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AliceDee
-L S D-


Registered: 08/10/03
Posts: 3,957
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simple carbs and glycemix indexes
#8058627 - 02/22/08 10:19 PM (15 years, 11 months ago) |
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so ive been doing a lot of reading and it seems the more i read the more confused i get about the subject...
so my understanding is that foods that are simple carbohydrates are sugary foods like table sugar, honey, fruit, etc... and complex carbs are food like oats and rice... it is also my understanding that simple carbs are used immediately and complex for later use...
now the confusion is that i read that food with a low glycemic index are good for you because they release sugar slowly... but all food that are low in their glycemic index are food that are considered simple carbs like honey and sugar... so wtf!!! it completely contradicts itself...
the reason im asking is because im making my own sports gel and am trying to figure out the right balance of simple and complex carbs to give me good energy to start my excercise and to be able to last the whole workout... an example of the complex carb i want use is maltodextrin which is a complex carb, but it has a high glycemic index which means it burns fast like a simple carb...
can someone please clear up my confusion??
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Ginseng1
Elegant Universe



Registered: 09/02/04
Posts: 3,310
Last seen: 9 years, 4 months
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Re: simple carbs and glycemix indexes [Re: AliceDee]
#8058644 - 02/22/08 10:23 PM (15 years, 11 months ago) |
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Unless your diabetic, forget the glycemic index. It'll only confuse you.
-------------------- Flowing through beginningless time since time without beginning...
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Veritas

Registered: 04/15/05
Posts: 11,089
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Re: simple carbs and glycemix indexes [Re: AliceDee]
#8062410 - 02/23/08 09:37 PM (15 years, 11 months ago) |
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OK, I think that you might be confused. Let me clarify some terms for you.
1. Glycemic index rating: this defines how quickly a particular carbohydrate is converted into glucose by our metabolism.
2. Simple/Complex carbohydrate: Carbohydrates are classified as simple or complex. The classification depends on the chemical structure of the particular food source and reflects how quickly the sugar is digested and absorbed. Simple carbohydrates have one (single) or two (double) sugars while complex carbohydrates have three or more.
Generally, if you isolate a particular aspect of a carbohydrate, as we do when we process sugar and grain, for example, you render it more easily digestible. This increases the glycemic index rating. You are incorrect in saying that honey and sugar have low GI ratings...they are both high GI foods.
And as to the idea that one should not worry about GI ratings if one does not YET have diabetes, this is absurd. Type 2 diabetes is entirely lifestyle-induced. If you continue to consume a diet that includes refined flour products and simple sugars, you WILL become diabetic.
Quote:
The glycemic index (GI) is a ranking of carbohydrates on a scale from 0 to 100 according to the extent to which they raise blood sugar levels after eating. Foods with a high GI are those which are rapidly digested and absorbed and result in marked fluctuations in blood sugar levels. Low-GI foods, by virtue of their slow digestion and absorption, produce gradual rises in blood sugar and insulin levels, and have proven benefits for health. Low GI diets have been shown to improve both glucose and lipid levels in people with diabetes (type 1 and type 2). They have benefits for weight control because they help control appetite and delay hunger. Low GI diets also reduce insulin levels and insulin resistance.
Recent studies from Harvard School of Public Health indicate that the risks of diseases such as type 2 diabetes and coronary heart disease are strongly related to the GI of the overall diet. In 1999, the World Health Organisation (WHO) and Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) recommended that people in industrialised countries base their diets on low-GI foods in order to prevent the most common diseases of affluence, such as coronary heart disease, diabetes and obesity
http://www.glycemicindex.com/
Everyone needs to be concerned about the GI ratings of their foods, not just those who have already ruined their health through the habitual consumption of sugars and starches.
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Ginseng1
Elegant Universe



Registered: 09/02/04
Posts: 3,310
Last seen: 9 years, 4 months
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Re: simple carbs and glycemix indexes [Re: Veritas]
#8066260 - 02/24/08 08:49 PM (15 years, 11 months ago) |
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Whoa, guess I was completely wrong.
Sorry about that, defiantely stay away from high GI foods if you don't want to become a type 2 diabetic!
-------------------- Flowing through beginningless time since time without beginning...
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browndustin
dustybuddy

Registered: 10/03/03
Posts: 2,957
Last seen: 9 years, 8 months
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Re: simple carbs and glycemix indexes [Re: Ginseng1]
#8118662 - 03/08/08 02:45 AM (15 years, 10 months ago) |
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Heh, Veritas did an excellent job of explaining it. I think you really misread something lol
The glycemic index isn't confusing like Ginseng stated. Quick acting carbs should be eaten sparingly. If you can, it's better to avoid them all together, but don't shun them. Fruits and things are all right because they've got important phytonutrients, vitamins, fiber, etc... but sugar is a high glycemic carb that you can do without. Eating a bag of Skittles isn't conducive to a healthy lifestyle, but it's not going to kill you.
My diet consists of mainly low glycemic carbohydrates. Yams, sweet potatoes, oatmeal, whole grains, etc. IF and WHEN I eat something with high glycemic carbohydrates, it's all right because over 90% of my diet is all low GI foods. So I've got a bit of a buffer... I don't go nuts when I eat high GI carbs, but I don't feel like shit about myself either. If I want a little chocolate or something I can eat it without worrying that I'll get fat or develop type II diabetes like virtually everyone in the States. But it's good to make a habit of avoiding high GI carbs as much as possibly without stressing yourself out and severely impacting your quality of life. That's why you want to eat healthy in the first place, right? Kind of counter productive to stress about eating all the time lol
-------------------- When the stress burns my brain it's like acid raindrops maryjane is the only thing that makes the pain stop
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