Glycemic Index

What is the Glycemic Index?

The Glycemic Index is a numerical Index that ranks carbohydrates based on their rate of glycemic response (i.e. their conversion to glucose within the human body). Glycemic Index uses a scale of 0 to 100, with higher values given to foods that cause the most rapid rise in blood sugar. Pure glucose serves as a reference point, and is given a Glycemic Index (GI) of 100.

Glycemic Index values are determined experimentally by feeding human test subjects a fixed portion of the food (after an overnight fast), and subsequently extracting and measuring samples of their blood at specific intervals of time. The earliest known work on the Glycemic Index was done by Dr. David Jenkins and associates at St. Michael's Hospital in Toronto, Canada. More recently, an effort to expand the Glycemic Index has been made by Jennie Brand-Miller and her associates at the Human Nutrition Unit of the University of Sydney in Sydney, Australia.

The Glycemic Index Yields Some Surprises
Nutritionists used to believe that all simple sugars digested quickly and caused a rapid rise in blood sugar, and that the opposite was true for "complex carbohydrates". But that's not always the case. While many sweet and sugary foods do have high GI's, some starchy foods like potatoes or white bread score even higher than honey or table sugar (sucrose)!

Why is the Glycemic Index Important?

Your body performs best when your blood sugar is kept relatively constant. If your blood sugar drops too low, you become lethargic and/or experience increased hunger. And if it goes too high, your brain signals your pancreas to secrete more insulin. Insulin brings your blood sugar back down, but primarily by converting the excess sugar to stored fat. Also, the greater the rate of increase in your blood sugar, the more chance that your body will release an excess amount of insulin, and drive your blood sugar back down too low.

Therefore, when you eat foods that cause a large and rapid glycemic response, you may feel an initial elevation in energy and mood as your blood sugar rises, but this is followed by a cycle of increased fat storage, lethargy, and more hunger!

Although increased fat storage may sound bad enough, individuals with diabetes (diabetes mellitus, types 1 and 2) have an even worse problem. Their bodies inability to secrete or process insulin causes their blood sugar to rise too high, leading to a host of additional medical problems.

The theory behind the Glycemic Index is simply to minimize insulin-related problems by identifying and avoiding foods that have the greatest effect on your blood sugar.

Should All High-GI Foods be Avoided?
For non-diabetics, there are times when a rapid increase in blood sugar (and the corresponding increase in insulin) may be desirable. For example, after strenuous physical activity, insulin also helps move glucose into muscle cells, where it aids tissue repair. Because of this, some coaches and physical trainers recommend high-GI foods (such as sports drinks) immediately after exercise to speed recovery.

Also, it's not Glycemic Index alone that leads to the increase in blood sugar. Equally important is the amount of the food that you consume. The concept of Glycemic Index combined with total intake is referred to as "Glycemic Load", and is addressed in the next section...

How Glycemic Load Improves the Glycemic Index Although most candy has a relatively high Glycemic Index, eating a single piece of candy will result in a relatively small glycemic response. Why? Well, simply because your body's glycemic response is dependent on both the type AND the amount of carbohydrate consumed. This concept, known as Glycemic Load, was first popularized in 1997 by Dr. Walter Willett and associates at the Harvard School of Public Health. Glycemic Load is calculated this way:

GL = GI/100 x Net Carbs (Net Carbs are equal to the Total Carbohydrates minus Dietary Fiber)

Therefore, you can control your glycemic response by consuming low-GI foods and/or by restricting your intake of carbohydrates.

Glycemic Indexes and Glycemic Loads for Common Foods

GI and GL for Common Foods
Food	GI	Serving Size	Net Carbs	GL
Peanuts	14	4 oz (113g)	15	2
Bean sprouts	25	1 cup (104g)	4	1
Grapefruit	25	1/2 large (166g)	11	3
Pizza	30	2 slices (260g)	42	13
Lowfat yogurt	33	1 cup (245g)	47	16
Apples	38	1 medium (138g)	16	6
Spaghetti	42	1 cup (140g)	38	16
Carrots	47	1 large (72g)	5	2
Oranges	48	1 medium (131g)	12	6
Bananas	52	1 large (136g)	27	14
Potato chips	54	4 oz (114g)	55	30
Snickers Bar	55	1 bar (113g)	64	35
Brown rice	55	1 cup (195g)	42	23
Honey	55	1 tbsp (21g)	17	9
Oatmeal	58	1 cup (234g)	21	12
Ice cream	61	1 cup (72g)	16	10
Macaroni and cheese	64	1 serving (166g)	47	30
Raisins	64	1 small box (43g)	32	20
White rice	64	1 cup (186g)	52	33
Sugar (sucrose)	68	1 tbsp (12g)	12	8
White bread	70	1 slice (30g)	14	10
Watermelon	72	1 cup (154g)	11	8
Popcorn	72	2 cups (16g)	10	7
Baked potato	85	1 medium (173g)	33	28
Glucose	100	(50g)	50	50

The table below shows values of the Glycemic Index (GI) and Glycemic Load (GL) for a few common foods. GI's of 55 or below are considered low, and 70 or above are considered high. GL's of 10 or below are considered low, and 20 or above are considered high.

More information on the glycemic index of other foods you can check on http://www.glycemicindex.com/

Cooking Oils

The Stability of Cooking Oils

When you’re cooking at a high heat, you want to use oils that are stable and don’t oxidize or go rancid easily.

When oils undergo oxidation, they react with oxygen to form free radicals and harmful compounds that you definitely don’t want to be consuming.

The most important factor in determining an oil’s resistance to oxidation and rancidification, both at high and low heat, is the relative degree of saturation of the fatty acids in it.

Saturated fats have only single bonds in the fatty acid molecules, monounsaturated fats have one double bond and polyunsaturated fats have two or more.

It is these double bonds that are chemically reactive and sensitive to heat.

Saturated fats and monounsaturated fats are pretty resistant to heating, but oils that are high in polyunsaturated fats should be avoided for cooking (1).

Alright, now let’s discuss each type of cooking fat specifically.

The Winner: Coconut Oil

When it comes to high heat cooking, coconut oilis your best choice.

Over 90% of the fatty acids in it are saturated, which makes it very resistant to heat.

This oil is semi-solid at room temperature and it can last for months and years without going rancid.

Coconut oil also has powerful health benefits. It is particularly rich in a fatty acid called Lauric Acid, which can improve cholesterol and help kill bacteria and other pathogens (2, 3, 4).

The fats in coconut oil can also boost metabolism slightly and increase feelings of fullness compared to other fats. It is the only cooking oil that made it to my list of superfoods (5, 6, 7).

Fatty Acid Breakdown:

• Saturated: 92%.
• Monounsaturated: 6%.
• Polyunsaturated: 1.6%.

Make sure to choose virgin coconut oil. It’s organic, it tastes good and it has powerful health benefits.

The saturated fats used to be considered unhealthy, but new studies prove that they are totally harmless. Saturated fats are a safe source of energy for humans (8, 9, 10).

Butter

Butter was also demonized in the past due to its saturated fat content.

But there really is no reason to fear real butter. It’s the processed margarine that is the truly awful stuff (11).

Real butter is good for you and actually fairly nutritious.

It contains Vitamins A, E and K2. It is also rich in the fatty acids Conjugated Linoleic Acid (CLA) and Butyrate, both of which have powerful health benefits.

CLA may lower body fat percentage in humans and butyrate can fight inflammation, improve gut health and has been shown to make rats completely resistant to becoming obese (12, 13, 14, 15, 16).

Fatty Acid Breakdown:

• Saturated: 68%.
• Monounsaturated: 28%.
• Polyunsaturated: 4%.

There is one caveat for cooking with butter. Regular butter does contain tiny amounts of sugars and proteins and for this reason it tends to get burned during high heat cooking like frying.

If you want to avoid that, you can make clarified butter, or ghee. That way, you remove the lactose and proteins, leaving you with pure butterfat.

Here’s a great tutorial on how to clarify your own butter.

Make sure to choose butter from grass-fed cows. This butter contains more Vitamin K2, CLA and other nutrients, compared to butter from grain-fed cows.

Olive Oil

Olive oil is well known for its heart healthy effects and is believed to be a key reason for the health benefits of the mediterranean diet.

Some studies show that olive oil can improve biomarkers of health.

It can raise HDL (the good) cholesterol and lower the amount of oxidized LDL cholesterol circulating in your bloodstream (17, 18).

Fatty Acid Breakdown:

• Saturated: 14%.
• Monounsaturated: 75%.
• Polyunsaturated: 11%.

Studies on olive oil show that despite having fatty acids with double bonds, you can still use it for cooking as it is fairly resistant to the heat (19).

Make sure to choose quality Extra Virgin Olive Oil. It has much more nutrients and antioxidants than the refined type. Plus it tastes much better.

Keep your olive oil in a cool, dry, dark place, to prevent it from going rancid.

Animal Fats – Lard, Tallow, Bacon Drippings

The fatty acid content of animals tends to vary depending on what the animals eat.

If they eat a lot of grains, the fats will contain quite a bit of polyunsaturated fats.

If the animals are pastured raised or grass-fed, there will be more saturated and monounsaturated fats in them.

Therefore, animal fats from animals that are naturally raised are excellent options for cooking.

You can buy ready-made lard or tallow from the store, or you can save the drippings from meat to use at a later time. Bacon drippings are especially tasty.

Healthy Cooking Oils – The Ultimate Guide

 

You have many options when it comes to selecting fats and oils for cooking.

But it’s not just a matter of choosing oils that are healthy, but also whether they stay healthy after having been cooked with.

Palm Oil

Palm oil is derived from the fruit of oil palms.

It consists mostly of saturated and monounsaturated fats, with small amounts of polyunsaturates.

This makes palm oil a good choice for cooking.

Red Palm Oil (the unrefined variety) is best. It is also rich in Vitamins E, Coenzyme Q10 and other nutrients.

However, some concerns have been raised about the sustainability of harvesting palm oil, apparently growing these trees means less environment available for Orangutans, which are an endangered species.

Avocado Oil

The composition of avocado oil is similar to olive oil. It is primarily monounsaturated, with some saturated and polyunsaturated mixed in.

It can be used for many of the same purposes as olive oil. You can cook with it, or use it cold.

Fish Oil

Fish oil is very rich in the animal form of Omega-3 fatty acids, which are DHA and EPA. A tablespoon of fish oil can satisfy your daily need for these very important fatty acids.

The best fish oil is cod fish liver oil, because it is also rich in Vitamin D3, which a large part of the world is deficient in.

However, due to its high concentration of polyunsaturated fats, fish oil should neverbe used for cooking. It’s best used as a supplement, one tablespoon per day. Keep in a cool, dry and dark place.

Flax Oil

Flax oil contains lots of the plant form of Omega-3, Alpha Linolenic Acid (ALA).

Many people use this oil to supplement with Omega-3 fats.

However, unless you’re vegan, then I do recommend that you use fish oil instead.

Evidence shows that the human body doesn’t efficiently convert ALA to the active forms, EPA and DHA, of which fish oil has plenty (20).

Due to the large amount of polyunsaturated fats, flax seed oil should NOT be used for cooking.

Canola Oil

Canola oil is derived from rapeseeds, but the euric acid (a toxic, bitter substance) has been removed from it.

The fatty acid breakdown of canola oil is actually fairly good, with most of the fatty acids monounsaturated, then containing Omega-6 and Omega-3 in a 2:1 ratio, which is perfect.

However, canola oil needs to go through very harshprocessing methods before it is turned into the final product.

Check out this video to see how canola oil is made. It is very disgusting and involves the toxic solvent hexane (among others) – I personally don’t think these oils are suitable for human consumption.

Nut Oils and Peanut Oil

There are many nut oils available and some of them taste awesome.

However, they are very rich in polyunsaturated fats, which make them a poor choice for cooking.

They can be used as parts of recipes, but do not fry or do any high heat cooking with them.

The same applies to peanut oil. Peanuts technically aren’t nuts (they’re legumes) but the composition of the oil is similar.

There is one exception, however, and that is macadamia nut oil, which is mostly monounsaturated (like olive oil). It is pricey, but I hear it tastes awesome.

If you want, you can use macadamia oil for low- or medium-heat cooking.

Seed- and Vegetable Oils

Industrial seed and vegetable oils are highly processed, refined products that are way too rich in Omega-6 fatty acids.

Not only should you not cook with them, you should probably avoid them altogether.

These oils have been wrongly considered “heart-healthy” by the media and many nutrition professionals in the past few decades.

However, new data links these oils with many serious diseases, including heart disease and cancer (21, 22, 23).

Avoid all of them:

• Soybean Oil
• Corn Oil
• Cottonseed Oil
• Canola Oil
• Rapeseed Oil
• Sunflower Oil
• Sesame Oil
• Grapeseed Oil
• Safflower Oil
• Rice Bran Oi

Butter & Margarine

Butter

• Butter is created from cream which rises to the top of milk if it sits for a period of time. 
• Butter is an excellent source of vitamins A, D, E, and K. None of these fat-soluble vitamins are found in margarine.
• Toxic metals or trans-fat is not found in butter.
• It is a dairy product, but is actually easy to digest to even the most dairy sensitive people. 
• Contains dietary cholesterol as well as saturated fat. These are two cholesterol raising components. Dietary cholesterol is found in animal-based products not plant-based.
• A healthy person should intake up to 200mg of cholesterol each day. Butter has 33mg of cholesterol in one tablespoon.
• When it comes to saturated fat, butter has plenty and that could be a problem.Saturated fats are solid at room temperature and found in high-fat dairy products as well as red meat.
• A saturated fat increase in diet can contribute to heart disease.
• A healthy intake of saturated fat is 10-15 grams a day. One tablespoon of butter has over 7 grams of saturated fat.

Margarine

• Margarine is made from vegetable oil that has been extracted chemically and refined.
• In order to actually make margarine, the oil must be solidified to some degree.
• The solidifying process begins when hydrogen is bubbled through the vegetable oil at a high temperature. This saturates some of the chemical bonds, resulting in a solid product at room temperature.
• It has less saturated fat than butter.
• Margarine contains trans fats that lower good cholesterol and raise bad cholesterol.
• One tablespoon of margarine has 3 grams of trans fat and 3 grams of saturated fat.
• Vitamin E is destroyed in the oil.
• Margarine contains nickel as well as other toxic chemicals if consumed in great proportion. If Nickel is consumed in excess, it could lead to kidney disease, lung cancer along with other conditions.
• The more solid margarine is at room temperature, the more trans fat it contains. Margarine in a stick form has 3 grams of trans fat while margarine in liquid form or in a tub has 1-2 grams

Most spreadable "butters" are in fact margarines. 

Choose one that contains no trans fats and it will be a healthier option than butter as it contains less total and saturated fats. 

Healthiest meat options

Meat and poultry can be valuable sources of protein and other important nutrients, but they can also be sources of unhealthy fat and cholesterol. 

Fattier cuts tend to taste better but with a few simple tricks and tips, you can have it both ways — taste and health. With the following tips, you can reduce the fat even in higher fat marbled cuts.

Selecting meat and poultry

Look for lean cuts. Certain cuts of meat and poultry are lower in fat. Lean cuts of beef include round, sirloin and tenderloin. Lean pork or lamb includes tenderloin, loin chops and leg. The leanest poultry is white meat from the breast with no skin.

Check percentages. When buying minced beef, look for packages with the highest percentage of lean meat — 90 percent or higher.

Watch the mince. Minced poultry can have as much fat as minced beef has, or more, because it often includes dark meat and skin. To make the leanest choice, choose minced breast meat, or look for low-fat minced chicken or turkey.

BEEF AND VEAL

Average per 100g: 136 calories, 5.1g fat (beef); 106 calories, 1.7g fat (veal).

Health rating: ****(beef); ***(veal)

Beef steaks and joints are low in fat, provided only the lean is eaten. But

minced beef can be 5-25 pc fat, with half being saturated fat - the type

strongly linked with heart disease.

LAMB

Average per 100g: 156 calories, 8.3g fat. Health rating: **

Lamb is one of the fattiest meats, with the leanest cuts twice as fatty as

their beef equivalent. However, there is a lot of variation, with lean leg

steaks providing just 5.2 pc fat and lean breast 11 pc.

Lamb is one of the best absorbed sources of iron and a rich supply of

zinc. An average serving has more than the Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA) of vitamin B12, needed for healthy red blood cells.

PORK

Average per 100g: 123 calories, 4g fat. Health rating: ****

Technically a red meat, lean pork is almost as low in fat as chicken.

Escalopes contain 1.7 pc fat compared with 1.1 pc in chicken breasts.

However, streaky spare ribs are much fattier at 13.5 pc.

Pork has a lower proportion of artery-clogging saturates than lamb or beef

but is not as high in the unsaturated type as chicken. Its zinc and iron

content is intermediate between poultry and red meat.

CHICKEN

Average per 100g: 106 calories, 1.1g fat Health rating: ***

Cooked light meat is the lowest in fat, but grilled breast with the skin has triple the fat content.

On the upside, the fat in chicken meat and skin is far less saturated than

in red meats, and supplies a better proportion of healthier monounsaturates

and polyunsaturates.

The dark meat is a much better source of zinc and iron than white but

supplies only about half the quantity of red meat.

Lean and Fat cuts

 

Leanest Cuts

Sirloin tip side

Taken from the top of the round. Very lean, but still holds flavour.

Fat content per 100g: 5.4g

Saturated fat per 100g: 2.06g

Round Steak

Cut from the hip and considered flavourful and more tender than other cuts from the round. 

Fat content per 100g: 7.6g

Saturated fat per 100g: 3g

Fattiest Cuts

Rib-Eye 

Very marbled cut, which means its flavourful and stays tender while cooking.

Fat content per 100g: 37.6g

Saturated fat per 100g: 15g 

T-Bone

A cut from below the porterhouse. Its high fat content means that it stays tender while cooking 

Fat content per 100g: 25.6g

Saturated fat content per 100g: 10.6g

Wholegrain or White Bread?

Bread is made out of flour that comes from grain kernels — usually wheat. A grain kernel has three parts: the bran, the endosperm, and the germ 

Whole grains contain all parts of the grain kernel. But refined grains, like the flour used to make white bread, have had the fiber-dense bran and the nutrient-rich germ processed out, leaving only the starchy endosperm. Removing the bran and germ also removes key nutrients, including vitamins, minerals, healthy fats, protein, and fiber.

Wholegrain is much higher in fiber, vitamins B6 and E, magnesium, zinc, folic acid and chromium.

Some flour and bread manufacturers "enrich" their bread by adding extra vitamins back in. But it's still better to eat whole grains.

Simply switching from white to whole wheat bread can lower heart disease risk by 20 percent. 

White bread has a high glycemic index because it's made from refined grains that are rapidly absorbed during digestion, causing sharp spikes in blood sugar and insulin levels. A diet that includes a lot of white bread and other high-glycemic foods -- like sweets, desserts and white potatoes -- increases your risk for weight gain, type 2 diabetes and heart disease.