The Glycemic Index Diet for Dummies - Meri Raffetto [154]
Just because a food is low-glycemic doesn't mean it automatically qualifies as nutritious.
All High-Glycemic Foods Have Little or No Nutritional Value
Some high-glycemic foods contain good amounts of essential vitamins and minerals; they may even be good sources of fiber. For example, many cold breakfast cereals, even ones made from whole grains, have a higher glycemic index. Yet breakfast cereals are fortified with a variety of vitamins and minerals, and starting the day with cereal for breakfast is known to improve one's overall daily nutrient intake. Additionally, whole-grain breads may be high-glycemic, but they're a great way to increase your fiber intake (plus they're fortified with folate and iron). Don't be afraid to look beyond the glycemic index to discover the true nutrition content of the foods you eat.
Low-Glycemic Foods All Have Low Calories
Contrary to what the myth-spouters tell you, the glycemic index has nothing to do with calories. Stating that all low-glycemic foods are low in calories is a bit like saying everyone who drives a four-door sedan wears yellow socks. Ice cream, even high-fat specialty ice cream, is low-glycemic, yet everyone knows it's high in calories.
Take the time to investigate a food's calorie content as well as its glycemic index. Choosing low-glycemic foods that are also low in calories is a great weight-loss strategy.
Chapter 24: Ten Surprising Low-Glycemic Foods
In This Chapter
Realizing that sweet foods aren't always high-glycemic
Fixing the perceptions of certain fruits and veggies as overly sugary
When you get down to it, you can't determine a food's glycemic index (or glycemic load for that matter) simply by reading its list of ingredients or by knowing the amount of carbohydrates and fiber it contains. Sure, the majority of low-glycemic foods are also good sources of fiber, vitamins, and minerals, which makes them naturally healthy foods. And yes, many high-glycemic foods contain larger amounts of sugars or other sweeteners, which traditionally puts them on the unhealthy side. However, that's a prettyimplistic way of looking at things. I bet this list of ten lesser-known low-glycemic foods will surprise you and give you yet another reason to check out Appendix A.
Coca-Cola (GI of 53)
How can a beverage primarily made out of a sweetener possibly be low-glycemic? Well, the sweetener in Coca-Cola is high-fructose corn syrup, a product that was designed to taste just like table sugar but in a liquid form so it could be easily used in a variety of beverages. HFCS's glycemic index (GI) is 62, but it isn't the only sweetener to boast a low GI. Fructose has a GI of 19, lactose (found in milk) has a GI of 46, and even sucrose (table sugar) has a moderate GI of 60.
The point of the story? Don't feel guilty for having a Coke, but don't think you can switch from drinking water to guzzling your favorite sweetened beverage all day long. There's more to good health than just a low GI.
Frosted Flakes (GI of 55)
When you read the list of ingredients on a box of Frosted Flakes, here's what you find: milled corn, sugar, malt flavoring, high-fructose corn syrup, salt, and a bunch of added vitamins and minerals. You may assume that a sugary cereal is automatically high-glycemic, but you'd be wrong in the case of Frosted Flakes. Sometimes the results of glycemic index testing counteract your intuition. Whether they do or not, always be sure to watch your portion sizes. Even a food with a low GI can have a high glycemic load if you eat too much of it.
The vast majority of breakfast cereals found in the United States have yet to undergo testing for their glycemic index, so stick with the lower-glycemic breakfast options I share in Chapter 16.
Carrot Cake (GI of 36)
Just because a sweet food (like cake) is made with carrots doesn't mean it's high-glycemic. Carrots mistakenly have a bad rap as containing a lot of sugar, and many people wrongly think that they're high-glycemic. Would you believe that the GI of cooked carrots is actually