Prof Jennie Brand-Miller answers your questions
Prof Jennie Brand-Miller
I’m an avid cook, and I often make my own bread, pancakes, muffins, cookies, and other baked goods. 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 fifty-gram portions of raw flour! What we do know, however, is that many bakery products such as scones, pastries, and cakes made from fine flours, whether white or whole wheat, are quickly digested and absorbed. However, some products also made with fine flours, such as crackers and noodles, are often low GI. The final GI of products made with flour is unpredictable. With your own baking, try to increase the soluble fiber content by partially replacing flour with oat bran, rice bran, or rolled oats.
New GI values from SUGiRS
Low GI belVita Breakfast will help you kick start your day
Breakfast matters. It boots up your metabolism, helps you concentrate better and generally gets the day off to a good start without mid-morning hunger pangs (and munchies) or hitting the wall by lunchtime. Other benefits include better blood glucose and cholesterol levels and improved insulin sensitivity. belVita Breakfast (Kraft Foods Australia) is a new range of European-style biscuits specially designed to fit with busy lifestyles and that the hectic morning rush hour so many adults face each day. And because they are low GI, you get the extra benefits of their slow release smart carbs that release glucose gradually into the bloodstream. You can enjoy them at home with a piece of fruit and glass of skim milk (or cup of tea or coffee), grab a pack as you head out the door or have them at your desk with a tub of yoghurt as you start your day. Per serving, they are a useful source of wholegrain cereals and fibre with around 4g protein. Here’s the current range with their GI values, carb content (rounded) and kilojoules per serving (four biscuits):
- belVita Breakfast Milk & Cereals – GI 45, 35g carbs, 960kJ
- belVita Breakfast Fruit & Fibre – GI 47, 32g carbs, 940kJ
- belVita Breakfast Crunchy Oats – GI 54, 34g carbs, 960kJ
7 GUMPs (growing up milk powders)
Sydney University GI Research Services recently tested a range of GUMPS from Malaysia and Indonesia. The range in GI and GL values (per serve, or 1 cup) was surprisingly large:
- Annum Essential 1+ – GI 23; GL per serving 3
- Enfagrow A+ – GI 43; GL per serving 10
- Nutrilon Royal – GI 51; GL per serving 15.5
- Enfakid A+ Step 3 – GI 55; GL per serving 14
- S-26 Procal Gold Step 3 – GI 55; GL per serving 15
- Dumex Mamil Gold 3 – GI 66; GL per serving 19
- Dutch Lady 1,2,3 – GI 68; GL per serving 16
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
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