[beefy]

For those of us that AREN'T insulin-dependent, and are watching our carbs closely, do folks use just the GI (glycemic index) or do you take into account the GL (glycemic load) when figuring if you should eat something?

For those unfamiliar with the Glycemic Load, this is taken from Glycemic Index and Glycemic Load ...

The glycemic load (GL) is a relatively new way to assess the impact of carbohydrate consumption that takes the glycemic index into account, but gives a fuller picture than does glycemic index alone. A GI value tells you only how rapidly a particular carbohydrate turns into sugar. It doesn't tell you how much of that carbohydrate is in a serving of a particular food. You need to know both things to understand a food's effect on blood sugar. That is where glycemic load comes in. The carbohydrate in watermelon, for example, has a high GI. But there isn't a lot of it, so watermelon's glycemic load is relatively low. A GL of 20 or more is high, a GL of 11 to 19 inclusive is medium, and a GL of 10 or less is low.

Now granted, when I look at things like an Apple/Oatmeal (sugarless) muffing having a low-glycemic load, I look at the serving size... 60g is a SMALL serving of muffin. Most muffins are NOT 60g (that's approximately 2 ounces) so we're talking 1/3 to 1/2 a muffin depending on it's size... That's basically a one-bite muffin for a guy with a mouth my size. (OK, maybe TWO bites)

I'd sure LIKE to eat the occasional watermelon, which shows as high GI... but 200g of watermelon turns out to have a GL of only 4, which is extremely low... (the key seems to be to NOT eat the entire freaking watermelon). The same goes for pineapple, which has a fairly high GI... it's GL for 1/2c serving is only 6, again very low. (I do get bored restricting my fruit intake to just berries and granny smith apples...)

So... considering these lower-GL foods all seem to be rather small servings (at least for what N.Americans are used to), is it worth it to try to use the GL of foods, and eat carbs based on that, or stick to the GI? Or maybe look at both?

Or should I just count carbs like I've been doing and keep my intake under a certain amount per meal and per day as per my norm now?

 

[Shanny]

I guess if you can figure it all out & make it work, more power to ye, but I just keep it simple & go by the carb content.

 

[breezeonby]

For those of us that AREN'T insulin-dependent, and are watching our carbs closely, do folks use just the GI (glycemic index) or do you take into account the GL (glycemic load) when figuring if you should eat something?

For those unfamiliar with the Glycemic Load, this is taken from Glycemic Index and Glycemic Load ...



Now granted, when I look at things like an Apple/Oatmeal (sugarless) muffing having a low-glycemic load, I look at the serving size... 60g is a SMALL serving of muffin. Most muffins are NOT 60g (that's approximately 2 ounces) so we're talking 1/3 to 1/2 a muffin depending on it's size... That's basically a one-bite muffin for a guy with a mouth my size. (OK, maybe TWO bites)

I'd sure LIKE to eat the occasional watermelon, which shows as high GI... but 200g of watermelon turns out to have a GL of only 4, which is extremely low... (the key seems to be to NOT eat the entire freaking watermelon). The same goes for pineapple, which has a fairly high GI... it's GL for 1/2c serving is only 6, again very low. (I do get bored restricting my fruit intake to just berries and granny smith apples...)

So... considering these lower-GL foods all seem to be rather small servings (at least for what N.Americans are used to), is it worth it to try to use the GL of foods, and eat carbs based on that, or stick to the GI? Or maybe look at both?

Or should I just count carbs like I've been doing and keep my intake under a certain amount per meal and per day as per my norm now?

beefy, do you think that because some T2's are insulin dependent, that we don't have to watch our carbs? I am insulin dependent, but I can't just sit at the dinner table with a bag of corn chips and eat to my heart's content. Insulin causes me to gain weight so I don't have a free ride.

 

[beefy]

I guess I was more looking at it as something to help me determine what to TRY eating, as I'm still finding out what I can add to my diet, which is currently quite limited.

For example, I found out I have no problems eating 2-3 cups of popcorn. (Air popped or the 'light' microwave stuff). No spikes. A whole bag of popcorn at a movie, however, not such a bright idea.

... and yeah, I know that the whole bag o' popcorn should've been a no-brainer, lol... hand-to-mouth disease got me.

Currently I eat mostly lean meat (occasionally I splurge on a nice steak though), cheese, veggies (except potatoes and corn), limited amounts of fruit (only berries and granny smith apples), and even more-limited low-carb/high-fiber wraps and breads. (It's rare to have breads/cereals for me, if I do I rarely have more than 15-20g in an entire day, and usually no more than 6-12 in a serving.)

Adding more variety, even in smaller servings would be nice, if I can do it. I was thinking of using the Glycemic Load values to select foods and serving sizes to add into the diet.

 

[jwags]

Maybe it is me, but I find the whole GI Index and the GI Load thing is very complicated and confusing. Many things on the low end of that list will send my bg soaring, while a few things at the high end of the list I can eat safely. That is why I like the practice of "Eating to your Meter". Once you figure out how your respond to different carbs and what your bg is 2 hours pp than you can plan your meals accordingly. Reading the carbs on a label is easy and I don't have to figure other calculations in it. When I was recently dx'd I bought the GI book and read it thinking it might help me, it didn't. If you look at their lists you find most of the foods on the list are processed and have different GI values depending on the brand and the country they are made in. It is very complicated. I think I basically need a GI value of 0 to make my meals work.

 

[foxl]

One net carb is the same as another, for me. Like Shanny said.

 

[beefy]

beefy, do you think that because some T2's are insulin dependent, that we don't have to watch our carbs? I am insulin dependent, but I can't just sit at the dinner table with a bag of corn chips and eat to my heart's content. Insulin causes me to gain weight so I don't have a free ride.

I guess I wasn't thinking clearly when I wrote that, breeze. Looking back on it, I'm not even sure why I ended it up phrasing it the way I did.

Thank you for correcting me. I just wasn't thinking that that even though you can compensate for blood sugars with insulin, that there are downsides to it. My bad.

I'm very sorry if anyone was offended by that, it certainly wasn't meant that way.

 

[breezeonby]

beefy, thank you for understanding.

 

[onlymep]

it's a good question you've raised Beefy
I haven't really looked at the 'loading' part very much... I try and stick to low-medium GI mostly.
My dietitian has always advised to keep it simple that you shouldn't have a high GI carb on it's own. I reckon obviously that's to do with the spike in BGL it can cause. So I've always been told you can mix up the high GI and low GI on your plate (watching the portion of course). It's such a science though and I have to admit I'm still trialling myself with the carbs as some of them work well and others don't on me... and I'm on insulin. But I've always remembered the dietiticians tip to mix it up if you do have a high GI carb... and I've made the mistake of just having just high GI (usually when I'm out) and I suffer for it as I run out of energy in less than 2 hours usually. I guess we're all different and we really have to experiment to find out what works and what doesn't. I do know that I don't seem to produce any energy without carbs... so I do need them regularly myself.

 

[onaughmae]

Well...even for pump users it matters. I need to know how long it takes that spike to hit me so I know how to deliver my bolus. I can deliver my bolus right away...I can use a dual wave or even a square wave over certain amount of time. Heh, I guess its tough for all us to figure out really and just can do the best we can