![[COLLAGE]](http://www.glycemicindex.com/blog/2011/dec2011/collage.jpg)
Low GI diet, with or without a change in weight, is good for overall health
A randomised controlled trial from the Diogenes study published in Circulation indicates that eating a low GI diet, with or without a change in weight, is good for your overall health and will help prevent the diseases that are linked to inflammation (obesity, diabetes, heart disease, cancer, arthritis). It’s a rather technical report, so we asked Prof Jennie Brand-Miller to explain the results for GI News readers. ‘Inflammation is the result of oxidative stress in the cells,’ she says. ‘Having too much glucose makes the cells see ‘red’. It is well known, that weight loss will reduce inflammation and risk of developing such diseases, now we know that a low GI diet alone (with or without weight loss) will reduce inflammation and risk of inflammatory diseases.’
Regularly eating fish linked to lower diabetes and cardiovascular risk
People who regularly eat fish as their primary source of animal protein have lower blood glucose concentrations and a reduced risk of developing type 2 diabetes are the findings of a study published in Nutrición Hospitalaria, whereas consuming red meat, especially cured meats is related to increased weight gain and obesity. Mercedes Sotos Prieto, lead author of the study which forms part of the Prevention with a Mediterranean Diet study explains how ‘in Mediterranean countries, consumption of foods that typically form part of the diet here has decreased in recent decades. The consumption of saturated fats mainly from red meats and industrial baking has increased and this is really worrying.’ The researcher points out that ‘the red meat consumption of the sample population reaches an average of once a day, which is high in comparison to dietary recommendations.’ Conducted in the Valencian Community on 945 people (340 men and 605 women) between 55 and 80 years of age, the aim of the study was to understand dietary patterns in terms of meat and fish consumption and the correlation between the Mediterranean diet and its association with CVD risk factors.
‘Various hypotheses have been put forward that attempt to explain why the consumption of fish can be related to diabetes,’ they explain. ‘The increase of omega-3 in the cells of the skeletal muscles improves insulin sensitivity.’
AMD-like lesions delayed in mice fed lower GI diet![[ALAN]](http://www.glycemicindex.com/blog/2011/dec2011/TaylorAllen125.jpg)
Prof Allen Taylor
Feeding older mice a lower GI diet delays the onset of age-related, sight-threatening retinal lesions, according to a new study from the Laboratory for Nutrition and Vision Research at Tufts University. We usually prefer to stick to clinical trials and epidemiological studies in humans in GI News, but this research in Aging Cell appears to establish the first mature, mammalian model indicating a delay in the development of AMD-like lesions as the result of a lower GI diet. Prof Allen Taylor says: ‘The only difference between the two groups of mice we studied is the GI of their meals, which suggests that diet alone is enough to accelerate or delay the formation of lesions. These results, coupled with similar observations made by our laboratory in earlier human epidemiologic studies imply that lower GI diets hold potential as an early intervention for preventing onset and progress of AMD.’
The researchers studied middle-aged and older mice that consumed either a higher or lower GI diet. Mice fed the lower GI diet developed fewer and less-severe age-related lesions in the retina than the mice fed the higher GI diet. Compared to the mice on the lower GI diet, mice on the higher GI diet demonstrated elevated accumulations of debris known as advanced glycation end products (AGEs) in the whole retina, particularly in the cells of the RPE (retinal pigment epithelium). The RPE plays a crucial role in maintaining vision and its dysfunction results in the gradual central vision loss that is the hallmark of AMD. AGE accumulation has also been linked to tissue damage in other age-related diseases such as Type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease.
Holiday cooking with Carisma
Australia’s versatile low GI spud is back in Coles supermarkets (sorry not yet Tasmania) ready for all your holiday cooking for family and friends through December and January. Here at GI News we are tossing up between Roasted Potato Salad with Capers and Turmeric Roasted Potatoes both from the Monday Morning Cooking Club cookbook.
Sadly, there are always naysayers even about spuds! ‘Potato farmer Dave’ posted a comment on Catherine Saxelby’s website review of Carisma potatoes claiming that ‘Carisma is not a potato variety but simply a clever but simple marketing trick of the potato company that sells them to Coles’. Sorry Dave, you are so wrong. Carisma is an Australian first. It is a distinct variety of potato owned by Agrico (a Dutch seed production company) and all the development (several years of it) was done here in Australia by the Mitolo Group with constant GI testing carried out by SUGiRS. If you want to know more about this low GI spud, check out Catherine’s independent Foodwatch Review and see her answer to potato farmer Dave HERE. Tasmania – you’ll have Carisma spuds in your Coles supermarkets early in 2012.
Helping Australian consumers make better choices
Easier-to-understand nutritional labelling for consumers and greater restrictions on the health claims that can be made about that food are among the Australian Government’s response to a national Review of Food Labelling Law and Policy. You can read the full press release HERE. The Government proposes:
The scoop on staying on the health track over the holidays
Emma Stirling APD
As we enter the home stretch to the holidays, tis the season to be jolly and cocktail parties, neighbourhood gatherings, work functions and backyard BBQs crowd our calendars, just as leftovers crowd our fridge and pantry. So, how can you stay on the health track with all this abundance? And what’s the smart approach to leftovers and food gifts? Here's the scoop.
Be a host, with the most When you plan your party aim for quality not quantity. Indulging your guests with seafood may be more expensive than a bowl of chips or crackers and high fat dip, but if it’s a special occasion the investment in your health goals is worth it. If you plan a right size portion of each course for each guest, you can stay on budget and not have leftovers to tempt you. Pass on the big plates. Your favourite salads look stunning served in a drinking glass with a dessert fork at party time, just as I did for my recipe for Hot smoked salmon and freekeh nicoise.
Bring a (healthy) plate A common holiday eating trap is the family and neighbourhood get-together. Everyone is so willing to bring a dessert, dip or dish that there is often way too much (rich and creamy) food on offer, not to mention a fridge groaning with leftovers. So tell your host that you will bring your signature Moroccan chickpea salad or our Low GI, Carisma potato salad with lemon yogurt dressing. You can then skip the creamy coleslaw and creamy pasta salad and fill half your plate with veggies (even if your brought them yourself!)
Let it go Pass on the cute-shaped shortbreads and mince pies and make your own gifts like preserved lemons, herb vinegars, lovely fruit baskets with a sprinkling of exotic nuts or grow-your-own pots of culinary herbs.
Stay safe Christmas is a high risk time for food poisoning, especially in places where summer heat can affect perishable, party food quickly. You need to take special care preparing food for young children, pregnant women, the elderly and anyone whose immune system may be compromised. Follow the golden rules of food safety: use separate cutting boards and utensils for raw meats and defrost meat and poultry in the fridge or butchers cool room; transfer perishable food in an esky or icebox; keep food in the fridge until the last minute or pull out small serves throughout the party; refrigerate leftovers as quickly as possible and use within 2-3 days, discarding any items that have been on the kitchen bench or buffet too long. Get creative with your leftover ham or turkey, like in our recipe for Turkey and bean chili with avocado salsa or Cajun stuffed peppers, and you’ll sail into the New Year in great shape.
Emma Stirling is an Accredited Practising Dietitian and health writer with over ten years experience writing for major publications. She is editor of The Scoop on Nutrition – a blog by expert dietitians. Check it out for hot news bites and a healthy serve of what’s in flavour.
American dietitian and author of Good Carbs, Bad Carbs, Johanna Burani, shares favourite recipes with a low or moderate GI from her Italian kitchen. For more information, check out Johanna's website. The photographs are by Sergio Burani. His food, travel and wine photography website is photosbysergio.com.
![[JOHANNA]](http://www.glycemicindex.com/blog/2008/sept08/joanna175.jpg)
Cheese-filled leek cannelloni
This is my friend Vanda’s recipe. She was served this unusual ‘primo piatto’ at a restaurant in the mountains well above her village in northern Italy. She replicated it perfectly (she says) at home and has shared it with me. And now I’m sharing it with you. Buon appetito! Serves 4 (2 pieces each).
4 long cleaned leeks, white parts only
120g/4oz gorgonzola dolce (sweet), at room temperature
120g/4oz part-skim ricotta
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp Italian seasoned breadcrumbs
2 tbsp grated parmigiano reggiano cheese
Cut the leeks in half so you have 8 pieces, each approximately 10cm/4in long. Steam for approximately 25 minutes or until the leeks are very soft but still holding their shape. Remove from heat and allow to cool. Carefully cut through the outer layers and gently open. Do not cut through all the layers. Depending on how thick each leek is, separate the layers and lay them on a flat surface, overlapping 3–4 layers on each other.
Prepare the filling by mixing together the cheeses in a small bowl, using a fork to smooth.
Divide the filling among the prepared leek layers and gently roll to close.
Place the cannelloni, cut side down, in a shallow, oven-proof casserole dish, previously sprayed with vegetable oil. Drizzle the olive oil over the top of the leeks, then sprinkle the breadcrumbs and the grated cheese. Grill/broil 10cm/4in from the grill for 5–6 minutes or until the leeks are golden brown. Serve immediately.
Per serve
Energy: 880kJ/210cals; Protein 11g; Fat 15g (includes 8g saturated fat and 33mg cholesterol); Available carbohydrate 3g; Fibre 1g
Cut back on the food bills and enjoy fresh-tasting, easily prepared, seasonal, satisfying and delicious low or moderate GI meals that don’t compromise on quality and flavour one little bit with this Money Saving Meals recipe from Ian Hemphill's Just Add Spice (with Lyndey Milan and published by Penguin/Lantern). For more recipes check out the Money Saving Meal website.
Baharat beef with olives.
1 tbsp olive oil
3–4 cloves garlic, chopped
1kg (2lb 4oz) lean beef, cubed
5 tsp baharat spice mix
400g (14oz) can whole peeled tomatoes
½ cup (125ml) dry red wine
12 pitted black olives
Salt
Mashed Carisma potatoes (4), to serve
Preheat the oven to 120ºC/250ºF (100ºC/210ºF fan-forced.
Heat the oil in a medium, heavy-based flameproof casserole dish over medium–low heat and soften the garlic. Do not brown.
Toss the cubes of meat in the baharat spice mix. Increase the heat to medium, add the beef to the casserole dish and cook briefly until sealed on all sides. Add the tomatoes wine, olives and ½ cup (125ml) water. Season to taste with salt if desired, but keep in mind that the olives are salty so you may not need much. Stir frequently and bring to a gentle simmer, then cover and cook in the oven for 2½–3 hours until the beef is very tender. Serve over a scoop of well-mashed potatoes with a salad on the side.
Just Add Spice (and baharat spice mix) is available from Herbies.
Per serve (for 6 serves without the mashed potato)
Energy: 1700kJ/400cals; Protein 38g; Fat 11g (includes 4g saturated fat and 100mg cholesterol); Available carbohydrate 28g; Fibre 3.5g
Honey baked salmon
The salmon is smothered in an aromatic mixture of honey, fresh garlic and ginger, soy sauce, coarse grain mustard, and balsamic vinegar in this fabulously simple and delicious recipe from Azmina Govindji, nutrition consultant for the Ismaili Nutrition Centre. Azmina recommends serving it on a bed of brown rice with a crisp green salad, and for that really special occasion, partnering it up with asparagus tips. Serves 2.
1 heaped tsp honey
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
2 tbsp light soy sauce
1–2 tsp coarse grain mustard
2 garlic cloves, crushed
2cm/3/4in chunks fresh ginger, chopped
2 tbsp finely chopped fresh coriander leaves
1 tsp chopped fresh green chillies (optional)
2 salmon fillets, each about 120g/4oz
Mix together all of the ingredients except the salmon. Marinate the salmon fillets in this mixture and set them aside for half an hour (if you have time).
Place the fillets with the marinade on a lightly greased baking tray and cook in an oven preheated to 200°C (400°F) or gas mark 6 for 10–12 minutes until just cooked.
Azmina Govindji is a Registered Dietitian and TV Nutritionist (as seen on The One Show, The Wright Stuff and This Morning). she is Media Spokesperson for British Dietetic Association and NHS Choices. Find her at twitter.com/AzminaNutrition
Per serve (without the brown rice and salad)
Energy: 880kJ/232cals; Protein 25g; Fat 13g (includes 2g saturated fat and 33mg cholesterol); Available carbohydrate 3.5g; Fibre negligible
Blood orange compote
This light, not too sweet, slightly acidic and low GI dessert makes the perfect finishing note to a big meal. The Monday Morning Cooking Club team agreed to share it with GI News readers for this special holiday fare edition. The recipe was contributed by Barbara Solomon who has been making it for years for her family and friends having adapted it way back from one she found in Janet Fletcher’s Fresh from the Farmers’ Market. Serves 6–8.
6–8 large blood or navel oranges (or a mixture of both
¾ cup LogiCane or table sugar
1 cup dry white wine
1 cinnamon stick
2–3 cloves
2 thin (5mm) slices peeled fresh ginger, lightly smashed
1 cup water
Remove 4 wide strips of peel from 1 orange, making sure there is no pith, and reserve. Cut a thin slice off the top and bottom of each orange. Using a small paring knife, slice off the peel and pith. Cut between the membranes to remove the segments and place in a serving bowl. Alternatively, cut the peeled oranges into 5mm (1/8in) thick slices.
Combine, in a saucepan, the remaining ingredients plus the reserved strips of orange peel. Bring to the boil and simmer on medium heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar, for 10–15 minutes, or until the liquid is reduced to 1 ½ cups (375ml). Strain the hot syrup and pour over the fruit, adding the cinnamon stick to the fruit. Leave to cool. Cover and refrigerate for several hours or overnight. Serve chilled.
The Monday Morning Cooking Club started back in 2006 when 6 Jewish women who live in Sydney came together on a Monday morning to share recipes and talk about food. What started as an idea to raise money for charity (over $230,000 to date), grew into a project to document their community’s somewhat obsessive relationship with food, and became a beautifully photographed (by Alan Benson) book with 100 recipes from 65 ‘contributing cooks’. It’s available from their website HERE.
Per serve (based on 8 servings using 8 oranges)
Energy: 750kJ/180cals; Protein 2g; Fat 0.5g (includes 0.1g saturated fat and 0mg cholesterol); Available carbohydrate 35g; Fibre 4g
Baked fruit medley
This deliciously simple baked fruit medley from Catherine Saxelby and Jennene Plummer’s Zest cookbook (Hardie Grant) makes a fabulous finish to festive fare. When stone fruit is in season, Jennene suggests you ring the changes and top a selection of peaches, nectarines, apricots or plums with flaked almonds and bake for 15–20 minutes. Serves 4–6
¼ cup pure maple syrup
30g/1oz light margarine
1 tbsp brown sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon
3 green apples, quartered (retain skin and core)
3 pears, quartered (retain skin and core)
200g/7oz dried figs or the softer dessert figs
3 stalks rhubarb, trimmed and sliced
low-fat ice cream to serve
Preheat the oven to 180ºC (350ºF).
Combine the maple syrup, margarine, sugar and cinnamon in a small saucepan. Heat gently, stirring, until melted and well combined.
Arrange the apples, pears and figs in a baking dish. Pour in the syrup and toss gently so the fruit is evenly coated.Bake for 15 minutes. Add the rhubarb to the dish, stirring in gently so it is coated with syrup. Bake for a further 10–15 minutes until the fruit is tender. Serve warm with a scoop of low-fat ice cream.
Zest is available from Catherine’s website, Foodwatch.
Per serve (including 1 scoop low fat ice cream)
Energy: 1325kJ/315cals; Protein 3g; Fat 5g (includes 1g saturated fat); Available carbohydrate 63g; Fibre 10g
![[NICOLE]](http://www.glycemicindex.com/blog/2007/dec2007/nicole125.jpg)
Nicole Senior
Myth: Festive overeating is harmless.
Fact: Festive overeating can have adverse health consequences. It’s time to outsmart our primitive instincts and engage higher order thinking about how much we eat during the holidays.
The holiday season is rapidly approaching and chief cooks in households around the world are starting to think about what festive fare to serve family and friends (of course the better organised ones have already made the Christmas puddings, mince pies and cakes). Serving the special foods that are part of your cultural traditions is part of the ritual and something everyone looks forward to. In my family, ensalada rusa (Spanish potato salad) will always be on the buffet table along with other traditional Spanish and Aussie Christmas fare. It's all so tempting, it's hard not to overfill your plate ...
However, is it really harmful? Well, professor of nutrition and psychiatry at Tufts University Susan Roberts reports Americans gain an average of between five and eight pounds in the short interval between Thanksgiving and the New Year (just one month). I’d bet most of that stays put after the Christmas tree is packed away.
The big problem these days with our festive fare is the the holiday season seems to have spread way beyond that special Christmas eve dinner or Christmas lunch with parties and celebrations galore, each vying for your eating affections. However each time you overload your system with excessive food, it’s akin to metabolic assault: your blood becomes milky with fat (post-prandial lipaemia); glucose, insulin levels and inflammatory hormones rise; your blood vessels become less flexible (called endothelial dysfunction) and your blood becomes more likely to clot (or pro-thrombotic). Unfortunately for those with diabetes or pre-diabetes, these adverse effects are worse.
And did you know that rather than signalling the body to ease-off at subsequent meals, huge meals actually increase appetite for the next meal perpetuating a vicious cycle of overeating (people often say their stomach has stretched). Eating high GI foods makes things worse. It’s no wonder emergency rooms experience a rush of cardiac patients on Christmas and Boxing Day.
Surely it’s time to move on? The planet can no longer sustain such excess and our physical health is suffering as a result. Here are some tips to help you resist the pull of festive overeating and holiday weight gain:
WHAT to eat
![[ALAN]](http://www.glycemicindex.com/blog/2009/april2009/alan125.jpg)
Dr Alan Barclay
Celebrating the low GI way
You don’t have to forsake all of your favourite foods to avoid the battle of the bulge. Watching the amount of food you eat and swapping rich and fatty high GI foods for healthy low GI alternatives will help keep you on an even keel over the festive season. Here are some practical tips for the big day:
Main course | Serve size |
Roast turkey breast with | 1 large slice |
Baked ham, or | 1 large slice |
Honey and oregano roasted leg of lamb | 1 large slice |
Your favourite fish or seafood (avoid deep fried or battered varieties) | 1 piece fish or |
|
|
Starchy sides (a generous ‘scoop’ is about ½ cup) |
|
Vegetable roasties (see recipe below), or | 1 generous scoop |
Blu Gourmet pearl couscous salad with vegetables and cashew nuts and sesame dressing, or | 1 generous scoop |
Baked, boiled or steamed Carisma potatoes, or | 1–2 potatoes |
Potato (made with Carisma potatoes), rice, pasta or couscous salad with vinaigrette dressing, or | 1 generous scoop |
Bean, lentil or corn salad with vinaigrette dressing | 1 generous scoop |
|
|
Plus non-starchy veggies (as much as you like, but hold the creamy dressings and sauces) |
|
Mixed garden salad | As much as you like |
Green vegetables | As much as you like |
|
|
Dessert |
|
Pavlova with light whipped cream, sliced strawberries, bananas, grapes, kiwifruit and passion fruit, or | 1 small piece |
Trifle with sponge finger biscuits, diet jelly, low fat yogurt with strawberries and blueberries on top and 99% fat free fromage frais, or | 1 small serve |
Vanilla pannacotta with strawberry salsa | 1 small serve |
Prof Jennie Brand-Miller answers your questions
Prof Jennie Brand-Miller
I’m an avid cook, and I love December’s festive fare from the shaped special biscuits to Christmas cake and pudding and mince pies. Which flours, if any, are low GI?
To date there are no GI values for any raw flours of any kind – whether milled from wheat, soy, rice or other grains. This is because the GI rating of a food must be determined physiologically (in real people). So far we haven’t had volunteers willing to consume 50-gram portions of raw flour! What we do know, however, is that many bakery products such as scones, cakes, pikelets and crumpets made from fine flours, whether white or wholemeal, are quickly digested and absorbed. However, some products also made with fine flours, such as biscuits, are often low GI. Here at SUGiRS, we have even tested a low GI Christmas cake and low GI rum balls! So, the final GI of products made with flour is unpredictable.
With your own baking, what I suggest is that you try to increase the soluble fibre content by partially replacing flour with oat bran, psyllium or rolled oats. Of course for Christmas cake and pudding, you can also help lower the overall GI by adding lots of dried fruit. And if you like in Australia, make sure you use LogiCane, the low GI sugar. And keep those portions moderate as it’s really the calories that are the problem with these treat foods!
GI testing by an accredited laboratory North America
Dr Alexandra Jenkins
Glycemic Index Laboratories
20 Victoria Street, Suite 300
Toronto, Ontario M5C 298 Canada
Phone +1 416 861 0506
Email info@gilabs.com
Web www.gilabs.com
Australia
Fiona Atkinson
Research Manager, Sydney University Glycemic Index Research Service (SUGiRS)
Human Nutrition Unit, School of Molecular and Microbial Biosciences
Sydney University
NSW 2006 Australia
Phone + 61 2 9351 6018
Fax: + 61 2 9351 6022
Email sugirs@mmb.usyd.edu.au
Web www.glycemicindex.com
See The New Glucose Revolution on YouTube
Subscribe - it's free!
To subscribe to GI News, simply click on the SUBSCRIBE link in the top right-hand column. Help us be sure our email newsletter isn’t filtered as spam. Add "gifeedback@gmail.com" to your address book to ‘whitelist’ us with your filter, helping future issues of GI News get to your inbox.
Help us get the GI on more foods
To help bring more healthy Low GI foods to your local supermarket:
1. Buy products that carry the Certified Low GI symbol. They are delicious and healthy, and their sales support us.
2. Write a thank you email to the manufacturers’ of healthy low GI foods customer care departments to help ensure that they continue to bring healthy products to market.
3. Call or email manufacturers encouraging them to join the GI Symbol Program
Your questions answered
If you have posted a question in GI News, be assured that the GI Group will answer this as soon as possible. We welcome your views about our articles and other reader’s suggestions. Please POST your comments and questions on the site.
Want to search past issues of GI News?
Want to search the GI News Archive for a particular topic, food or recipe? Make the most of our search feature with Google. Simply enter the term in the space provided and press SEARCH.
Want to print a copy of this GI News edition?
Download and print the PDF.
Copyright
This website and all information, data, documents, pages and images it contains is copyright under the Copyright Act 1968 (Commonwealth of Australia) (as amended) and the copyright laws of all member countries of the Berne Union and the Universal Copyright Convention.
Copyright in the website and in material prepared by GI News is owned by GI News, Human Nutrition Unit, University of Sydney. Copyright in quotations, images from published works and photo libraries, and materials contributed by third parties including our regular contributors Alan Barclay, Jennie Brand-Miller, Johanna Burani, Diane Temple, Emma Stirling and Nicole Senior is owned by the respective authors or agencies, as credited.
GI News encourages the availability, dissemination and exchange of public information. You may include a link to GI News on your website. You may also copy, distribute, display, download and otherwise freely deal only with material owned by GI News, on the condition that you include the copyright notice “© GI News, Human Nutrition Unit, University of Sydney” on all uses and prominently credit the source as being GI News.
You must, however, obtain permission from GI News if you wish to do the following:
![[COLLAGE]](http://www.glycemicindex.com/blog/2011/nov2011/collage.jpg)
Fiona Atkinson talks to Prof David Jenkins on GI, diet and longterm health
'I recently had a great opportunity to talk to Professor David Jenkins (a professor in the Departments of Medicine and Nutritional Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, a staff physician in the Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism, and the Director of the Clinical Nutrition and Risk Factor Modification Center, St. Michael's Hospital) to find out where the science of GI started. But we didn’t just cover GI but also other hot topics in nutrition such as vegetarian/vegan diets!'
Professor David Jenkins
FA: Did you have any idea at the time that the implications of your research and the paper Glycaemic index of foods: a physiological basis for carbohydrate exchange would be so far reaching?
DJ: We thought it would be broad because diabetes was linked with heart disease, renal disease, and with blindness. We didn’t want to even speculate how far this was going to go. We thought it was important because it was looking at diet from the physiological point of view and not simply from the chemical point of view.
FA: These days it typically takes 6 months for a paper to be reviewed/amended and then accepted for publication. Were there any challenges getting the study published at the time?
DJ: You’d be surprised, really surprised but Ted Van Itallie, who was editor of AJCN, a really nice guy and well known in terms of his work on obesity accepted the paper we sent him without revision and published it! Never before nor since have I had that treatment. The next surprise was that we got no requests for reprints, it was absolutely unnoticed for the next year. It was accepted without comment and without criticism, it was published and it was ignored.
FA: What did you do to follow up?
DJ: The data in the original publication included many studies, so we broke out many of the things already imbedded in it and started showing that pulses (beans, peas and lentils), were low GI foods; that cereal fibre didn’t necessarily make a difference and wheat fibre only made a small difference, which was again a surprise; and that pasta was different from bread. We must have done some self promotion and we referenced the original paper to make people aware that we made these discoveries before. I think people started to become interested in fibre or pasta or beans and I think that meant that there was a general interest. Out of all the papers that I’ve written and published, it’s had the slowest generation of interest but on the other hand it’s had the most sustained [interest].
FA: What do you see as the short term and long term benefits of adopting a low GI diet to prevent or treat disease.
DJ: I think that keeping glycemia under control stops you from stressing your pancreas, stops you from getting too much free radical damage and stops you from oxidising LDL [cholesterol], and stops you from glycating your haemoglobin. All these things may in the end have adverse consequences. Do I think that it matters that sleek, lean athletes who haven’t got an ounce of fat on their body, who’s blood glucose profile is flat and rarely raises above baseline are people on low GI diets. No – I think they can have high GI foods all the time and they can do what they like in life but in fact they don’t because by definition they’re trained athletes, by definition they’re incredibly disciplined, by definition they eat regularly and they exercise hard – they burn all their calories. So by definition they’re not slouches. But for the rest of us, mere mortals who don’t take any exercise and eat too much, watch too much television and do too much in front of computers and perhaps are driven to smoke – we really need to start thinking about how we are going to look after ourselves. We are becoming increasingly the norm, in fact we are the norm – the human greyhound is the abnormal person now.
FA: If you were going to give someone tips for the best things they could do for their longterm health, reducing disease risk even for the health of the planet and sustainability?
DJ: I think the first tip is focus on plant foods. The next tip is look at higher protein plus or minus the higher vegetable oil/vegetable protein foods such as nuts and legumes. Leafy vegetables are actually high in protein with very little fat and carbohydrate so these are useful. I think fruit is … should be the pleasure in life. Temperate climate fruit have a low GI so if you’re a little more overweight or a little insulin resistant you may have to forgo too many mangoes or too many bananas. Stick to apples, pears, peaches, blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, strawberries – the berries – are generally good, I think that’s important. Obviously if you’re eating well, you must exercise well to the best of your ability – that’s important and often overlooked.
FA: What do you see as the benefit of going meatless?
DJ: I think the benefits are basically on an humanitarian perspective – I used to put that as a sort of rider at the end but I think now it’s becoming the first issue as human beings. Second, I think one has to think of the environmental issues. They always say it’s a ten to one ratio for plant based diet versus an animal based diet in terms of land consumption, water usage, which is obviously a problem in many places, and basically environmental impact and environmental degradation. We cannot afford to have the whole planet geared to feeding cattle that feed us, this seems to be an insanity that we accept because it’s palatable. I think those are really strong reasons. I think that if one is sensible and one watches B12 and one’s diet, one can live very well on a vegetarian or vegan diet.
Fiona Atkinson
Babies and blood glucose
In a review in The British Journal of Nutrition of the current literature on maternal glycemia and the role of the dietary GI and its impact on pregnancy outcomes, the authors conclude: ‘Data from clinical studies in healthy pregnant women have documented that consuming a low-GI diet during pregnancy reduces peaks in postprandial glucose levels and normalises infant birth weight. Pregnancy is a physiological condition where the GI may be of particular relevance as glucose is the primary fuel for fetal growth.’
Prof Jennie Brand-Miller explains. ‘A woman’s body changes during pregnancy to ensure a steady supply of glucose to her baby,’ she says. ‘Glucose is the main fuel the baby uses to grow and it crosses freely from mother to baby through the placenta. How much glucose the baby receives depends directly on the mother’s blood glucose level and the rate of placental blood flow. If a woman’s blood glucose level is high, then higher levels of glucose will also be transferred to her baby. Babies make their own insulin from about 15 weeks to handle glucose. So the extra glucose stimulates the baby’s pancreas to make extra insulin. The extra glucose is metabolised and stored, making the baby grow bigger and fatter than normal. The good news for pregnant women is that by treating elevated glucose levels during pregnancy, the risk of any problems drops considerably. And this is where the GI comes to the fore. Foods with a low GI typically evoke a lower rise in blood glucose levels, making maintenance of normal glucose levels easier.’
Physical activity matters for managing BGLs
When healthy young people cut back their physical activity by about half for three days, they doubled their postprandial glucose responses to their meals according to findings of a study in Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise. ‘We now have evidence that physical activity is an important part of the daily maintenance of glucose levels,’ says author Professor John Thyfault. ‘Even in the short term, reducing daily activity and ceasing regular exercise causes acute changes in the body associated with diabetes that can occur before weight gain and the development of obesity.’ Thyfault monitored the activity levels and diets of 12 healthy and moderately active young adults. When the participants reduced their physical activity by 50% for three days while continuing to enjoy the same diet, the continuous glucose monitors that they wore showed significantly increased levels in BGLs after meals. ‘This study shows that physical activity directly impacts health issues that are preventable,’ says Thyfault. ‘It is recommended that people take about 10,000 steps each day,’ ‘Recent evidence shows that most Americans are only taking about half of that, or 5000 steps a day. This chronic inactivity leads to impaired glucose control and increases the risk of developing diabetes.’
What’s New?
Event: World Diabetes Day is held on November 14. Each year WDD features a theme chosen by the International Diabetes Federation. The slogan chosen for this year's campaign is: Act on Diabetes. Now. Check the website to find out what’s happening.
The scoop on sugar-free foods
Emma Stirling APD
For many years people with diabetes were told to cut out sugar completely. So it’s not surprising that we saw a huge increase in the number of products, from chewing gum to yoghurt, sweetened with alternatives. But in recent times ‘sugar free’ has come under the spotlight and the story for good health, may turn out to not be as sweet.
Sugar free does not mean calorie free. Just because your chocolate bar says ‘sugar free’ doesn’t mean that it is necessarily low in calories or will miraculously help you melt that fat away. Be careful to look at the total profile of a food by reading the nutrition information panel. If you bypass this step, you may be falling into the trap of a health halo – latching on to one prominent message and giving yourself permission to overeat or over compensate. Just because you were ‘good’ and had a diet cola does not automatically make way for a ‘sugar-free’ chocolate brownie indulgence.
Other concerns over sugar-free foods have surfaced. Some researchers have suggested that foods with artificial sweeteners may trigger hunger and cravings, but more studies are needed. And nutritionists have reported caffeine addictions when people get into the habit of swilling down large quantities of diet cola beverages all day. But it’s the new insights into dental health and that ‘sugar free’ label that’s got everyone talking.
Sugar-free foods are not all tooth friendly. We know that dental cavities can form when bacteria in your mouth convert sugars into acid, which then breaks down tooth enamel. So it would make sense that sugar-free foods would be a top choice for dental health. Indeed, some alternative sweeteners like xylitol have been shown in clinical trials to be ‘tooth friendly’. The problem is that you can’t make this same assumption for all sweeteners as a group. You see another sweetener sorbitol may be converted by bacteria in your mouth to acid. Furthermore, a recent study published in the British Dental Journal has shown that many sugar-free foods may in fact have a high acid content to start with. The presence of flavours, preservatives and other additives may make the food or drink highly acidic, which would cancel out the sugar-free benefits and could still lead to dental erosion.
The scoop Don’t panic if you enjoy sugar-free foods, these are just some new insights to keep in mind when balancing your healthy choices. Enjoying a sugar-free treat with a meal, rather than on its own and regularly brushing and flossing your teeth can minimise acid contact with your teeth.
Or perhaps you can satisfy your sweet tooth with a little sugar? Many studies in the past 20 years show that a moderate amount of sugar (e.g. 30–50 grams or 6–10 teaspoons a day) does not adversely affect BGLs (if you have diabetes) nor lead to unwanted weight gain. Keep in mind, however, that this moderate amount includes all sources of refined sugar you consume over the day – white, brown, raw, treacle, golden syrup, soft drinks, desserts, cookies, breakfast cereals or a teaspoon of sugar added to a cup of tea or coffee. For a sweet, icy treat with a healthy twist, try my recipe for Yogurt Pavlova Popsicles!
Emma Stirling is an Accredited Practising Dietitian and health writer with over ten years experience writing for major publications. She is editor of The Scoop on Nutrition – a blog by expert dietitians. Check it out for hot news bites and a healthy serve of what’s in flavour.
American dietitian and author of Good Carbs, Bad Carbs, Johanna Burani, shares favourite recipes with a low or moderate GI from her Italian kitchen. For more information, check out Johanna's website. The photographs are by Sergio Burani. His food, travel and wine photography website is photosbysergio.com.
Broccoli rabe tricolore
‘Tricolore’ is how the Italians refer to their national flag. It has three colors: green white and red. And those are the colors you will see looking at you from this dish. Broccoli rabe is more popular in the US than it is in northern Italy so when I find it and make it for my friends in Friuli, they devour it! And don’t be fooled: the simplicity of this recipe belies its full-bodied taste. To clean broccoli rabe, cut away about 2cm (1in) from the bottom of the stems and remove any discolored leaves Makes 4 servings.
1 bunch broccoli rabe, cleaned
4–5 sun-dried tomatoes, cut in thin strips
¼ tsp salt
1½ tbsp good quality olive oil
30g/1oz ricotta salata, shredded
Place the broccoli rabe in a large sauté pan, add 1 cup water, cover and let simmer for approximately 8 minutes, or until stems are tender. Drain off all the water.
Add the tomatoes, salt and oil. Mix well in the pan. Transfer to serving dish. Top with prepared cheese. May be served warm or at room temperature.
Per serve
Energy: 530kJ/112cals; Protein 6g; Fat 7g (includes 1g saturated fat and 4mg cholesterol); Available carbohydrate 7g; Fibre 4g
Cut back on the food bills and enjoy fresh-tasting, easily prepared, seasonal, satisfying and delicious low or moderate GI meals that don’t compromise on quality and flavour one little bit with this Money Saving Meals dessert. For more recipes check out the Money Saving Meal website.
If you have a sweet tooth, you’ll enjoy the light and healthy sweet endings Foodwatch’s Catherine Saxelby and Woman’s Day Food Director Jennene Plummer have created in their Zest cookbook. Jennene says: ‘If you don’t use gelatine very often in your cooking, remember to let it cool to the same temperature as the yoghurt mix. This minimises the risk of lumps forming and ensures you achieve that desirable creamy smoothness.’ Serves 6
2 x 200g (7oz) tubs no-fat vanilla yoghurt
2 tbsp honey (or to taste)
½ teaspoon vanilla paste or pure vanilla extract
3 tsp gelatine
1/4 cup (60ml) just boiled water
Strawberry salsa
250g/9oz (1 punnet) strawberries, hulled and chopped
1 tbsp icing sugar
1 tbsp Grand Marnier or orange juice
Chill six 80ml (1/3 cup) moulds. Combine the yoghurt, honey and vanilla in a large mixing bowl. Dissolve the gelatine by whisking vigorously in hot water in a small jug. Allow to cool slightly.
Beat a little of the yoghurt mixture into the gelatine to equalise the temperature, then whisk this back into the yoghurt mixture until well combined. Pour into the prepared moulds and chill until almost set. Cover with plastic wrap and chill overnight.
Combine the strawberries, icing sugar and Grand Marnier (or orange juice) in a mixing bowl and toss together gently to make the salsa. Cover and chill until required.
Unmould the pannacottas by carefully running a blunt knife around the rim of each mould and then dipping them into hot water for a few seconds. Invert onto serving plates and shake firmly. Carefully lift away the moulds. Serve the pannacottas with a spoonful of strawberry salsa.
Per serve
Energy: 435kJ/104cals; Protein 6g; Negligible fat; Available carbohydrate 17g; Fibre 1g
Zest is available from Catherine’s website, Foodwatch.
Nicole Senior
Myth: Taking vitamin supplements make you healthier
Fact: Supplements are only helpful to cover deficiencies and only paper over the cracks of a poor diet. There are some health risks attached to popping nutrient pills.
This month’s topic came about after a study was published in the well-respected journal Archives of Internal Medicine that found women who took multivitamins were actually at increased risk of dying compared to those who didn’t. The researchers followed 39,000 older American women participating in the US Women’s Health Study between 1986 and 2008, and arrived at this startling conclusion after accounting for the usual lifestyle factors such as body weight, smoking, alcohol and exercise levels. They also found taking some individual nutrient supplements was risky, namely vitamin B6, folic acid, iron, magnesium, zinc and copper. On the plus side, they found taking calcium reduced risk. This is not the first study to find that taking vitamins and minerals in supplement form is not as healthy as it seems: a meta-analysis and systematic review of 68 randomised trials in JAMA found increased risk of dying from supplemental beta-carotene, vitamin A, and vitamin E.
Vitamins and mineral supplements are a massive global business and have a done a great job in convincing those of us concerned about our health that popping vitamins daily is a good idea, just in case. However research has demonstrated that people who regularly take nutrient supplements are least likely to need them. It’s the ‘worried well’ who are filling the coffers of supplement marketers. As many vitamins are water-soluble and excess is excreted: they are simply creating brightly coloured, nutrient-charged urine. Fat-soluble nutrients (e.g. vitamins A, D, E) can actually build up in the body to toxic levels.
But supplements are not all bad. Sometimes they are a good idea: for example taking folate if planning a pregnancy, calcium if don’t eat dairy, iron if you are female and vegetarian, vitamin D if you’re deficient, or fish oil if you don’t eat seafood. Supplements can be very beneficial for vulnerable groups such as the frail elderly and others who for medical reasons struggle to eat a nutritious diet. But as a general health tonic, forget it: you’re better off spending money on eating better.
Food is complex: there are thousands of phytochemicals in plant foods we haven’t even named yet, and more bio-active substances in animal foods being discovered all the time. No doubt there are synergies between nutrients and other substances in food we can only speculate about at this point in time. It really is rather arrogant of us to expect we can replicate the goodness in food and sell it in a bottle. So if you’re keen to boost your health and wellbeing, skip the vitamin store and head straight to the food market. You can get all you need and more from two fruit, five veggies, legumes, wholegrain and low GI grain foods, lean meat, eggs, poultry and seafood, reduced fat dairy, oils, spreads, nuts and seeds. If you feel you’re diet is inadequate see a dietitian (APD/RD) to find out if you need to take supplements, which ones, and how much to reduce the risk of harm and wasted money.
Nicole Senior is an Accredited Practising Dietitian and Nutritionist and author of Eat to Beat Cholesterol, Heart Food and Belly Busting for Blokes.
Dr Alan Barclay
The incredible GI journey
Research on the GI started a world-wide glucose revolution as it clearly showed that carbs didn’t affect our BGLs the way we thought they did at all. Initially freeing people with diabetes from overly restrictive diets, using the GI as a dietary tool has moved on to weight management and prevention of diabetes and heart disease. Today it's also being linked to inflammatory diseases, birth defects, memory, different types of cancer and healthy eyes. There’s even research that suggests that food ‘addiction’ is related to high blood glucose spikes. Prof Jennie Brand-Miller is currently involved in research applying low GI diets to pregnancy. Here are the some milestones in this new glucose revolution.
1977: Dr Phyllis Crapo and colleagues look at the effect of a range of different starchy foods on blood glucose and insulin levels in a group of 16 adults. When they compared the effect of a portion of food calculated to contain 50g available carbohydrate on the total area under the blood glucose and insulin curve for a period of 3 hours after eating, they found that corn and rice produced the lowest glucose and insulin response curves, and potato the highest, with bread in between.
1978: Using a similar methodology, Dr Mark Wahlqvist investigates the effect of 50g of glucose and a range of different starches on the total area under the blood glucose and insulin response curves in a group of 6 adults, for a period of 5 hours. Surprisingly to scientists and health professionals at that time, they found no differences in the glucose or insulin response between glucose and the different sized starches.
1981: Dr David Jenkins, Dr Tom Wolever and colleagues develop the concept of the glycemic index (GI). They fed groups of 5–10 healthy fasting adults, 62 commonly eaten foods each containing 50g available carbohydrate. BGLs were measured over 2 hours and expressed as a percentage of the area under the glucose response curve and compared with the same amount of carbohydrate consumed as pure glucose. Starchy vegetables like potatoes had the highest GI values (70%), followed by breakfast cereals (65%), cereal grains and biscuits (60%). Fruit (50%), dairy products (35%) and legumes (31%) had a relatively small affect on blood glucose in comparison. Despite controversial beginnings, the GI is now widely recognized as a reliable, physiologically based classification of foods according to their postprandial glycemic effect.
1994: American Diabetes Association guidelines drop specific recommendations for people with diabetes to limit the amount of ‘simple sugars’ – and most of the diabetes associations around the world quickly followed suit.
1995: Kaye Foster-Powell and Prof Jennie Brand-Miller publish the first International tables of glycemic index in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, bringing together all of the published data on the GIs of individual foods (almost 600). The tables show the GI according to the glucose and white bread standards, the type and number of subjects tested and the source of the data.
1997: WHO/FAO recommend that the terms ‘simple sugar’ and ‘complex carbohydrate’ no longer be used to describe carbohydrate foods. They recommend the use of the GI and total carbohydrate as the best guides to the effect of carbohydrate foods on blood glucose levels.
2002: Kaye Foster-Powell, Dr Susanna HA Holt and Professor Jennie Brand-Miller publish the revised International table of glycemic index and glycemic load values with almost 3 times the number of foods listed in the original table.
2007: The Cochrane Review of the evidence from randomised controlled trials on GI in the management of overweight and obesity finds that overweight or obese people on low GI diets lost more weight (measured in body mass, total fat mass and BMI) and improved their cholesterol profiles (total and LDL ‘bad’ cholesterol) more than those receiving conventional ‘healthy’ diets.
2008: The first systematic review and meta-analysis of all valid studies investigating the role of GI in the prevention of type 2 diabetes finds that high GI diets increase the risk of developing type 2 diabetes by 40%. This is comparable to the increase in the risk of developing heart disease when people consume a high saturated fat diet.
To improve the quality and quantity of GI data available for research and clinical practice, Fiona Atkinson, Kaye Foster-Powell and Prof Jennie Brand-Miller publish the International tables of glycemic index and glycemic load values: 2008 in Diabetes Care listing the GI of over 2480 individual food items.
2009: The Cochrane Review of all of the evidence from randomised controlled trials on the GI in the management of diabetes finds that the use of the GI by people with diabetes leads to a 0.5% point decrease in glycated haemoglobin, or HbA1c, above and beyond that achieved by regular healthy diets, plus it reduces the risk of hypoglycaemia. A 0.5% point decrease in HbA1c is equivalent to what many diabetic medications and insulin's can achieve, and will reduce the risk of common diabetic complications by 10%–20%.
2010: The International Standard designed to measure the glycemic index (GI) of foods (ISO 26642:2010) sets out the internationally recognised scientific method to determine the GI of foods to ensure nutrition and health claims made on food labels can be trusted and to assist food producers formulate healthier low GI products.
The DioGenes study determined that a healthy low GI diet, moderately high in protein, is the best eating plan for long-term weight management.
But while the science of GI is ongoing and can be complex, lowering the GI of your diet today isn’t. It’s really simple – you swap a high GI food for a low GI food from within food categories – a low GI bread instead of a high GI one, a low GI breakfast cereal for a high GI one. Here’s how:
The GI Symbol, making healthy low GI choices easy choices
For more information about the GI Symbol Program
Dr Alan W Barclay, PhD
Chief Scientific Officer
Glycemic Index Foundation (Ltd)
Phone: +61 (0)2 9785 1037
Mob: +61 (0)416 111 046
Fax: +61 (0)2 9785 1037
Email: alan@gisymbol.com
Website: www.gisymbol.com
Prof Jennie Brand-Miller answers your questions
Prof Jennie Brand-Miller
Can the GI be applied to everyday meals?
Criticism of the GI has focused on unpredictable outcomes of blood glucose values after meals because of variations in fat, protein and fibre content. Most of our meals consist of a variety of foods – not just a single food. Even though GI values are derived from testing single foods in isolation, we and other scientists have found that it is possible to predict the ranking of blood glucose responses among meals that consist of several foods with different GI values.
Concerned about the methodology of recent studies showing unpredictable responses, we and our co-researchers at the University of Toronto’s Department of Nutritional Sciences conducted studies with mixed meals on two groups of healthy subjects in Toronto and Sydney. We had previously done smaller studies, but we wanted to revisit the question, using more meals and variety in two different centres with judiciously selected foods. This time, 14 different test meals were used in Sydney and Toronto, and the food combinations reflected a range of typical breakfast choices.
Despite the variations in food factors, relative blood glucose responses remained consistent with GI measures. In fact, we were startled by the degree of predictability. The carbohydrate, fat and protein composition of the meals varied over a wide spectrum. The glucose responses varied over a fivefold range, and yet 90 per cent of that variation was explained by the amount of carbohydrate in the meal and the GI values of the foods as given in published GI tables. We found that the GI works just as predictably whether subjects consume a single portion of one item or a normal meal; we reported these findings in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
More recently, we systematically tested 121 single foods in 1000 kJ portions and 13 mixed meals in 2000 kJ servings. There were wide variations in carbohydrate, fat, protein and fibre content. We found that the GI and/or glycemic load were best predictors of the magnitude of hyperglycaemia and insulinemia, outstripping carbohydrate content in every instance. Indeed, among the mixed meals, carbohydrate was not even a significant predictor. These findings were also published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
Another study in a recent issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition concluded that there is substantial uncertainty in predicting the GI of mixed meals. The limitation with this study, however, is that the investigators chose to study just 3 mixed meals with a very narrow range in predicted GI (51, 53 and 63). Not surprisingly, they found that they couldn’t distinguish between the two lower GI meals. The potato meal produced the highest response as we might expect. Ideally, in studies such as this, it makes sense to study more meals across a wider spectrum of predicted GI.
New GI Values from SUGiRS
Arnott’s Vita-Weat Lunch Slices
These crispy slices make a great base for your favourite toppings for lunch or a snack. You’ll find them in supermarkets in Australia. Here are the GI values for the two flavours we tested:
Subscribe - it's free!
To subscribe to GI News, simply click on the SUBSCRIBE link in the top right-hand column. Help us be sure our email newsletter isn’t filtered as spam. Add "gifeedback@gmail.com" to your address book to ‘whitelist’ us with your filter, helping future issues of GI News get to your inbox.
Help us get the GI on more foods
To help bring more healthy Low GI foods to your local supermarket:
1. Buy products that carry the Certified Low GI symbol. They are delicious and healthy, and their sales support us.
2. Write a thank you email to the manufacturers’ of healthy low GI foods customer care departments to help ensure that they continue to bring healthy products to market.
3. Call or email manufacturers encouraging them to join the GI Symbol Program
Your questions answered
If you have posted a question in GI News, be assured that the GI Group will answer this as soon as possible. We welcome your views about our articles and other reader’s suggestions. Please POST your comments and questions on the site.
Want to search past issues of GI News?
Want to search the GI News Archive for a particular topic, food or recipe? Make the most of our search feature with Google. Simply enter the term in the space provided and press SEARCH.
Want to print a copy of this GI News edition?
Download and print the PDF.
Copyright
This website and all information, data, documents, pages and images it contains is copyright under the Copyright Act 1968 (Commonwealth of Australia) (as amended) and the copyright laws of all member countries of the Berne Union and the Universal Copyright Convention.
Copyright in the website and in material prepared by GI News is owned by GI News, Human Nutrition Unit, University of Sydney. Copyright in quotations, images from published works and photo libraries, and materials contributed by third parties including our regular contributors Alan Barclay, Jennie Brand-Miller, Johanna Burani, Diane Temple, Emma Stirling and Nicole Senior is owned by the respective authors or agencies, as credited.
GI News encourages the availability, dissemination and exchange of public information. You may include a link to GI News on your website. You may also copy, distribute, display, download and otherwise freely deal only with material owned by GI News, on the condition that you include the copyright notice “© GI News, Human Nutrition Unit, University of Sydney” on all uses and prominently credit the source as being GI News.
You must, however, obtain permission from GI News if you wish to do the following:
