Dear Laurie,
I think I have carbohydrate intolerance. I have always eaten lots of breads and cereals, but always had bad gas and bloating, along with other symptoms.
Last week I cut out all carbs and I feel SO much better and even lost a pound!
Now I have discovered low glycemic carbs like yams and converted rice.
Can I eat these types of carbs, or in my case are ALL carbs bad-even the low glycemic ones?
Dear Bea,
Glycemic Index is a measure of how much blood sugar levels raise after eating a specific amount of carbohydrate food. There is no relationship between glycemic index and digestion.
What you may have is an intolerance to gluten, the protein found in wheat and some other grains. People who are allergic to gluten have symptoms as you have described: gas, bloating, abdominal discomfort, and diarrhea. The reason rice and potatoes do not cause distress is because they do not contain gluten.
I would suggest you see a gastroenterologist, or at least your family physician, for a thorough check-up. They can rule out any other conditions and provide you with a gluten free diet to try and see how you feel on it.
Find more information from this gastroenterology website on gluten free diets.
Showing posts with label glycemic index. Show all posts
Showing posts with label glycemic index. Show all posts
Sunday, April 25, 2010
Sunday, September 13, 2009
How Can I Find the Glycemic Index of a Food I Eat?
Can you please tell what the glycemic index would be of Thomas English Muffins - Light Multigrain. Each muffin has 100 calories, 22 grams of carbs and 8 grams of fiber. My sister is borderline diabetic and I am trying to help her find the glycemic level of this muffin. Thank You, Linda F.
Dear Linda,
It's great to see someone take control of their diet and monitor it closely in attempts to control their blood sugar, even before they are labeled with diabetes.
In first trying to come with a simple numerical answer for you, I found this informationon a website called NutritionData.com:
"GI testing is relatively expensive and very time-consuming. Human test subjects are required, and only a limited number of laboratories currently perform these tests. Consequently, GI data is only available for a very small percentage of the foods that we consume. . . .
To make matters worse, food manufacturers are creating new food products at a much faster rate than GI testing can be performed. Each year, tens of thousands of new packaged-food items are added to grocery shelves, but only a few hundred foods are tested for GI. Because of this, it's doubtful that we'll ever reach a point in time where GI is known for all foods. . . ."
So the short answer is, there may not be a known Glycemic Index number for the product about which you inquire. That said, the fact that these muffins are multigrain is probably going to mean a lower glycemic index than a refined grain product.
Even so, the number itself is something to be taken with a grain of salt. Glycemic index is tested when the food is eaten alone in a measured amount (not necessarily a serving size) and based on the amount it raises blood glucose levels as compared to a reference food with the same number of grams of carbohydrate. It is tested on a small number of healthy individuals, and you cannot necessarily extrapolate that information to yourself or another person with altered blood glucose metabolism. Furthermore, the glycemic index will change if you eat the muffin with anything else--say an egg, or a buttery spread on top of the muffin--or drink juice or milk or any other calorie-containing beverage along with the muffin.
The best way to know how this muffin will affect your sister's blood sugar levels are for her to test her sugar 2 hours after eating the muffin and several times throughout the day to see if it has an effect on her readings in comparison to a day when she has another type of bread at the same meal.
Dear Linda,
It's great to see someone take control of their diet and monitor it closely in attempts to control their blood sugar, even before they are labeled with diabetes.
In first trying to come with a simple numerical answer for you, I found this informationon a website called NutritionData.com:
"GI testing is relatively expensive and very time-consuming. Human test subjects are required, and only a limited number of laboratories currently perform these tests. Consequently, GI data is only available for a very small percentage of the foods that we consume. . . .
To make matters worse, food manufacturers are creating new food products at a much faster rate than GI testing can be performed. Each year, tens of thousands of new packaged-food items are added to grocery shelves, but only a few hundred foods are tested for GI. Because of this, it's doubtful that we'll ever reach a point in time where GI is known for all foods. . . ."
So the short answer is, there may not be a known Glycemic Index number for the product about which you inquire. That said, the fact that these muffins are multigrain is probably going to mean a lower glycemic index than a refined grain product.
Even so, the number itself is something to be taken with a grain of salt. Glycemic index is tested when the food is eaten alone in a measured amount (not necessarily a serving size) and based on the amount it raises blood glucose levels as compared to a reference food with the same number of grams of carbohydrate. It is tested on a small number of healthy individuals, and you cannot necessarily extrapolate that information to yourself or another person with altered blood glucose metabolism. Furthermore, the glycemic index will change if you eat the muffin with anything else--say an egg, or a buttery spread on top of the muffin--or drink juice or milk or any other calorie-containing beverage along with the muffin.
The best way to know how this muffin will affect your sister's blood sugar levels are for her to test her sugar 2 hours after eating the muffin and several times throughout the day to see if it has an effect on her readings in comparison to a day when she has another type of bread at the same meal.
Thursday, August 6, 2009
Low Glycemic versus Low Carb diet for weight loss
I have been on a low carb diet and losing weight with steady progress... then I read about low glycemic and thought I would give that a try. I've added toast at breakfast, pasta at lunch, and rice at dinner. I'm not gaining but I'm no longer losing like I was. I don't understand how these carbs are different from others; they look and taste high carb to me! And what's so bad about a potato? I find having a potato at dinner is very filling, but it's not recommended on the diet. Should I go back to low carb? --Thanks for the help, Lou R.
Dear Lou,
Low carb diets work for several reasons:
1) You are depriving your body of its preferred source of energy. As a back-up plan, your body turns to fat stores and forms a compound called "ketone bodies" that can be used in a pinch. They are not desirable to be retained in the body for long, and you'll find that you have an increase in amount of urination which is in order to flush them out. That's why low carb diets warn that you must drink at least 8 glasses of water a day, and people lose weight quickly--but it's largely water weight loss. Once you go back to eating normally, much of the weight returns.
2) Reducing carbohydrate intake greatly reduces calorie intake. It eliminates entire groups of food from your choices and you can no longer have bread, pasta, rice, starchy vegetables, fruits, dairy, or desserts. Naturally you lose weight since you've cut out hundreds of calories a day.
3) Since no carbs are allowed most of the foods people like to snack on are forbidden: without pretzels, ice cream, chips, candy, cookies, or popcorn allowed, there isn't much sitting in front of the TV munching on cheese and nuts going on for long. This takes away another large source of calories from the diet of people who are overweight.
Glycemic index is a measure of how much certain carbohydrate foods make your blood glucose level rise. It was intended for people with diabetes who found their blood sugars difficult to control. We also discovered that foods we thought were "good" for diabetics sometimes caused a large rise in blood sugar (potatoes, pretzels, some fruits), whereas drinking a fruit juice or even a sweetened beverage didn't always result in a higher glucose level. The problem with this number is it is a reflection of eating the food alone.... seldom do we eat a slice of bread or a baked potato and have nothing with it. Eating peanut butter on the bread or meat with a potato completel changes the effect on blood sugar. And, the effect on blood sugar probably doesn't have any effect on weight loss progress.
Now, if you are including carbs in your diet, you have lost the "ketone body" buildup and excretion which means you are losing much less in the way of water weight. If you still keep your carbohydrate intake reduced (with smaller portions and just one or two servings per meal) and you also reduce your portions of meat (6 ounces should be plenty), and skimp on fats (like added dressings, spreads, and oils) you will likely continue to lose weight because you will be taking in fewer calories than you were previously.
See this article for more information on glycemic index http://ezinearticles.com/?Is-Glycemic-Index-Helpful-In-Promoting-Weight-Loss?&id=1112790
Dear Lou,
Low carb diets work for several reasons:
1) You are depriving your body of its preferred source of energy. As a back-up plan, your body turns to fat stores and forms a compound called "ketone bodies" that can be used in a pinch. They are not desirable to be retained in the body for long, and you'll find that you have an increase in amount of urination which is in order to flush them out. That's why low carb diets warn that you must drink at least 8 glasses of water a day, and people lose weight quickly--but it's largely water weight loss. Once you go back to eating normally, much of the weight returns.
2) Reducing carbohydrate intake greatly reduces calorie intake. It eliminates entire groups of food from your choices and you can no longer have bread, pasta, rice, starchy vegetables, fruits, dairy, or desserts. Naturally you lose weight since you've cut out hundreds of calories a day.
3) Since no carbs are allowed most of the foods people like to snack on are forbidden: without pretzels, ice cream, chips, candy, cookies, or popcorn allowed, there isn't much sitting in front of the TV munching on cheese and nuts going on for long. This takes away another large source of calories from the diet of people who are overweight.
Glycemic index is a measure of how much certain carbohydrate foods make your blood glucose level rise. It was intended for people with diabetes who found their blood sugars difficult to control. We also discovered that foods we thought were "good" for diabetics sometimes caused a large rise in blood sugar (potatoes, pretzels, some fruits), whereas drinking a fruit juice or even a sweetened beverage didn't always result in a higher glucose level. The problem with this number is it is a reflection of eating the food alone.... seldom do we eat a slice of bread or a baked potato and have nothing with it. Eating peanut butter on the bread or meat with a potato completel changes the effect on blood sugar. And, the effect on blood sugar probably doesn't have any effect on weight loss progress.
Now, if you are including carbs in your diet, you have lost the "ketone body" buildup and excretion which means you are losing much less in the way of water weight. If you still keep your carbohydrate intake reduced (with smaller portions and just one or two servings per meal) and you also reduce your portions of meat (6 ounces should be plenty), and skimp on fats (like added dressings, spreads, and oils) you will likely continue to lose weight because you will be taking in fewer calories than you were previously.
See this article for more information on glycemic index http://ezinearticles.com/?Is-Glycemic-Index-Helpful-In-Promoting-Weight-Loss?&id=1112790
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