High- and low-glycemic carbs

[jsraaf]

Could someone who is "in the know" provide several examples each of foods that would be considered high- or low-glycemic index (GI) foods?

And, is there a correllation between these foods & those that would be considred simple or complex carbs?

Much appreciated - thanks in advance!

John

 

[micmic]

Look at these sites:

Glycemic Index On-Line

They have a searchable database (although often down)

Glycemic Index Lists

No, there is no relation between complexity and GI. Potatoes are complex but high GI, fructose is simple but low GI.

The above pages may drive you nuts though, since different studies show significantly different numbers. Furthermore, the way you prepare your food has a dramatic impact in its GI (e.g., pasta boiling time).

Many people have questioned the significance of GI for bodybuilders, given that most of them have higher insulin sensitivity than average.

The faultless way to go, would be to make a list of the carbs you regularly eat, get a blood glucose meter, and make your own glucose curves. I don't know many people who have tried this approach though

 

[jsraaf]

Micmic - thanks for the link. I've seen this before, but find it maddening to look at, as you suggest.

My reason for asking: for normal dietary use in meal planning, but also to determine some good options for post-workout drinks.

Since I do not own a chemical lab I have limited resources at my disposal. I have whey powder. I do not have maltodextrin, dextrose, etc. (at least not in any pure form, unless chocolate milk mix counts).

Right now, I'm using about 30g whey powder (1.5 scoops) mixed in 12 oz. bottled Gatorade. This is probably not ideal. I have also tried a skim milk/protein powder/fruit/yogurt blended drink, and I'm not sure if this is ideal either since it may be considered "whole foods" and not quickly digestible (is it??).

Sorry for asking this well-traveled question, but looking for suggestions here on this point.

Thanks!

 

[Cliner9er]

Pure grape juice is extremely close to pure glucose. I would put that in your PWO shake if that is a concern. That probably makes little difference though I am sure gatorade is fine. For GI index a good rule of thumb is the more processed a food, the higher the GI will be.

 

[jsraaf]

Do we want to stay away from things with high-fructose corn syrup for post-workout drinks? Most of the processed juices seem to have this.

 

[micmic]

Quote[/b] ]Right now, I'm using about 30g whey powder (1.5 scoops) mixed in 12 oz. bottled Gatorade. This is probably not ideal. I have also tried a skim milk/protein powder/fruit/yogurt blended drink

They both seem fine to me as post-workout drinks. Dextrose is easy to find, every drugstore would have and it is very cheap.

Quote[/b] ]Do we want to stay away from things with high-fructose corn syrup for post-workout drinks?

Well, theoretically yes, because fructose is a low GI carb and we want a high GI carb post-workout. Furthermore, it preferably replenishes the liver glycogen, and not muscle glycogen. Some people say that we should avoid it completely during dieting for a bunch of reasons (I'm too lazy to list them).

But fruits don't have only fructose! This is the mistake most people make. They also contain sucrose & glucose. I sometimes prefer a post-workout shake with bananas, and I don't worry about fructose. 100gr bananas for example, contain 5.8gr glucose, 6.6gr sucrose and only 3.8gr fructose.

If (and that's a big if) we accept that GI is important for bodybuilders, then all our other meals should contain lower GI carbs.
Good choices: apples, oranges, cherries, peas, chickpeas, lentils, most beans, all nuts, most vegetables
Not so good choices: Honey, bananas, waternmelons, potatoes, rice, bread, chips, beets, carrots

But presence of fat in the food also lowers GI, and if you have some fat in your meals then perhaps GI becomes even less important...

 

[jsraaf]

Micmic - thanks for the info!

One point, which may sound silly but... my understanding is that "whole foods" take longer to digest & absorb, and thus are not desirable as part of the post-workout drink. They are fine, though for the following meal.

The silly part: if I put a banana in the blender w/ some milk, is this no longer considered a whole food?

I was taking the distinction to be that things like Gatorade, Biotest Surge, Driver, etc., are of a chemical makeup that makes them easier/quicker to digest & deliver to the muscle than a whole food like chicken, fruit, etc. This applies to both protein & carbs.

Thanks again from one who is "nutritionally challenged"...

 

[micmic]

Something else I forgot to mention is that fiber also lowers GI. So processing generally increases GI (as Cliner9er wrote), since it removes fiber. Thus, brown rice is a lower gi food than white rice. Corn is a lower gi food than corn flakes. But this is just a rule of thumb. A potato is perfectly whole and yet it has a high gi Also, there are some cases where the processed food has a lower gi than the whole one. I don't think blending would change much, the fiber is still there. Don't think in terms of "liquid" or "powder" vs "whole", as this is irrelevant.

 

[Aaron_F]

Quote[/b] (jsraaf @ April 04 2003,8:01)]Micmic - thanks for the info!
One point, which may sound silly but... my understanding is that "whole foods" take longer to digest & absorb, and thus are not desirable as part of the post-workout drink. They are fine, though for the following meal.

The main thing I say to people who say 'i gotsa have liquid this, and hydrolysate that and dextose mixed with 0.5% maltodextrin that, cos its gotta be quick right after training' is show me evidence that the liquid is measurably better than food. easier, probably, more convenient in some situations yes, but the MOST important thing is to get some food in before and after training.

Quote[/b] ]is this no longer considered a whole food?

I was taking the distinction to be that things like Gatorade, Biotest Surge, Driver, etc., are of a chemical makeup that makes them easier/quicker to digest & deliver to the muscle than a whole food like chicken, fruit, etc. This applies to both protein & carbs.

The absolute differnce between a high speed protein say like pure free aminos (blurg) and a whole protein like whey concentrate is minute at best. (possibly 15minutes in terms of maximal plasma levels). While the likes of TMAG would have you think that theirs is the best, its just hype.
I mean, why pay more when you could have your protein 10mins earlier?
I used to have casein as a pre and post workout shake, theoretically a slow protein. Did it make any difference compared to now when i used whey? not measurably anyway.

Quote[/b] ]The silly part: if I put a banana in the blender w/ some milk, Thanks again from one who is "nutritionally challenged

A banana, taken by itself, after blending would have a higher GI than a non-blended banana, because you save the body breaking down the structure to get at the sugars. Now, once combined with milk, the GI goes straight out the window as GI is measured as a single food item, not as a combination.

 

[imported_edziu]

Aaron made key point that's easy to overlook.

GI is measured as a sole food. In fact, it's measured as a sole food after a brief fast.

If you mix two foods, or you've eaten anything else in the couple of hours previous, the GI numbers go out the window. It's not really something you should fixate on too much; the whole GI thing is overblown. It's really most useful as an avoidance tool for people with extreme sensitivities (medical conditions like diabetes.)