GI Diet

For many years people with diabetes have been advised to count kilojoules, measure food exchanges and keep to a strictly controlled low fat, high fibre, sugar-free diet. Although this remains important in ensuring optimal blood glucose control, the Glycemic Index (GI) s a more user-friendly and revolutionary way of looking at diabetic meal planning.

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BACK TO BREAKFAST: BUILDING HEALTHY HABITS FOR LIFE 

Breakfast literally means to ‘break the fast’ – it is the crucial meal that refuels the body and brain with energy and nutrients after the night’s sleep. Widely recognised as the most important meal of the day, eating breakfast has been shown to improve mental alertness and physical performance.

The value of a balanced diet cannot be overemphasised. In South Africa, one in ten children skips breakfast, severely impacting their chances of meeting their daily nutritional requirements.

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USING DIET TO COMBAT CONSTIPATION
Understanding the importance of fibre during pregnancy
Along with the joy and happy anticipation that pregnancy brings are the natural changes and strains experienced by a new mother’s body. Fortunately, some of these discomforts can be managed by eating wisely, being physically active and getting plenty of rest.

One of the more common problems during pregnancy and after birth is constipation. Hormonal changes in your body cause your bowel muscles to relax and intestinal movement to slow down. This means food moves more gradually through your digestive system. The pressure of your growing baby on your digestive organs may also contribute towards constipation. In addition, the iron tablets and calcium-based antacids, which are often prescribed to pregnant women, can aggravate the condition.

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EXPLAINING THE GLYCAEMIC INDEX 
What is the Glycaemic Index (GI)?
The GI of a food is a numerical value which indicates if the carbohydrate it contains is released quickly, moderately or slowly into the blood stream.  GI is indicated by a numerical value on a scale from 0-100. 

What is the difference between high GI and low GI?
Foods with a GI of over 70 are considered high GI, while food with a value between 56 and 70 are considered to have an intermediate GI.  These foods give you the essential energy needed when you need a quick boost to perform at your best, e.g. sport.  But beware of high GI food that also have a high fat content, like hot chips, biscuits, doughnuts, toasted sandwiches and muffins.  Rather opt for foods like instant noodles, bread, potatoes and rice cakes when you need energy quickly.

Low GI foods have a value of 55 and lower.  These result in a small rise in blood glucose levels and then a slow and steady release of glucose over a period of up to three hours.  The slow release of glucose keeps a person feeling full for much longer, ultimately reducing the amount of food consumed.

Why do high GI foods make me hungry?
The high GI foods cause blood sugars to spike and then dip again about one hour after eating them, resulting in feelings of hunger – and the temptation to consume another high GI snack usually follows.

Intermediate GI foods cause blood sugar to start dropping approximately two hours after eating and are thus better for maintaining normal blood glucose levels.  For people that eat small frequent meals, intermediate GI foods will help to keep their blood sugar stable e.g. Basmati rice, Frosties and Strawberry Pops.

To keep hunger pangs at bay, eat small meals during the day instead of three big meals; this will prevent your blood sugar levels from dipping too low, leaving you feeling faint and tired.  Examples of low GI foods include low fat dairy, fruit, certain breakfast cereals, vegetables, low fat microwave popcorn and sweet potatoes.

How do I choose which foods to eat?
A general rule of thumb is to eat lower fat, low GI food most of the time; and choose high GI foods before and/or after strenuous exercise.

However, it is important to note that GI is not the only criterion for choosing foods: characteristics such as total kilojoule composition, fat composition, micronutrient (vitamins and minerals) density, and adequacy of the total diet must also be taken into account.  The GI should only be used to choose between carbohydrate-rich foods.

For example, some high GI foods (such as carrots) may have other attributes (such as
beta-carotene (Vitamin A) content), which will override its GI value.  And some low GI foods may have undesirably high levels of saturated fat.  So don’t exclude healthy foods like carrots, pumpkin and squash from your diet just because they have a high GI!

How can I lower the GI content of my diet?
Low GI Breakfast
All-Bran with milk (GI = 53). 

Intermediate GI Breakfast
Strawberry Pops (GI = 60)
Frosties (GI = 67). 
Remember, GI will be further lowered by adding milk. 

Other options are rye bread (GI = 54) or pumpernickel bread (GI = 50) with a protein filling (e.g. low fat cottage cheese will further lower the GI).  While bread is an important staple in the South African diet, white, brown and whole wheat breads have a high GI.  If you are going to eat bread, then add a protein like peanut butter or pilchards to help to lower the overall GI.  Maize meal also has a high GI (GI = 83).  Try to eat maize meal that has been cooked and left to cool to lower the GI (GI = 50); then add milk to it to further lower the GI.  Many oat porridges on the market are high GI (GI = 75).
 
Lunch and Dinner
Try to make at least one meal a week vegetarian.  Beans and lentils are good ways to lower the GI of a meal and add fibre and essential protein to your diet. 

Other good carbohydrate options for main meals are pearled barley, cooled maize meal/samp, durum wheat pasta and rice.  Adding low fat protein (meat/fish/chicken/soya/egg/milk/cheese) will also help to lower the GI of a meal.

Where can I find more information on the GI?
Visit the Glycaemic Index Foundation of South Africa’s website: www.gifoundation.com

Content sponsored by Kellogg’s