| The experts used to tell us we should avoid | | | | and emotional well-being.Dr. Jennie |
| simple carbohydrates, i.e. sugar, and instead | | | | Brand-Miller at the University of Sydney and |
| eat complex carbohydrates, i.e. starches. | | | | some of her colleagues published an extensive |
| Some of them are still saying that, which is | | | | list showing both the glycemic index and the |
| unfortunate because scientists now know that | | | | glycemic load of 750 foods in the July 2002 |
| this is not the right way to look at | | | | issue of the American Journal of Clinical |
| it.Scientists now know that some starches, | | | | Nutrition, pages 5-56. It's a tedious list |
| such as baked potato for example, cause your | | | | to consult, though, because it contains many |
| blood sugar and insulin levels to increase | | | | foods and brands from other parts of the |
| dramatically in much the same way as sugars | | | | world, which most Americans are not concerned |
| cause these levels to jump. So they | | | | about.More and more diet books, including |
| constructed something called the Glycemic | | | | several by Dr. Jenny Brand-Miller, are |
| Index, which shows how fast and to what | | | | including more usable glycemic indexes these |
| degree a given amount of each kind of | | | | days, so you shouldn't have much trouble |
| carbohydrate causes your blood sugar and | | | | finding one.The reason it is so important for |
| insulin levels to rise.In a typical glycemic | | | | you to have this information is because when |
| index, pure glucose is assigned the number | | | | food causes your blood sugar to rise too |
| 100. All other carbohydrates are assigned | | | | much, the increased blood sugar causes your |
| lower numbers corresponding to how fast and | | | | insulin levels to rise, and that causes |
| to what degree they cause your blood sugar to | | | | weight gain, especially around the waist, and |
| rise in comparison to the way pure glucose | | | | all sorts of other health, appearance, and |
| causes your blood sugar to rise. A baked | | | | emotional problems as well.Insulin is an |
| russet potato causes your blood sugar to rise | | | | extremely important endocrine hormone that |
| about 85% as much as pure glucose, so a baked | | | | has a powerful effect on many aspects of |
| potato is said to have a glycemic index of 85 | | | | health, appearance, and feelings of |
| on this type of index.Now more and more | | | | well-being.When insulin levels are elevated, |
| diet-book gurus and nutrition journalists are | | | | the levels of many other hormones and other |
| telling people to forget about whether a | | | | types of chemical messengers in your body |
| carbohydrate is simple or complex, and simply | | | | change as well. And this can lead to all |
| judge it by its glycemic index. They tell us | | | | sorts of trouble.Recent scientific studies |
| the rule we should follow is to simply avoid | | | | have revealed a dramatic relationship between |
| foods that have a high glycemic index.This is | | | | high-glycemic foods, obesity, and several |
| unfortunate too, though, because the glycemic | | | | major illnesses.Don De Grazia attended the |
| index only tells you how much a given | | | | University of Chicago as a Hutchins Scholar |
| quantity of the carbohydrate in a given food | | | | and has participated in workshops |
| causes your blood sugar to rise. The | | | | co-sponsored by the Harvard University |
| glycemic index does not tell you how much | | | | Medical School and Beth Israel Hospital. In |
| carbohydrate is contained in that food. And | | | | 1982 he participated in a series of |
| the quantity of carbohydrate in a given food | | | | workshops which were co-sponsored by the |
| is an even more important factor in | | | | University of Indiana Medical School, Dental |
| determining how much that food will cause | | | | School, and Graduate School of Psychology.He |
| your blood sugar and insulin to rise.No | | | | is the director of Outreach Counseling Center |
| problem. Another index has more recently | | | | in Oak Park, Illinois, and has conducted |
| been developed by scientists which takes into | | | | highly successful smoking-cessation, |
| consideration both factors: to what degree a | | | | weight-loss, diet, and nutrition programs for |
| given quantity of a given carbohydrate causes | | | | more than 32 years.He is also a writer who |
| your blood sugar to rise, and also the | | | | has been published in the United States, |
| quantity of carbohydrate contained in a | | | | Canada, Italy, and Japan. He has won several |
| specific-size portion of that food.This new | | | | international awards for his writing. In |
| index is called the Glycemic Load, and it | | | | the year 2000, the Illinois Arts Council, an |
| provides you with extremely important | | | | agency of the State of Illinois, selected his |
| information for weight loss and for many | | | | fiction for its annual literary award. |
| other aspects of health, energy, appearance, | | | | |