Low Glycemic Foods – A different type of diet and the science behind it

If you don’t mind, I am going to “nerd-out” for a post. I am at a Maternal and Infant Nutrition Intensive course at the University of Minnesota and we got some awesome information on losing weight, getting healthier and staying that way! The best part about it is this isn’t presented by fitness experts or at a conference about losing weight. It is presented by Doctors and scientist to inform women how to be healthy before, during and after pregnancy by eating the right foods. I’ll start out by posting a visual (I’m a very visual person)

This is the Low-Glycemic Food Pyramid. There are different variations of this pyramid but they all point to a very common conclusion: The more fresh, un-processed, un-packaged foods you can put in your diet, the better!

Here are some examples:

How does this work?? And what is with all the fat and sugar you now say is okay to eat?? I’ll start by saying, not all fats, carbohydrates and sugars are created equal. Without getting too scientific, your body breaks down your food in different ways. Some things are easier to break down than others. The breakdown of different foods results in different actions in the body. The main science behind the Low Glycemic Food Pyramid is the effect food has on insulin and inflammatory factors.

Here is the gist:
•Glycemic index → measure of glycemic response caused by a food (related to insulin)
•A High glycemic index meal causes surge in epinephrine (also seen in stress) → More hungery sooner
•Glycemic Index and Metabolism:
High GI decreases metabolic rate
Low GI decreases metabolic rate much slower during weight loss → more energy during weight loss than high GI diet
• Low GI diet may be less stressful on body than a low fat diet. May be best for long term weight loss (see fewer subjects in study increasing body weight after 6 months of weight loss)

Some tips straight from The Glycemic Index: 

• “Use breakfast cereals based on oats, barley and bran”
• “Use breads with wholegrains, stone-ground flour, sour dough”
• “Reduce the amount of potatoes you eat”
• “Enjoy all other types of fruit and vegetables”
• “Use Basmati or Doongara rice”
• “Enjoy pasta, noodles, quino”
• “Eat plenty of salad vegetables with a vinaigrette dressing”

List of such foods:
Artichoke
Avocado
Broccoli
Celery
Cherries
Grapefruit
Peas
Pearl barley
Whole milk
Dried apricots
Butter beans
Low-fat fruit yogurt
Apples
Pears
Tomato soup, canned
All Bran
Peaches
Oranges
Green grapes
Kiwi fruit

Ok… I’m done “nerding-out” 🙂

But basically, this is the science behind why we are told that fruits and vegetables are good for us and fat from nuts are “good fat.” Kind of cool. And the best part, pasta is a low glycemic index food!!! Score! (But I don’t think that means I can run to Olive Garden and stuff my face – haha).

Additional Resources:
The Glycemic Index