Being Healthy for Life - Lesson 3

Welcome back everyone and thank you for your continued support. Hope some of you haven't given up hope in understanding this great secret ... the best is yet to come. Just a little disclaimer before I continue; Some of you may think that I do not like doctors due to the fact that some phrases within these lessons seem to smack down on our medical community. Nothing can be further from the truth. I totally respect doctors and what they do for us. I may have had some bad experiences with some of them but in general they are here to help us. After all, doctors were intended to help us in emergency situations and to cure diseases ... most haven't been trained in preventative medicine (preventing the disease before it occurs). Due to this fact, they are overwhelmed with preventable diseases and not to mention all those common cold cases that seem to fill up the emergency rooms. In my future practice, I plan to work hand in hand with doctors so we could improve our society's medical bottleneck (and I am not alone with this quest).

On to Lesson 3: "The Glycemic Index"

Now I know the first thing on some of your minds, "What in the world is that?" (some of you may be saying something else, but I am trying to keep this blog clean). Bare with me everyone, once this lesson is over, you will know all about this index and how it could help you. If it doesn't, then I have failed you, though, you can always ask me for clarification.

Here are a few staples of today's "most wanted" staples in our society: White bread; Potatoes; White flour; Pasta; Rice; Can you imagine someone asking you to give up any of these items for a day? You'll have better luck convincing a smoker from skipping a day. Try giving these foods, as well as other processed foods for a day or two and you'll notice your body screaming for this "sweet nectar of life". You know by now that your body absolutely needs carbohydrates in order to survive. Both the body and especially the brain needs the glucose in these carbs to function. If your body's concentration of glucose is less than or equal to 40 mg/dl (milligrams/deciliter) you can become confused, lethargic, have a seizure, go into a coma and even have a significant amount of brain cell death. This is where the dilemma occurs: "If our body needs this glucose so much, why are you telling me that they are bad for me in the first place?". Just like there is good and evil in this world, there are good carbs and bad carbs. The latter can be extremely addictive, even more so than drugs. Here's where the "Glycemic Index" comes into play.

What is the Glycemic Index? To put it briefly, it is a system that rates how fast carbs break down into glucose and ent er the blood stream. The old theory was (and in some places still is) that the rise in our blood sugar is based on the length of the sugar's molecule chain as well as the complexity of the sug ar being consumed (Complex Carbohydrates vs. Simple Carbohydrates) .
For example, we no w know that white bread and patatoes can spike blood sugar (more than your regular table sugar) as opposed to when they were thought to be safe due to the fact that they were complex carbs. This puts the whole food pyramid into question, especially since it is highly recommended to diabetics (also referred to as the Diabetics Food Pyramid - Click here or view the pyramid on the left).

Now here is what the food pyramid looks like for those who do not have diabetes (note: I did some research and noticed that the USDA now have a new revised food pyramid that still doesn't quite get it ... but it is a little better than the old dinosaur of a model we use to have ... check it out and compare: New: vs. Old: )

Many countries, including Canada, have accepted this Glycemic Index into their mainstream society. Though, the US medical community still remains generally opposed to this concept as it remains controversial. With this new concept, one can wisely choose foods that will allow us to avoid the dangerous addictions of Carbs.

Before I continue, I'd like to introduce to you a Pharmacist/Author (named Sherry Torkos) that I've come to admire in my studies. She will give you a general overview of the Glycemic Index (consider it a review of what we've just covered - any video on this blog will not be more than 4 minutes so I urge you to watch them before you continue):



Another video that I would like to show you is one that will briefly explain what contributes to this Glycemic Index:



You are aware by now that white bread (and any product made with white flour) is a major contributor in spiking one's blood sugar levels. Though, you might be surprised to hear that whole wheat flour falls into the same category. One might think that these flours are good for us due to the fact that they originally come from plants. Well, our history tells us that they once were good for us. That is, until the modern world decided to remove the core and shell (bran) from these grains ... both of which are used to slow down the absorption of the sugars/starches within. Why did they do this? One reason is to ensure the end product's storage life. The second is that both whole wheat and white flour is used to make all those yummy things we've come to know and love (ie. white bread, donuts, cakes, cookies, pastries, pizza crust, etc). Every wonder why these finished products are so fluffy and light? You got it ... the process of making these items nice and fluffy cannot be complete without at least one of these flours. Try making one of these delights with a more coarse flour such as Coarse Wholemeal Flour, Rye or Oatmeal. You might find them a little harder to chew (and they won't look as pretty).

Here is what a whole grain looks like, during processing the Wheat bran and the germ is removed and you are left with the starchy endosperm:
And here is an imaging showing what happens during grain processing:
If you want to learn more on how grains are processed and why, feel free to go to this informative website: The Grain Chain . In conclusion to this section, you would be better off eating tablespoons of sugar rather than this processed flour. Now let us move on with our lesson.

Whole foods are considered as low glycemic. The official definition of a whole food is food that has undergone very little processing and has been grown or produced without the use of synthetic pesticides or fertilizers (MSN Encarta). In other wordsm these are foods found in their natural state (such as apples and celeri) or that have been prepared with minimal processing or preperation (steamed carrots). The more processed the food, the higher it's glycemic index.

Fiber contained in a food (such as bran in grains) can slow down the absorption of carbs this food may contain (such as the starchy endosperm in the grain). It makes it harder for your body to convert carbs into glucose.

Starches: There are two types of starches ... Amylose and Amylopectin. Amylose is digested more slowly (ei. basmati rice) than Amylopectin(ei. white rice contains a lot of this starch).

Raw foods have a lower glycemic index compared to cooked foods of the same variety (cooking process expands the starches in these foods ... also know as "gelatinazation" making them easier to digest and absorb). Don't overcook your foods as heat is not your friend. Try undercooking your pastas and eating them like the italians (including me) do ... "al dente" rather than mushy. Also, try steaming your veggies rather than cooking them.

To end this lesson on a good note, let's talk about the glycemic index's little helper .... "The Glycemic Load"; http://www.blogger.com/www.nutritiondata.com has this to say about glycemic load:

"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. Glycemic Load is calculated this way:

Glycemic Load = Glycemic Index/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."

Simply put, this will provide a better picture of one's response to food. The higher the glycemic load, the quicker the body absorbs the glucose ... thus spiking the blood sugar and so forth. Does this mean that you have to perform complex calculations every time you want to eat? Absolutely not! This is a general guide to help steer you in the right direction, start by checking out your favorite foods.

My wife and I actually copied out a sample list (found in Dr. Strand's book) and gave it to my father-in-law when his doctor told him that he was at high risk of developing diabetes (blood test - sugar levels) a few years ago. He took it slowly and eventually he knew how to recognize which foods were good for him and which ones weren't. I'm glad to say that he never developed diabetes. That was before I did the research that I have done up to now. I pray that these lessons will help at least one person out there get out of their health situation. This list can be found in many books (such as Dr. Strand's). Though, here's another one of my favorites, "The GI Made Simple" by Sherry Torkos. There is also a website that you can consult which has a pretty big list to get you started -> http://www.gilisting.com/.

Here is a quick tip that may help you get started. If you know you are going to eat something in a meal that you are sure is high glycemic ... there is something you can do to slow down the absorption of the sugar. Good fats (such as that found in olive oil) will slow down gastric emptying thus lowering the glycemic index of a meal.

In conclusion, the glycemic index and load is only one factor to consider when choosing your foods (don't get discouraged, it's simple). The nutritional factor is important as well. Just use common sense, for example try eating a tomato instead of sucking down a ketchup packet. This concept will be simplified and applied more clearly in a lesson further down the road. Just hang in there and let me know if your confused or just want me to clarify something for you. Don't be shy, I'll answer any and all e-mails coming my way (if I get too many, I will get to them all ... even if it takes a while to get to yours, you will get an answer ... I want to help)

God bless you all and take care of yourselves.
Yours truly,
Frank