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Joe

Joe
Carbs - Part 1: the Glycemic Index

Hi Everyone!
Continuing with nutritional information and guidance, I wanted to dedicate the next few posts to carbs... GASP! I know, I know, while on this protocol, especially if you’re early in your journey to restoring health, carbs are the enemy due to how they break down in the body as blood glucose (aka - sugar/sugar alcohol) and, as we’re well aware, this disease THRIVES off sugar. However, the light begins to shine towards being able to reintroduce GOOD carbs as you’re progressing (but not until AFTER you’ve been given the green light from Mel of course!). Before you cheer, toss the confetti, and bring out the cheesecake, you may be asking yourself, “Well wait, what exactly are GOOD carbs?” Great question! Read along the following posts to learn more.

Before reading on, I want to call to attention the Glycemic Index (GI) - “a system of assigning a number to carbohydrate-containing foods according to how much each food increases blood sugar.” Understanding the GI is very beneficial as you’ll be able to determine which carb-based foods have a higher impact on blood glucose. The higher the number, the higher the level of blood glucose. The index provides multiple ranges as to where a carb-based food lies on the GI: Low, Medium and High. Foods in the ‘High’ category should be avoided as they will spike blood sugar the most.

You may be wondering why this is important when you’re consuming an already low-carb diet to fight this disease. Well, not all carbs are created equal in terms of breaking down into blood glucose. Take fresh fruit for example. While apples are ‘Low’ on the GI, bananas are a bit higher and actually cross into the ‘Medium’ GI category. Although both fruits are good and provide healthy benefits such as dietary fiber, bananas have a greater impact on blood glucose levels and you may consider avoiding them or eating smaller serving sizes like half the banana.

This piece from the Mayo Clinic provides a great description of the GI, GI ranges/levels, and examples of what carb-based foods belong to which GI level. I highly recommend getting an understanding of the GI and how you can use it to your advantage! Mayo Clinic - Glycemic index diet: What's behind the claims?
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