Good Carbohydrates | Calculation of the glycemic index

Our readers very often ask themselves the question: «Which foods can be eaten and which cannot?» We will consider two ways, with the help of which each of you will be able to determine whether a certain product can be consumed or not (you can eat anything, of course, but now let’s talk about foods recommended for those who want to lose weight).

To begin with, let’s remember what insulin is and what properties it has, which are important for those losing weight.

Insulin blocks the hormone receptor enzyme lipase, which is responsible for breaking down fat tissue. Fat is not burned at high insulin levels.

Insulin increases when glucose (sugar) enters the bloodstream. Blood glucose comes from the breakdown of carbohydrates in foods.

This is the main reason why people losing weight are not recommended to eat sweets!

Simple (sweet) carbohydrates increase blood glucose levels. Therefore, the body begins to rapidly secrete more insulin. This is the property of all simple carbohydrates.

When we eat good, i.e. complex, carbohydrates, our glucose level will increase slowly and smoothly. Your insulin level will also slowly increase. Such carbohydrates are suitable for us. That’s why we switch to foods that contain good carbohydrates.

Here we come to the question: what types of food should we eat.

How can this be determined?

All foods can be divided into those for which use in foods is recommended and those for which use in foods is not recommended, based on the glycemic index.

What does glycemic index mean?

The glycemic index (GI) is an indicator of the effect of carbohydrates on changes in blood glucose (sugar) levels.

Carbohydrates with a low GI (50 and below) are assimilated, absorbed and metabolized more slowly. Foods that contain good carbohydrates allow blood sugar levels to rise more slowly and therefore insulin levels will rise more slowly as well.

References: the glycemic index of pure glucose has a value of 100, a value accepted as standard. The concept of «glycemic index» was first introduced in 1981 by doctors David Jenkins and Thomas Wolever, of the University of Toronto, Canada.

To determine which food is most beneficial for a person with diabetes, they measured the glucose concentration in the patient’s blood, after consuming a certain portion (a certain food), with a content of 50 grams of carbohydrates.

And now you will have to carry out a similar test in your case, albeit in smaller proportions. All we have left is to do such a test on ourselves, even if not so great. You will have to compare foods and see how much they will increase sugar. Finally, you will identify carbohydrate-rich foods to include in your diet.

With what methods can we determine whether or not foods prevent us from losing weight?

Method N1

The first method is very accurate. You will need:

• The simplest blood glucose meter for home use.
• Glucose tablets
• The foods you want to check
• Kitchen scale

Using oatmeal as an example, I’ll show you what to do.

First of all, we will find out how the body reacts to pure glucose, that is, to a product with a glycemic index of 100. For this we will use a home glucometer. This device can be found in the pharmacy.

You will need pure glucose tablets. For the experiment you can take 30 grams of pure glucose.

And the first thing to do is to measure your initial blood sugar level on an empty stomach before consuming glucose or anything else.

It is best to do this test in the morning. Of course, you don’t have to eat anything during the night.

Measure your initial sugar level. Next, they eat 30 grams of pure glucose and take measurements. During the first hour we measure with a glucometer once every 15 minutes. Over the next hour or two – once every 30 minutes. We write down all the results and create an XY/scatter plot.

In the end, you will get a graph of our body’s reactions to glucose.

Remember that this part of the test will not need to be repeated again. This is the reference scale: the body’s reaction to a food with a glycemic index of 100. You will compare other foods with the data in this table.

Moreover, everything will be very simple:

• Any food that will show an index lower than this curve, approximately double, will mean that the glycemic index of the product is less than 50. You can and should eat it.
• You should not consume anything with a glycemic index higher than 50% glucose.

I have clarified this question.

Now take the oatmeal and find out whether it should be eaten or not. So, since we used 30 grams of pure glucose for the test, our task will be to take 30 grams of carbohydrates from the product we are going to test.

Once again, carefully: not 30 grams of product, but 30 grams of carbohydrates in the product, to find out what the glycemic index of these carbohydrates is.

Next, look at the packaging. The amount of carbohydrates can vary greatly depending on the processing of the product. Let’s say you see that 100 grams of product contains 51 grams of carbohydrates, or 51%.

With simple calculations we determine the amount of porridge that needs to be weighed on the kitchen scale so that this portion contains about 30 grams of carbohydrates (this is about 60 grams). In reality, absolute precision is not required, so the weighings can be carried out with approximation. Weigh and cook the porridge.

Next, you will repeat the same pattern. That is, in the morning on an empty stomach eat oatmeal and measure: in the first hour – once every 15 minutes, you will measure four times, in the next hour – once every 30 minutes.

This is necessary to obtain a graph, and compare it with the reference one, i.e. with the curve we obtained from the glucose test.

As you will see, oatmeal is not the same as pure glucose. It’s a good slow carbohydrate. Insulin will not suddenly increase, as is the case for example with sugar consumption from glucose. This means that fat burning will not stop and excess sugar will not turn into fat.

Method N2

For those who still think that the first method is too complicated, there is an alternative, for which the Internet is enough. However, this method will be less accurate than the first. The main problem is that the foods that contain good carbohydrates in the list found on the Internet are not one hundred percent accurate.

You will not be able to establish with certainty whether the products purchased in store are identical to those described in the table.

It could be pasta, but what kind of pasta, but the pasta included in this table could be very different from the pasta you use. The grapes? What kind of grapes and from which country?

By checking the foods you buy every day at your favorite store across the street with your glucometer, you can count on much more accurate results. However, calculating according to such an online table is also preferable to simply calculating without benchmarks.

What will we need in this case?

We have already learned that we must eat foods with a glycemic index equal to or lower than 50. In fact, the glycemic indexes of all foods have already been calculated and are available.

All you have to do is take your favorite product and find its glycemic index on the Internet. You will find a very varied number of tables, in which the glycemic index of a product will be indicated. Your job is to choose the most accurate data.

It is very undesirable to choose foods with a glycemic index of 50-60 or more. After sugar, insulin will also increase, which will hinder the fat burning process. If you’re trying to gain muscle mass, these foods will help you gain weight. Choose good carbohydrates to include in your diet today.