I'm sure you have heard of the concept of "low GI", or "low Glycaemic Index" in relation to foods, and that allegedly "low GI" foods are a better choice... or are they?!
You have seen the useless Heart Foundation tick of approval logo on product packaging in the past, but was removed when people lost confidence in it as it was just a marketing sponsorship gimmick and nothing to do with how healthy a food was! Next came the useless Health Star Rating system, which is still being used by manufacturers, but being ignored by the public as it is a corrupt system that again does not accurately reflect how healthy a food is. Now there's a new "Low GI Certified" logo being applied to packaged foods that is destined to have the same fate of being entirely useless!
The Glycaemic Index (GI) of a food is a measure of how fast the food spikes your blood sugar levels and for how long. So a higher GI isn't ideal for anyone, especially for those with weight issues, diabetes, or any chronic disease really. This is because having a high blood glucose level causes these conditions, as well as heart disease, and also contributes to many other inflammatory conditions.
The problem with the GI concept is that it generally only applies to foods containing carbohydrates, as these foods have the highest impact on blood glucose levels. Carbohydrates in the form of sugar, starch, grains and cereals (whether they are whole grains or not), breads, bakery products and alcohol, all get digested into glucose to raise blood glucose levels. Different carbohydrates have different GI levels so some turn into blood glucose quickly, and some less quickly. But they all still turn into blood glucose regardless - it doesn't mean that a slower GI food is better, as it just prolongs the inflammatory damage of blood glucose for a LONGER period of time!
In addition, it is known in published studies that carbohydrates when metabolised behave differently in each person! And worse is that someone with insulin resistance, diabetes or other health issue, will have a MUCH stronger reaction to ANY carbohydrate than some one who is relatively healthy. Eating "Low GI" is not going to help improve or fix these health conditions, or prevent them developing in others.
Reducing and restricting any of the abovementioned carbohydrates really is the first step in reducing blood glucose levels in these conditions. Swapping one carbohydrate for another isn't going to work!
Ignore the "Low GI Certified" label! It is misleading at best, and is just another marketing gimmick which has no reflection on the nutrient content or healthiness of the food. If anything, because the label is applied to packaged foods, that alone should say how unhealthy the "food" is. It's not whole, fresh, or real food. Real food doesn't have or need a label to tell you how healthy it is!
Marketing = lies!
You have seen the useless Heart Foundation tick of approval logo on product packaging in the past, but was removed when people lost confidence in it as it was just a marketing sponsorship gimmick and nothing to do with how healthy a food was! Next came the useless Health Star Rating system, which is still being used by manufacturers, but being ignored by the public as it is a corrupt system that again does not accurately reflect how healthy a food is. Now there's a new "Low GI Certified" logo being applied to packaged foods that is destined to have the same fate of being entirely useless!
The Glycaemic Index (GI) of a food is a measure of how fast the food spikes your blood sugar levels and for how long. So a higher GI isn't ideal for anyone, especially for those with weight issues, diabetes, or any chronic disease really. This is because having a high blood glucose level causes these conditions, as well as heart disease, and also contributes to many other inflammatory conditions.
The problem with the GI concept is that it generally only applies to foods containing carbohydrates, as these foods have the highest impact on blood glucose levels. Carbohydrates in the form of sugar, starch, grains and cereals (whether they are whole grains or not), breads, bakery products and alcohol, all get digested into glucose to raise blood glucose levels. Different carbohydrates have different GI levels so some turn into blood glucose quickly, and some less quickly. But they all still turn into blood glucose regardless - it doesn't mean that a slower GI food is better, as it just prolongs the inflammatory damage of blood glucose for a LONGER period of time!
In addition, it is known in published studies that carbohydrates when metabolised behave differently in each person! And worse is that someone with insulin resistance, diabetes or other health issue, will have a MUCH stronger reaction to ANY carbohydrate than some one who is relatively healthy. Eating "Low GI" is not going to help improve or fix these health conditions, or prevent them developing in others.
Reducing and restricting any of the abovementioned carbohydrates really is the first step in reducing blood glucose levels in these conditions. Swapping one carbohydrate for another isn't going to work!
Ignore the "Low GI Certified" label! It is misleading at best, and is just another marketing gimmick which has no reflection on the nutrient content or healthiness of the food. If anything, because the label is applied to packaged foods, that alone should say how unhealthy the "food" is. It's not whole, fresh, or real food. Real food doesn't have or need a label to tell you how healthy it is!
Marketing = lies!
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