Carbs & low GI
The humble carbohydrate has received a bit of a battering over the past few years as many people resort to a low carbohydrate diet style of eating to help with weight control. As more research emerges that closely examines the role carbohydrates play in weight management, it is becoming more apparent that it is the types of carbohydrate we are eating on a day to day basis that we need to consider, rather than completely eliminating all carbohydrates from our diet.
Carbohydrate containing foods include most plant-based foods such as bread, rice, breakfast cereal, pasta, fruit and sugars such as honey, jam and soft drinks. For many years, carbohydrates were referred to as either simple sugars or complex carbohydrates; classifications that were based simply on the raw structure of the foods. More recent research that has examined the effect that different carbohydrate foods have on blood sugar levels has changed this view significantly. Studies have unanimously found that different types of carbohydrates released sugar or glucose into the bloodstream at very different rates, rates that do not necessarily correspond to the traditional view of simple and complex carbohydrates. This concept is known as the glycaemic index or GI.
Glycaemic index
The GI refers to how quickly (or slowly) a carbohydrate food is converted to glucose in the bloodstream. High GI foods include foods such as white bread, processed breakfast cereals, sugar, rice, potato, soft drink, sports drink, lollies, tropical fruits and many low fat muffins and muesli bars. Low GI foods include grainy breads and breakfast cereals, pasta (including Continental Wholegrain Pasta & Sauce), low fat dairy foods, stone and temperate fruits and sweet potato. Whether a carbohydrate food is low or high GI is dependant on a number of different factors including how processed the food is, the physical structure of the food, and portion the food is eaten in. Generally speaking, the more processed or the more sugar a food has added to it, the higher its GI will be.
The GI has a number of applications particular for individuals who have Type 2 diabetes, as knowing the effect different types of carbohydrates have on blood sugar levels allows for optimal blood sugar control. For athletes, the GI value of carbohydrate foods can also be used very effectively to control energy levels in training and competition diets.
As low GI carbohydrates tend to be less processed forms of carbohydrates including many wholegrain varieties such as oats, they also tend to have better nutritional properties such as being higher in fibre, vitamins and minerals than more processed varieties of carbohydrates. For this reason, it is recommended that low GI carbohydrates such as grain based cereals and cereals form the basis of individuals' day-to-day diets. These are the foods that we consume every single day, and hence need to be the best quality possible to ensure good health long term.
This is not to say that high GI foods are bad foods, it simply means that these more processed or quickly digested types of carbohydrate do not have as many nutritional benefits as the low GI ones and hence should be used less frequently in the diet.
Secrets of low GI eating
- Try and choose whole grains wherever possible
- Always keep grain breads and breakfast cereals at home
- Measure portions of rice or pasta at night (for example ensure 4 people are served with one pack of Continental Wholegrain Pasta & Sauce)
- If you do consume a high GI food such as white rice, try and team with some lean meat and vegetables to help reduce the glycaemic load of the meal
- Add corn, beans, chickpeas or lentils to salads and pastas
