Low Glycemic Diet...thoughts and conflicting info

NicoleRod

Wow...so I thought there was conflicting info on supplement use and cancer...you gotta see the Low GI info...and what source is considered reputable...here are some that I was reading they basically completely contradict each other? Jane clearly promotes a LOW GI Diet...but as you can see (at the bottom) things contradict ....so what are your thoughts?

https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/nutri...

Mayo Clinic says :

• Low GI: Green vegetables, most fruits, raw carrots, kidney beans, chickpeas, lentils and bran breakfast cereals
• Medium GI: Sweet corn, bananas, raw pineapple, raisins, oat breakfast cereals, and multigrain, oat bran or rye bread
• High GI: White rice, white bread and potatoes

Then Healthline

There are plenty of healthy and nutritious foods to choose from. You should base your diet on the following low-GI foods:

• Bread: Whole grain, multigrain, rye and sourdough varieties
• Breakfast cereals: Porridge made with rolled oats, bircher muesli and All-Bran
• Fruit: Such as apples, strawberries, apricots, peaches, plums, pears and kiwi
• Vegetables: Such as carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, celery, tomatoes and zucchini
• Starchy vegetables: Carisma and Nicola potato varieties, sweet potatoes with an orange flesh, corn, yams
• Legumes: Examples include lentils, chickpeas, baked beans, butter beans, kidney beans
• Pasta and noodles: Pasta, soba noodles, vermicelli noodles, rice noodles
• Rice: Basmati, Doongara, long-grain and brown rice
• Grains: Quinoa, barley, pearl couscous, buckwheat, freekeh, semolina
• Dairy: Milk, cheese, yogurt, custard, soy milk, almond milk

The following foods contain few or no carbohydrates and therefore do not have a GI value. These foods can be included as part of a low-GI diet:

• Meat: Including beef, chicken, pork, lamb and eggs
• Fish and seafood: Examples include salmon, trout, tuna, sardines and prawns
• Nuts: Such as almonds, cashews, pistachios, walnuts and macadamia nuts
• Fats and oils: Including olive oil, rice bran oil, butter and margarine
• Herbs and spices: Such as salt, pepper, garlic, basil and dill

Foods to Avoid on a Low-GI Diet

Nothing is strictly banned on the low-GI diet.

However, try to replace these high-GI foods with low-GI alternatives as much as possible.

• Bread: White bread, Turkish bread, bagels, naan bread, French baguettes, Lebanese bread
• Breakfast cereals: Instant oats, Rice Krispies, Corn Flakes, Cocoa Krispies, Froot Loops
• Starchy vegetables: Désirée and Red Pontiac potatoes, instant mashed potatoes
• Pasta and noodles: Corn pasta and instant noodles
• Rice: Jasmine, Arborio (used in risotto), Calrose and medium-grain white rice
• Dairy replacements: Rice milk and oat milk
• Fruit: Watermelon
• Savory snacks: Rice crackers, corn thins, rice cakes, pretzels, corn chips
• Cakes and biscuits: Scones, doughnuts, cupcakes, cookies, waffles, pikelets
• Extras: Jelly beans, licorice, Gatorade, Lucozade

SUMMARY:To follow a low-GI diet, limit your intake of the high-GI foods listed above and replace them with low-GI alternatives.

Drawbacks of the Low-GI Diet

Although the low-GI diet has several benefits, it also has a number of drawbacks.

Firstly, the glycemic index (GI) does not provide a complete nutritional picture. It's important to also consider the fat, protein, sugar and fibercontents of a food, regardless of its GI.

For example, the GI of French fries is 75, whereas a baked potato, the healthier substitute, has a higher GI of 85 (3Trusted Source).

In fact, there are many unhealthy low-GI foods, such as ice cream (GI 36–62), chocolate (GI 49) and custard (GI 29–43).

Another drawback is that the GI measures the effect of a single food on blood sugar levels. However, most foods are consumed as part of a larger mixed meal, making the GI difficult to predict in these circumstances (28Trusted Source).

Lastly, as mentioned earlier, the GI does not take into account the number of carbs you eat. However, this is an important factor in determining their impact on your blood sugar levels.

For example, watermelon has a high GI of 80 and therefore would not be considered the best option when following a low-GI diet.

However, watermelon also has a low carbohydrate content, containing only 6 grams of carbs per 100 grams. In fact, a typical serving of watermelon has a low glycemic load (GL) of 5 and a minimal effect on blood sugar levels.

This highlights that using GI in isolation may not always be the best predictor of blood sugar levels. It's important to also consider the carb content and GL of a food.

SUMMARY:The low-GI diet has a number of drawbacks. The GI can be difficult to calculate, it does not always reflect the healthiness of a food and it doesn't take into account the number of carbs consumed.

DorothyB

It is confusing. I was reading recently about the difference between glycemic index and glycemic load. Hard to explain easily, but a food can have a high glycemic index number, but with a small serving size, the glycemic load in your system isn't large.

Looking at the two sources you quoted, the big differences seem to be 1) white potatoes and 2) pasta. I've read that the white potatoes aren't that bad for you, but I've read many places that processed pastas are NOT good for you

NicoleRod

Dorothy thanks for that info. Yes I think white pasta is no brainer..but I am curious about like Chick Pea and Lentil pastas...and of course I am not saying having that a lot but a couple of times a month? Some other sites listed Chick Peas and ALL BEANS except Navy beans as BAD...High GI did you see above about watermelon...kind of what you were saying...they say it's HighGI but then below that is good ...

DorothyB

I would guess that lentils would be good. googled and looks like they are good

NicoleRod

I actually saw that all beans except Navy Beans and even lentils are considered medium too high... UGHHH

I think I am going to eat them anyway and there is no way I can give up all beans...I will have to cut down I guess.