Glycemic Index - Is That Banana Really Going To Make You Fat?
Attention - Don't Read This If You Don't Want To Lose Weight!
Paleo Meals are generally low carb, high protein meals. Everybody has heard of low carb diets and due to this the Paleo Diet sometimes gets a bad rep. Some say low carb diets work at the beginning, but fail when weight gain shows it's face again.
It seems pretty obvious that when a person stops eating a healthy diet any weight that was lost will return. Even low carb diets and the Paleo Diet will fall victim to that. It's not magic. It's a lifestyle change.
In order to understand why low carb diets work, it's important to understand how carbs work within the human body.
Carbohydrates are categorized by the number of sugar units it’s made of as all carbs are ultimately broken down to sugar.
Carbs = Sugar. OK.
The more molecules the carbohydrate has, the lower the food is on the glycemic index list (as it is more work for our bodies to digest). Sugar and refined carbohydrates are often categorized as simple carbs, while fibrous foods are categorized as complex carbs (potatoes, rice, and vegetables).
The complex carbs have more sugar units and fiber, which makes them harder to breakdown. A refined cracker is much easier for our body to digest than a spear of asparagus, therefor it is higher on the Glycemic Index Scale.
A High Glycemic Index is bad, while a low GI food will maintain steady glucose levels = good. The beautiful thing about the Paleo Diet is that all of the foods included are relatively low on the glycemic index, and the ones that aren’t have a low glycemic load (get to that in a minute) which makes them ok to eat!
It seems pretty obvious that when a person stops eating a healthy diet any weight that was lost will return. Even low carb diets and the Paleo Diet will fall victim to that. It's not magic. It's a lifestyle change.
In order to understand why low carb diets work, it's important to understand how carbs work within the human body.
Carbohydrates are categorized by the number of sugar units it’s made of as all carbs are ultimately broken down to sugar.
Carbs = Sugar. OK.
The more molecules the carbohydrate has, the lower the food is on the glycemic index list (as it is more work for our bodies to digest). Sugar and refined carbohydrates are often categorized as simple carbs, while fibrous foods are categorized as complex carbs (potatoes, rice, and vegetables).
The complex carbs have more sugar units and fiber, which makes them harder to breakdown. A refined cracker is much easier for our body to digest than a spear of asparagus, therefor it is higher on the Glycemic Index Scale.
A High Glycemic Index is bad, while a low GI food will maintain steady glucose levels = good. The beautiful thing about the Paleo Diet is that all of the foods included are relatively low on the glycemic index, and the ones that aren’t have a low glycemic load (get to that in a minute) which makes them ok to eat!
Why High GI Foods Will Make You Fat
When sugar or starch is eaten, both are broken down into glucose which signals a message to release insulin, the muscle building (or fat) hormone that takes glucose from the cell and uses for energy. If there is too much glucose in the blood and no exercise, the body will store the energy in the liver/muscles, and once that's full, onto your stomach as fat!
Fiber on the other hand is harder for our bodies to break down so our bodies must work to digest them.
Fibrous foods tend to be low on the glycemic index chart because of this. Through the digestion process, fiber also helps our body in flushing out waste products and can reduce the glycemic load of a meal (as does protein since it is slow absorbing). |
Glycemic Index Vs Glycemic Load
While the Glycemic Index shows how quickly the carbohydrates will be converted to sugar, the Glycemic Load is a better indicator of how it will raise blood glucose levels.
The Glycemic Load looks at the actual carb content in the food, demonstrating how large of an effect the Glycemic Index will play within our bodies.
For example, watermelon is high on the Glycemic Index Chart, however the carb content is low, so the glycemic load is low! Carbs that have a low glycemic load are more likely to maintain steady glucose levels!
The Glycemic Load looks at the actual carb content in the food, demonstrating how large of an effect the Glycemic Index will play within our bodies.
For example, watermelon is high on the Glycemic Index Chart, however the carb content is low, so the glycemic load is low! Carbs that have a low glycemic load are more likely to maintain steady glucose levels!
Glycemic Index Chart
If you were to just look at the Glycemic Index, it is obvious that the grain/rice foods are high on the scale, however there are also fruits showing up that look as is they could potentially add fat to your @$$.
If you take a look at the Glycemic Load Chart the picture becomes more clear; White rice, corn flakes, and the bagel are clearly the foods that stick out. Many of the fruits that looked bad from the GI (Glycemic Index), don't necessarily have a high Glycemic Load!
If you take a look at the Glycemic Load Chart the picture becomes more clear; White rice, corn flakes, and the bagel are clearly the foods that stick out. Many of the fruits that looked bad from the GI (Glycemic Index), don't necessarily have a high Glycemic Load!
About That Banana...
So will a banana a day really make you fat? Well, compared to it's fruit friends, it has twice the glycemic load. Is weight loss your primary goal?
If yes, you might want to skip the banana. If not, chow it down.
Take the Glycemic Index and Load with a grain of salt - it doesn't show everything - but it does show how simple carbs can raise your insulin levels through the roof!
If yes, you might want to skip the banana. If not, chow it down.
Take the Glycemic Index and Load with a grain of salt - it doesn't show everything - but it does show how simple carbs can raise your insulin levels through the roof!