybird01
17 years ago
Yes I was following Rick Gallop's books, starting with the first one seen on the right side panel on Sharon's link. It was easy to plan meals because the pages of his GI lists were coloured red (don't eat those foods), yellow (caution) and green (eat all you want.)

I lost around 25 lbs and since then I haven't been on the weight loss program but do keep in mind the things learned and now have a good idea of the foods low on the index. (I'm back to drinking more wine though than I was on the weight loss part of the diet.) :-)

I also bought one of his cookbooks and was trying out and posting some of his recipes with pics and my views on those dishes. I've also followed the Mendosa websites and outprinted his lists, as well as buying and studying the books of the Montignac method, but I found his dishes were too difficult for me to try, using many French ingredients which were unavailable here.

I would say give Rick Gallop a try (not just because he's Canadian lol) but because the books are so easy to follow. When you see the low GI foods grouped together in lists and recipes for the three daily meals, then it is really easy to just go ahead and buy those ingredients.

One example of surprise information to me was that oven baked and mashed potatoes are very high GI, whereas boiled are in the middle range and boiled new potatoes are in the green light (OK) list. Yes I've been sliding back into oven baked and mashed lately but I eat them in small quantities and they are mainly for my DH who is a potato man. :-)
The two items highest on the GI list (bad for you), besides sugar....are beer and white bread. They top the list.

Another hint he gives is to...first of all give up wine temporarily for a weight loss plan, but if you drink a glass of wine.....do eat something first, such as beginning your meal. Then when you are part way through the meal, drink your wine. That way, with something in your stomach, the alcohol doesn't cause an immediate spike in your blood sugar with the corresponding insulin reaction. (So much for sipping wine as an aperitif before a meal or party warmer lol.)

Good luck Alexa, and if you start off with just one book I would recommend that one, as it's so easy to follow. Any questions....please just ask.

SharonCb
canarybird01
17 years ago
Arley.....I just noticed that I also have and read that book on your link:" The New Glucose Revolution" lol.

SharonCb
grainlady_ks
17 years ago
We've used the Glycemic Index of Foods as a guide for our diet since the late-1990's as a way to avoid diabetes, which runs rampant in my husband's family (so far so good). We primarily choose whole foods (whole foods are generally lower on the GI than their refined counterparts - apples instead of apple juice or applesauce) and foods that are on the lower half of the Index.

I'm a Jennie Brand-Miller, Ph.D., fan and have many of her books on the subject.

Another good one: The Complete Idiot's Guide to GLYCEMIC INDEX WEIGHT LOSS - by Lucy Beale and Joan Clark, R.D., C.D.E. I was a certified teacher for Lucy Beale's weight loss program years ago.

Another book: The EVERYTHING GLYCEMIC INDEX COOKBOOK - by Nancy T. Maar. Some very good recipes.

Some tips you'll read:

- Use immature "new" potatoes. They don't have as much starch as mature potatoes.

- Under-cook your pasta (and remember, 1/2-cup of pasta is a serving).

- Spelt (the ancient form of wheat) has a lower GI than wheat. You can find wholegrain spelt pasta and I use a lot of freshly-milled spelt flour in baking.

- Cinnamon has been shown to lower blood glucose levels in a person with diabetes. If you add cinnamon as a flavoring to foods, such as sweet potatoes or herbal teas, you could effectively lower the glycemic effect of a meal (use only 1/4 to 1 teaspoon a day).

- Vinegar or lemon juice also lowers the glycemic effect of a meal.

I'm also a fan of Chana dal (available from Bob's Red Mill - on-line). It has one of the lowest GI of all foods and you can substitute them for many legumes that have a higher GI (like lentils, garbanzo beans, and split peas).

I also use Agave Nectar, a natural, honey-like sweetener that is also one of the lowest foods on the GI. It's been our primary sweetener for cooking/baking for many years now. Personally, I avoid chemical sweeteners.

-Grainlady
Lars
17 years ago
Grainlady has a lot of good advice. I try to have a low GI diet because I am hypoglycemic, and sugar can cause me to have fainting spells. I found that by taking a GTF Chromium supplement, the effects were diminished, but I also try to avoid sugar, HFCS, etc. Complex carbohydrates are not a problem for me, but I do better when I avoid highly processed carbohydrates, such as white flour. I also avoid apples and carrots, as they have a bad effect on me. I have not had problems with white potatoes, although I always have them unpeeled. I avoid sweet potatoes, however.

The fewer refined foods you eat, the better off you will be, in regards to GI. Also, you have to consider combinations of foods, as the GI for an entire meal will be different than that for a single dish.

Lars
caliloo
Original Author
17 years ago
Thanks everyone.

I will definitely pick up Rick Gallops books, it seems like his system will be easy for DH to follow even when he isn't at home.

That is unfortunately, part of the problem. He is traveling so much that he has been resorting to grabbing a bite to eat wherever he happens to be! He has had some really interesting meals recently, but none of them have been healthy even though he *thinks* he is doing okay. I am having a hard time convincing him that tuna salad swimming in mayo is NOT the same as a piece of broiled tuna for lunch. Sigh. Anyway, I'm sure the books will help.

Thanks again so much for all the advice. I'm sure we will both have questions as we get into this, I'm glad there are some experienced people here to help us with them.

Alexa

Glycemic Index Diet?

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