GI Update

Prof Jennie Brand-Miller answers your questions


Prof Jennie Brand-Miller

My mother has been diagnosed with age-related macular degeneration and besides being told to take lutein and zeaxanthin supplements, she was advised to up her leafy green veggie intake and to eat a healthy low GI diet. Can you explain how a low GI diet would benefit your eyes?
Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) affects the central macula of the eye, leaving sufferers with only peripheral vision. The macula is the small yellowish spot in the middle of the retina that provides the greatest visual acuity and colour perception. It’s the macula that lets us to see fine detail and is critical to central vision helping us to recognise faces, drive a car, read a newspaper, or do close handwork. It is now one of the most common causes of blindness among older adults in the Western world and AMD Alliance International estimates that 25–30 million people are affected worldwide.

Researchers from Tufts and Harvard universities were the first to notice the link between GI and vision. They had followed 526 women without previous visual problems from the Nurses Health Study for ten years. At regular intervals, they assessed the nurses’ diets using a food frequency questionnaire. They found that when total carbohydrate intake was constant, consuming a high GI diet was associated with a doubling of the risk of developing AMD.

Similarly, Professor Paul Mitchell, the lead researcher of the Blue Mountains Eye Study in New South Wales, and his colleagues found that a high GI diet, but not a high carbohydrate diet, was linked to an almost 80 per cent higher risk of having age-related macular degeneration within the 10 years of the study. They also found the incidence of cataracts was higher among elderly people who chose a high GI diet.

Why the link between GI and vision? Well, the retina has among the highest supplies of blood and nutrients, including glucose, and is dependent on adequate glucose delivery from the circulation to maintain its function. Because glucose stores in the retina are negligible and there are no glucose transporters in the cell membrane, it appears that glucose levels in the retina reflect whatever level is found in the blood. High levels spell trouble because excessive uptake produces high reactive charged particles called free radicals that damage all the machinery inside the cell.

Although ‘observational’ data like these studies cannot establish that the observed association is ‘cause-and-effect’, they indicate a new direction for further studies.

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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GI News—September 2011

• Beat your metabolic rate and burn your fat stores – Prof Jennie Brand-Miller explains
• Red meat and diabetes risk
• Green vegies, dried fruit, legumes and brown rice linked to fewer colon polyps
• The scoop on vitamin D with Emma Stirling
• New GI values for meal replacement shakes, soups and bars
  

Nicole Senior's new book, Belly Busting for Blokes landed on our desk recently, so we asked her to write about why a big belly is bad for your health for Myth Busting this month. (If you are interested, the book is a fun read and very practical and we have given copies to some of our favourite blokes who are finding it a bit harder to tie their shoelaces.) Prof Jennie Brand-Miller expands on the 'belly busting' theme and explains why controlling insulin levels is important for trimming your waistline and how low GI diet can help you beat your metabolic rate and burn your fat stores. There are all our usual features of course, including three delicious 'belly busting' low GI recipes to tuck into.

Good eating, good health and good reading.

Editor: Philippa Sandall
Web management and design: Alan Barclay, PhD

Food for Thought

Beat your metabolic rate and burn your fat stores – Prof Jennie Brand-Miller explains how


Prof Jennie Brand-Miller

Our genetic make-up underlies our metabolic rate – how many kilojoules (calories) we burn per minute. Bodies, like cars, differ in this regard. A bigger body like a bigger car requires more fuel to run than a smaller one. When a car is stationary, the engine idles – using just enough fuel to keep the motor running. When we are asleep, the ‘revs’ are even lower and we use a minimum number of kilojoules. Our resting metabolic rate (RMR) – the kilojoules we burn by just lying completely at rest – is fuelling our large brain, heart and other important organs. Although the number of kilojoules (the amount of fuel we use) increases when we exercise or move around, the greatest proportion of the kilojoules we use in a 24-hour period are those we use to maintain our RMR.

Since your RMR is where most kilojoules are used, it is a significant determinant of body weight. The lower your RMR is, the greater your risk of gaining weight – and vice versa. And here’s where your genes come into the story as they determine whether you have a high or low RMR – it one of those things that does run in families. We all know someone who appears to eat like a horse but is positively thin. Almost in awe we comment on their fast metabolism, and we may not be far off the mark.

Men have a higher RMR than women because their bodies contain more muscle mass and are more expensive to run. Body fat, on the other hand, gets a free ride. These days, too many men and women have undersized muscles that hardly ever get a workout. Increasing muscle mass with weight-bearing (resistance) exercise will raise your RMR and is one of the secrets to lifelong weight control.

Interestingly, we know that our genes dictate the fuel mix we burn in the fasting state (overnight). Some of us burn more carbohydrate and less fat even though the total energy used is the same. Scientists believe that subtle deficiencies in the ability to burn fat (as opposed to carbs) lie behind most states of being overweight and obese.

Indeed, in their latest research, if you have one copy of a high risk gene called FTO, geneticists have found you are 30 per cent more likely to become overweight. If you have two copies, then you are 67 per cent more likely! That is the strongest association yet of a common gene with obesity. Unfortunately, one in six people of European descent carry two copies and are therefore more prone to gain weight in the current environment.

This doesn’t mean that if your genes are to blame you should resign yourself to being overweight too. But it may help you understand why you have to watch what you eat while other people don’t. Furthermore, the current epidemic of overweight can’t be blamed on our genes – our genes haven’t mutated in a space of 25 years, but our environment has. So while genetics writes the code, environment presses the buttons. Our current sedentary lifestyles and food choices press all the wrong buttons!

If you were born with a tendency to be overweight, what you eat matters more. Genes can be switched on or off. By being choosy about carbohydrates and fats you will maximise your insulin sensitivity, up-regulate the genes involved in burning fat and down-regulate those involved in burning carbs. By moving your fuel ‘currency exchange’ from a ‘carbohydrate economy’ to a ‘fat economy’, you increase the opportunity of depleting fat stores over carbohydrate stores. This is exactly what will happen when you begin to eat a nutritious, low GI diet.

News Briefs

Muscle up and reduce your risk of prediabetes
A recent study published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism shows that higher muscle mass (relative to body size) is associated with better insulin sensitivity and a lower risk of diabetes and prediabetes. Although previous studies have shown that very low muscle mass is a risk factor for insulin resistance, this is the first to show increasing muscle mass to average and above average levels, independent of obesity levels, would lead to improved BGLs. ‘Our findings represent a departure from the usual focus of clinicians, and their patients, on just losing weight to improve metabolic health,’ says senior author, Preethi Srikanthan. ‘Instead, this research suggests a role for maintaining fitness and building muscle. This is a welcome message for many overweight patients who experience difficulty in achieving weight loss, as any effort to get moving and keep fit should be seen as laudable and contributing to metabolic change.’



Red meat and diabetes risk
A study by Harvard researchers published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition finds a strong association between the consumption of red meat – particularly when the meat is processed – and an increased risk of type 2 diabetes. The researchers found that, for an individual who eats one daily serving of red meat, substituting one serving of nuts per day was associated with a 21% lower risk of type 2 diabetes; substituting low-fat dairy, a 17% lower risk; and substituting whole grains, a 23% lower risk. Based on these results, they advise that consumption of processed red meat like hot dogs, bacon, sausage, and deli meats, which generally have high levels of sodium and nitrites, should be minimised and unprocessed red meat should be reduced. If possible, they add, red meat should be replaced with healthier choices, such as nuts, wholegrains, low-fat dairy products, fish, or beans (legumes).

‘The evidence linking diets high in processed meats with risk of type 2 diabetes is very consistent’ says Dr Alan Barclay. ‘While a diet moderately high in protein has been proven to help with long term weight loss, the protein should come from a variety of plant and animal sources and processed meats should be limited to no more than one serve a week.’



Green vegies, dried fruit, legumes and brown rice linked to fewer colon polyps
Eating legumes at least three times a week and brown rice at least once a week was linked to a reduced risk of colon polyps by 33% and 40% percent respectively according to the findings of a study in Nutrition and Cancer. The researchers also found that tucking into cooked green vegetables once every day or more (compared to less than 5 times a week) was associated with a 24% reduced risk; and having some dried fruit 3 times a week or more (compared with less than once a week) was associated with a 26% reduced risk. ‘Legumes, dried fruits, and brown rice all have a high fibre content known to dilute potential carcinogens,’ says lead author Dr Tantamango. ‘Additionally, cruciferous vegetables, such as broccoli, contain detoxifying compounds, which would improve their protective function.’


Credit: Kaye Foster-Powell's The Low GI Family Cookbook (Hachette)

What's new?
# 1 Issue – Bees are in decline. Bees are important for agriculture, the economy and the health of ecosystems and they are in decline. Without bees, it would be pretty hard and probably prohibitively expensive to eat that plant-based diet that’s so widely recommended as more than one-third of the world’s fruits, vegetables and flowering plants depend on pollination by bees. A timely, informative and beautifully written book new book, The Beekeeper’s Lament by Hannah Nordhaus, provides ‘an engaging account of the men and insects, who put food on our tables’ and the huge problems that they face today. Published by HarperCollins, it’s available from bookshops and Amazon.



#2 Download –Diabetes UK Evidence-based nutrition guidelines for the prevention and management of diabetes These guidelines for healthcare professionals and people living with diabetes provide information about nutritional interventions that will assist in making appropriate food choices to reduce risk and improve glycemic control and quality of life.

#3 Download –UK National diet and nutrition survey. Findings suggest that the overall picture of the diet and nutrition of the UK population is broadly similar to previous surveys. Intakes of saturated fat and sugars remain above recommended levels.

#4 Download – Energy density, portion size, and eating occasions: contributions to increased energy intake in the US, 1977–2006 published in PLoS Medicine suggests that efforts to reduce obesity should focus on reducing the number of meals and snacks and portion sizes. The researchers examined US population and dietary data dating back to 1977 and found that average total daily energy intake increased from about 1803 calories in 1977–78 to 2374 calories in 2003–06, an increase of 571 calories a day.

#5 Cookbook – Ian Thorpe’s Cook for Your Life



In Ian Thorpe’s first cookbook, the Olympic Gold medallist and long-time GI supporter shares some of his favourite recipes as well as his philosophy on diet gleaned from experts in nutrition and performance. Although it’s what we’d call a ‘meaty’ book (chapters cover seafood, poultry, beef and kangaroo, lamb and pork) it’s good to see many low GI ingredients featuring such as beans and lentils, parsnips, pears, pearl barley, quinoa along with a chapter of vegetarian fare. The introduction is particularly fascinating as Ian describes how he has had to rethink the way he eats at different times in his life to keep in shape from being an elite athlete to when he stopped swimming competitively. Published by Hardie Grant and available from bookshops and the iBookstore

GI Group: Make your healthy eating pattern low GI and ‘cruise instead of spike and crash’ says Olympic swimming champion Ian Thorpe who generously donated his time to enable the GI Foundation to get the word out about quality carbs and a healthy low GI. The commercial provides a brief explanation of the GI and shows a range of typical high and low GI foods:

Get the Scoop with Emma Stirling

The scoop on vitamin D


Emma Stirling APD

There’s been hot debate lately about the pros and cons of getting your little ray of sunshine. Nutritionists have long understood the importance of sunlight in helping people meet their vitamin D requirements. And we are learning more and more about the role of vitamin D in good bone health and beyond. However, that gorgeous, sun-bronzed image simply doesn’t fit with today’s knowledge on sun exposure and skin cancer risk. So how do you get the balance right?

D for deficiency? According to worldwide reports, including the Medical Journal of Australia, a significant number of people may be marginally vitamin D deficient. Plus there’s evidence that the incidence of vitamin D deficiency is increasing. Those at most risk of vitamin D deficiency include people confined indoors, especially the elderly in residential care and people who cover their skin for cultural or religious reasons. However, as more people work indoors, cover up and slather on sunscreen to avoid sun exposure, Vitamin D disorders may become more common again.

A major role of vitamin D is to assist calcium absorption from the foods you eat and build strong, healthy bones. However vitamin D may also play a role in immunity, cardiovascular health, insulin responsiveness and diabetes. And according to a recent review in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition, good cohort studies in Scandinavia have shown a link between vitamin D supplementation in infancy and reduced risk of type I diabetes 30 years later.

Getting your daily dose – food sources Very few foods in nature contain vitamin D and dietary sources can help boost your status. Good sources in Australia include oily fish like sardines, mackerel, salmon and tuna, eggs, fortified margarines and milks, plus red meat. Wild mushrooms and those pulsed with UV light are also a good source. In other countries, more foods are fortified with vitamin D such as breakfast cereals. Recipes like this Fusilli with Salmon and Baby Spinach (from Catherine Saxelby's Zest cookbook) is a great place to start and will be a winner with the whole family.



Getting your daily dose – sunlight Regular, indirect sun exposure remains the best way to get your vitamin D. Generally, experts suggest that 10–15 minutes of exposure on most days on the hands, face and arms should be enough. Specific recommendations differ by country and season, time of day, cloud coverage and the environment. Jump over to the Scoop on Nutrition to read the guidelines for Australians and the International Osteoporosis Foundation position statement on vitamin D for older adults.

Move it outdoors So, make a point to move it outdoors a few times each week, as part of your recipe for healthy living. See your doctor if you are concerned about your vitamin D levels. Vitamin D levels can be checked with a simple blood test and your doctor will advise if a vitamin D supplement is necessary.

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.

In the GI News Kitchen

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.

Fresh nectarines with port wine drizzle
Late summer fruit and wine is a culinary marriage made, if not in heaven, certainly in most Italian kitchens. This recipe uses a dessert port wine but other good fruity red wine choices might be Merlot, Valpolicella or Zinfandel. Sometimes when friends stop over for a late afternoon visit to our Friuli home, I’ll prepare the fruit I have on hand in this way and serve it with nut-based biscotti. This is a light, healthful, summery treat that will not interfere with the evening meal. Serves 4 (2 halves each)

4 medium nectarines, halved and pitted
4 teaspoons port wine
1 teaspoon vanilla
8 almonds, dry roasted, chopped



Drop the nectarine halves in boiling water and leave for 2 minutes. Remove the fruit with a slotted spoon and cool under running water. Gently peel back the skin with a knife. Place 2 nectarine halves each on 4 individual dessert plates. Set aside.
In an espresso cup mix the wine and vanilla. Drizzle evenly over the nectarines. Sprinkle with the almonds. Chill slightly before serving.

Per serve
Energy: 690kJ/90cals; Protein 2g; Fat 2g (includes 0g saturated fat); Available carbohydrate 16g; Fibre 3g

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 Nicole Senior and Veronica Cuskelly's Belly Busting for Blokes. For more recipes check out the Money Saving Meals website.

Spicy beef and bean chilli
You can serve this one-pot classic a number of ways. If you like to start from scratch (and save a few cents), soak dried kidney beans overnight and cook in lots of boiling water (don’t add any salt)—they’ll take about an hour. If you make extra, you can freeze them too. White corn tortillas have a low GI (53) Makes 2 hearty serves, but we found it easily stretches to 3 serves accompanied by a big garden salad.

400g (14oz) can kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 tbsp oil
1 large red onion, finely chopped
1 large red capsicum, finely chopped
2 tsp Mexican chilli powder
1 tsp sweet paprika
300g (10½oz) lean beef mince
400g (14oz) can diced tomatoes
¼ cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
2 white corn tortillas (soft)



Picture: www.furlongphoto.com

COOK
Heat the oil in a non-stick medium-sized saucepan over a low-to-medium heat. Add onion, capsicum, chilli powder and paprika and cook, stirring, until the vegetables are soft. Don’t rush it – this may take about 10 minutes and will really develop the flavours. Add the mince and cook, stirring, for 5 minutes to break up the mince. Stir in the beans and tomatoes and when hot reduce the heat to low, cover and cook for 15 minutes. Remove from the heat and mix in the parsley.

SERVE
Spoon the chilli into 2 warmed bowls (or a large bowl for scooping and sharing) and serve in a soft corn tortilla wrap with salad.

Per serve (based on 2 hearty 'bloke' serves)
Energy: 2635 kJ/ 630 cals; Protein 49 g; Fat 22 g (includes 6 g saturated fat); Available carbohydrate 50 g; Fibre 17 g

Per serve (based on 3 serves)
Energy: 1756 kJ/ 420 cals; Protein 32 g; Fat 14 g (includes 4 g saturated fat); Available carbohydrate 33 g; Fibre 11 g



Baked salmon with mixed bean salsa
This low GI meal from The Low GI Diet Cookbook (available from bookshops and Amazon) provides a deliciously tasty source of vitamin D (and omega-3, too). Keep it light and easy and serve it with a leafy mixed salad or with cooked green vegetables such as broccoli, asparagus or spinach. Serves 4

4 salmon fillets (about 150g/5oz each)
1 lemon, squeezed
Bunch coriander, leaves picked
Freshly ground black pepper

Mixed bean salsa
440g/15oz can four-bean mix, rinsed and drained
1 tbsp chopped black olives
6 sun-dried tomatoes, chopped
1 red chilli, deseeded and chopped
1 small red onion, finely chopped
1 tbsp olive oil
2 tsp balsamic vinegar



Picture: Ian Hofstetter.

Preheat the oven to 180C/350F. Put the salmon fillets in an ovenproof dish, squeeze over the lemon juice, sprinkle over half the coriander leaves and season with freshly ground black pepper. Cover with foil and bake until done to your liking (about 15 minutes for rare to 30 minutes for well done).
Make the mixed bean salsa by combining all the ingredients in a bowl. Add the remaining coriander leaves and mix well.
Place a salmon fillet on each plate and top with a generous spoonful of bean salsa and serve with plenty of green vegies.

Per serve (fish and salsa)
Energy: 1950kJ/ 460 cals; Protein 45g; Fat 24g (includes 5g saturated fat); Available carbohydrate 26g; Fibre 6g

Busting Food Myths with Nicole Senior

Myth: A big belly isn’t that bad
Fact: A big belly – while very common, especially in men – is bad news for your health.
There are a lot of folks struggling to wrap their arms around their special someone, and a lot of special someones struggling to tie their own shoelaces because of a big belly. These some ones are mostly blokes because using the belly as an energy storage tank is what the male body does naturally. After the menopause, women change to a more ‘apple’ shape as well, but it’s the blokes who need the most help. While women seem to constantly think about their weight and body shape, it’s the blokes who need a bit of encouragement to see their growing girth might be a problem.

And a problem it is. A big belly is also called ‘abdominal obesity’, and the fat stored there is also called ‘visceral fat’. It is this belly-fat that increases the risk of high cholesterol, high blood pressure, high triglycerides, high blood glucose, cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes and pre-diabetes, metabolic syndrome and fatty liver. Not to mention erectile dysfunction, low testosterone levels and poor sperm quality. And it’s hard to look tidy in clothes, or find clothes that fit. Psychologically speaking, it’s a downer when people ask ‘when is the baby due?’, or when blokes can’t keep up with the kids, or can’t do the things they used to do with ease. There’s nothing good about a big belly.

Many fad diets promise the world and deliver little, leaving a trail of nutritional and psychological ‘collateral damage’, but what blokes really need is sensible advice to get them on their way. They need straight-talking, no-nonsense information which helps correct the food knowledge and skills gap. While things are gradually changing, men are at a disadvantage with food because they tend to be less engaged with it. They’ve always left it to their mother, partner, or increasingly to the food industry: they have outsourced their food. And this is where the trouble lies: leaving food to everyone else means they have lost control over what they eat. While ancient man was a champion hunter and gatherer, contemporary man can be hopeless at feeding himself in a healthy way. Blokes need to learn more about food and conquer the kitchen to bust their belly.

In my experience it’s a lot easier for blokes to bust their belly than women. They’re less emotionally tied up with food and just get on with it: you tell them what to do and they do it. But of course in order to take action they have to appreciate there is a problem and male bravado is a barrier here. It’s tough for blokes to admit the fattening world has beaten them, especially if they’re doing so well at other aspects of life (and blokes can be competitive). Rather than punching their swollen belly saying ‘it’s all muscle’ and laughing it off, more blokes need to admit they’re worried and decide to take action. This will give other blokes permission to do the same. Blokes need to shake off their ‘threatened species’ status and pick up their cutlery for the good food revolution rather than digging their grave with a knife and fork. They simply won’t believe how much better they feel with a smaller belly.

Belly busting for blokes (New Holland) is Nicole’s new book of sensible and practical advice with Veronica Cuskelly’s simple, easy and tasty recipes (featuring the hunger-busting power of protein and lower GI carbs). Check out www.bellybusting.com.au

GI Symbol News with Dr Alan Barclay

Dr Alan Barclay

What's missing from traffic light labelling?
Like many countries, Australia is in the midst of an overweight/obesity epidemic and this in turn is creating an epidemic of diet-related chronic diseases, most notably type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease (heart disease and stroke). Australian Government policy guidelines around food labelling have “agreed to tackle the burden of chronic disease”.

Although there is general agreement these days that excessive total energy intake relative to energy expenditure is the primary dietary factor contributing to overweight/obesity, the debate still rages in the scientific community about the specific contribution of macronutrients like fat, carbohydrate and alcohol.

Some well-intentioned Australian public health and consumer organisations are keen to see traffic light labelling on all Australian packaged foods, despite most other nations moving away from this particular front-of-pack labelling scheme. Choice, for example, recently used their model for traffic light labels to judge a range of mueslis for their fat, saturated fat, sugar and sodium content.

Here at GI News we are as keen as anyone else to give consumers a simple way to make better choices in the supermarket that will help them achieve and maintain a healthier weight. However, we don't believe that the current traffic light labelling systems are the better buying magic bullet. Here's why.

The first and most obvious flaw with traffic light schemes is that they generally don't include kilojoules/calories (that's the total energy in 100 grams of food). Given that the general aim of traffic light labelling is to help in the fight against obesity, this omission seems almost inexplicable. When pushed on this, most traffic light advocates will say that most consumers don't understand kilojoule/calories. However, if there is this gap in consumer understanding, then surely what we should be doing is helping people understand kilojoules/calories and how to use them, rather than omit them from front-of-pack labelling schemes. A side effect of leaving them off, also suggests they don't matter as much as fat, sugar and salt ...

Secondly, while most traffic light labelling schemes include total fat and sodium, they only generally include half of the carbohydrates in the serving – that old bogey sugars. However, people with diabetes and those at risk need to know how much total carbohydrate a food contains – the starch as well as the the sugar. And of course if we were really serious about front-of-pack labelling helping in the prevention and management of diabetes (and obesity), we would also incorporate GI, as there is very strong (as in level 1) evidence that a low GI diet will help with both.

Thirdly, traffic light labelling schemes tend to focus on total sugars – not added sugars (the Choice critique of the mueslis for example, gives healthy products containing dried fruit a red 'sugar' traffic light. Some healthy foods like dried fruit (which our dietary guidelines say can contribute to your 2 serves a fruit a day) naturally contain sugars. What you have to watch with these foods is the portion size because they are energy dense, and this is where those kilojoules/calories have a key role to play.


Illustration courtesy Australian Food and Grocery Council – August 2011

Any front of pack labelling scheme needs to focus on both the positive and negative attributes of food if it’s going to truly help consumers make a balanced assessment of a product. If a front-of-pack labelling scheme is not entirely evidence based but instead focuses on the bogey nutrients of the day we can be sure that they will encourage food industry to reformulate their foods and drinks to avoid the dreaded red spot, but this may have the unfortunate side effect of increasing rates of overweight/obesity and type 2 diabetes if the Australian sugar paradox is anything to go by.



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

GI Update

Prof Jennie Brand-Miller answers your questions
Can you explain to me why controlling your insulin levels is important for trimming inches off your waistline?
Controlling insulin levels is the name of the game when it comes to being able to tighten your belt a notch to two because insulin is a leading player in the fat storage game deciding whether you burn fat or carbohydrate to meet your energy needs. It does this by switching muscle cells from fat-burning to carb-burning.

For example, if your insulin levels are low, as they are when you wake up in the morning, then the fuel you burn is mainly fat. If your insulin levels are high, as they are after you consume a high carb meal, then the fuel you burn is mainly carbohydrate. However, if the carbs you eat are healthy low GI ones, then the pancreas doesn’t have to work as hard, it shoots out less insulin to manage your blood glucose levels and you burn more fat.

Why don’t we just ditch the carbs altogether? Well, reducing carbs doesn’t have the same benefits as swapping high GI for low GI carbs. Low carb meals don’t have desirable flow-on effects to the next meal. They don’t improve the health and function of the beta cell as low GI carbs do. And finally, low carb diets don’t improve blood fat levels over the long term. What’s more, it’s much easier for you (mentally and physically) to swap one carb source for another rather than banish them entirely from your diet. Most dieters who’ve lost weight on low carb diets join the yo-yo brigade (the yo-yo method of girth control).

New GI Values for meal replacement products from SUGiRS
SUGiRS tested the dry powder products with water following the manufacturers’ instructions.

Achievit
VLED Shake (Chocolate, Vanilla, Strawberry and Caffe Latte flavours) GI 22 – 17g available carbs per serving
VLED Soup (Creamy Chicken or Cream of Tomato and Veg) GI 20 – 17g available carbs per serving)

Tony Ferguson
Apricot Munch Bar GI 51 – 26g available carbs per serving (60g bar)
Berry Munch Bar 43g – 28g available carbs per serving (60g bar)
Crème of Chicken Soup GI 26 – 31g available carbs per serving
1 can (375ml) Chocolate Ready-to-Drink Shake GI 20 – 29g available carbs per serving
1 can (375ml) Espresso Ready-to-Drink Shake GI 20 – 31g available carbs per serving
Roast Pumpkin Soup GI 27 – 29g available carbs per serving
Chocolate Shake GI 22 – 29g available carbs per serving
Espresso Shake GI 22 – 30g available carbs per serving
Café Latte Shake GI 22 – 30g available carbs per serving

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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GI News—August 2011

• Prof Jennie Brand-Miller on protein power from low GI plant foods
• Nicole Senior on why meat should be a tasty side-show on our plates and not the main event
• Julian Cribb's new book on how to feed a growing planet
  
• 3 delicious low GI ‘plant-based’ recipes from the GI News Kitchen
• Too much potato, sugary drinks and meat linked to greatest weight gain
• New GI values for breakfast cereals and Naked Pizza
  

‘We must think sustainably for our bodies, our wellbeing and our environment’ writes Red Lantern chef Mark Jensen in the introduction to his book The Urban Cook: Cooking and eating for a sustainable future. We agree. And we believe that a low GI diet with its emphasis on ‘slow’ carbs to fuel your body and power your life will help you do just that. We also know from very large epidemiological surveys that low GI diets are flexible, liveable, and family friendly. They also help you optimise your insulin sensitivity and decrease your insulin levels over the whole day. With their emphasis on minimally processed plant foods and moderate amounts of protein foods, they are also better for the environment. Sustainable nutrition all-round we say.

Good eating, good health and good reading.

Editor: Philippa Sandall
Web management and design: Alan Barclay, PhD

Food for Thought

Nicole Senior on why meat should be a tasty side show on your plate and not the main event


Nicole Senior

Some believe that eating meat was the reason modern man evolved to have such a large brain and occupy the top of Earth’s food chain. While we can survive without it, meat is a highly nutritious food that provides essential nutrients more difficult to obtain from plant foods.

While it’s true that livestock do contribute to environmental problems, the environmental argument against meat has been infused with emotion and ideology as to whether human beings should eat meat at all. The picture has also been muddied by the rampantly excessive consumption of meat in rich countries and the environmentally damaging effects of factory farming and here in Australia the scandal in recent weeks over the cruel slaughter methods of live cattle exported to Indonesia.

But we need pragmatic solutions for a world hungry for protein. It is unrealistic to think we will stop eating meat to save the environment, however we can produce meat in a more sustainable and ethical way, and eat less to minimise our environmental impact.

Meat from any source is nutrient-rich, however red meat – which attracts the most criticism – is rich in iron necessary for healthy blood, zinc required for immunity and vitamin B12 for healthy DNA and cell division.

Sure there are vegetarians who thrive on a meatless diet, but there are also those who don’t and have to take nutrient supplements to make up the shortfall. The degree of difficulty of a meatless diet is much higher than an omnivorous diet. In poor countries where people cannot afford to eat meat, iron-deficiency anaemia is one of the most common childhood diseases. Large nations undergoing economic development are also demanding more meat, so it is more urgent than ever to build sustainability into meat production systems around the world.

Avowed carnivores and vegans are dietary extremes while health is so often found in the happy medium. If we ate according to health guidelines (Australia's Guide to Healthy Eating; USA's My Plate), both our own health and the health of the planet and all the people living on it could be improved!



Credit: Warm beef salad from Eat to Beat Cholesterol by Nicole Senior and Veronica Cuskelly (New Holland)

So, although serious meat-lovers would do well to take a leaf out of the vegetarian book by including more protective plant foods, there’s no need to banish meat from your dinner plate – just cut back so it’s a tasty side-show filling no more than a quarter of the plate rather than the main event taking over the whole plate as served up in some steakhouses.

Luckily the amount of red meat recommended for health fits in nicely with the amount suggested for environmental sustainability. Check out the figures.

A model healthy diet according to Australia’s National Health & Medical Research Council, contains 65g a day of red meat (455g/1lb per week) and the American Institute of Cancer Research: World Cancer Research Fund says to limit red meat to no more than 500g (1lb 2oz) to reduce the risk of cancer.

To reduce greenhouse gas emissions, Professor Tony McMichael and colleagues from the Australian National University have suggested we limit red meat to no more than 90g (3oz) a day (630g/1lb 5oz a week), based on the idea people in developed countries currently eat more than double this.

My takeout message is this – meat is nutritionally important, but we in rich countries should eat less. Eating less red meat (you don’t need to eat it every day as there is fish, chicken, pork with smaller environmental footprints as well as excellent – and low GI – plant sources of protein that we should be eating more of) will send a message to producers that they can use less intensive and more sustainable methods to produce beef. We need to focus on farming animals (and crops) more sustainably and with minimal environmental impact.

In 2010, Dietitian Nicole Senior won a DAA Outstanding Contribution Award which recognises her contribution to DAA’s Corporate Nutrition and Food and Environment Interest Groups. She played a leading role in the highly successful educational events on food and the environment called ‘Is our food costing the earth?’ held in Sydney in February in 2010 and ‘What a waste’ held in April 2011.

News Briefs

Potato, sugary drinks and meat linked to long-term weight gain
‘An average adult (in the US) gains about one pound (0.5 kg) per year. Because the weight gain is so gradual and occurs over many years, it has been difficult for scientists and for individuals themselves to understand the specific factors that may be responsible,’ says Associate Prof Dariush Mozaffarian.

In a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine Harvard researchers report that modest changes in specific foods and beverages, physical activity, TV-watching, and sleep duration were strongly linked with long-term weight gain. Changes in diet, in particular, had the strongest associations with differences in weight gain.



The foods associated with the greatest weight gain included potato chips, other potatoes, sugar-sweetened beverages, unprocessed meats and processed meats. Foods associated with less weight gain when their consumption was actually increased included vegetables, whole grains, fruits, nuts and yogurt. The most useful dietary changes to focus on for preventing long-term weight gain appeared to be:

• Improving carbohydrate quality.
• Eating more minimally processed foods.

‘Small dietary and other lifestyle changes can together make a big difference – for bad or good,’ said Mozaffarian. ‘This makes it easy to gain weight unintentionally, but also demonstrates the tremendous opportunity for prevention. A handful of the right lifestyle changes will go a long way.’

In Australia we are lucky enough to have the Carisma potato which has a low GI and is lower in total carbohydrate than most other varieties of potato. It's an important innovation that may help turn the global obesity pandemic around. However, you still have to be moderate with portion size (remember, it's a quarter of your dinner plate), say no thanks to fries and hold the sour cream and butter.

Better BGLs in low GL vs low fat weight loss diet


Dr David Ludwig

The findings of randomised trial comparing lifestyle modification programs for weight loss in adults with type 2 diabetes in Diabetes Research and Clinical Practice reports that ‘prescribing a calorie restricted low-GL diet to overweight and obese adults with type 2 diabetes resulted in greater glycemic control than was achieved with a diet with the same amount of Calories/kilojoules but that was low in fat. The advantage of the low-GL diet for improving HbA1c was apparently not attributable to weight change or calorie restriction, as these were equivalent between groups. These results add to a growing literature on the benefits of following a low-GL diet for diabetes control.’

Better HbAIc follows better weight loss in vegan vs ADA diet study


Dr Neal Barnard

Decreasing intake of high GI foods can help reduce body weight, according to a study conducted by PCRM in the Journal of Nutrition. In the 22-week randomised trial, 99 adults with type 2 diabetes were placed on either a vegan diet or the 2003 American Diabetes Association (ADA) diet. The vegan group proved better at controlling BGLs and cholesterol and achieved a greater reduction in the overall GI of their diet. After adjusting for fibre, fat, and calorie intake etc., dietary GI predicted weight loss, which in turn predicted lower HbA1c levels. ‘A low-GI diet appears to be one of the determinants of success of a vegan or ADA diet in reducing body weight among people with type 2 diabetes,’ conclude the authors.

How to feed a growing planet


Julian Cribb

Julian Cribb’s The Coming Famine: The Global Food Crisis and What We Can Do to Avoid It covers the major threats to our food supply. Cribb urges rebalancing our diets toward foods with a smaller carbon footprint and advocates ‘increased consumption of vegetables, fruits and grains and decreased consumption of high energy foods in a balanced healthy diet of the sort your great-grandmother would probably have approved of.’ In The Elephants in the Kitchen he writes: ‘As we approach the mid-century peak in food demand it becomes ever more vital to … find ways to moderate our consumption in line with what the Earth, and our own bodies, can support.’ Yes, it’s a ‘wake-up call’ book packed with facts and figures, but it also comes with some practical ‘What can I do?’ suggestions – simple things such as eating less meat, reducing waste and educating our kids about the value of food. Read more about it on the CSIRO and Amazon websites.

Online update


Lisa Taylor

#1 A new blog that’s just the recipe for women with GDM After having gestational diabetes (GDM), Lisa Taylor, the Mum behind Gestational Diabetes Recipes, created the site (with dietitian Natasha Jo Leader) because she loves food. With this recipe blog, she hopes women are able to turn their diagnosis of GDM into a more positive experience that allows them to continue to enjoy delicious food and their pregnancy but be mindful of the importance of healthy eating and lifestyle for the long term for both themselves and their children.
Try Lisa’s recipes here.

#2 www.diabeteschoices.org.uk is a round-up of diabetes news and research that’s updated every weekday. Founder/editor, Christine Michael, had the idea for this website after many years’ experience as a journalist, editor and author writing about weight management, health and diet. More recently she has specialised in writing about diabetes attending conferences, patient groups and diabetes education sessions, as well as meeting and talking with many people with type 2 diabetes. Diabetes Choices provides healthy eating information, recipes and food ‘best buys’ and summaries of the latest research.

Get the Scoop with Emma Stirling

The scoop on berries


Emma Stirling APD

Strawberries and cream may be a perfect match, but there are so many better ways to reap the health benefits of berries. From delicate raspberries to tart cranberries, there’s a variety to please every meal, snack or drink, not just dessert.

Apart from strawberries (GI 40), most berries actually have so little carbohydrate content it’s difficult to test their GI. Their low carbohydrate content means their glycemic load will also be low, so you really can enjoy them by the bowlful without concerns about their blood glucose impact.

Berries are also low in kilojoules and a good source of vitamin C and fibre. But it’s their potent phytochemicals that continue to make nutrition news. Blueberries have deep purple anthocyanin antioxidants which have been studied for their potential protection from Alzheimer’s disease and brain aging. And then there are vibrant red cranberries, with proanthocyanidins which may help prevent urinary tract infections (UTI’s) and bacteria from attaching to the cell lining of the bladder. I have the scoop on cranberries on my blog here.

How far do you have to travel to pick a winning berry? In recent times home grown berries have taken a back seat as exotics from around the globe like acai, goji and the new, incaberries stole the headlines. Let’s take a closer look at dried goji berries which hail from the Himalayas and claim anti-aging, weight loss and cancer fighting protection. Traditional folk medicine is able to offer up a long list of ‘guarantees’, but you need to look past these anecdotal claims and uncover any hard evidence. To date, the published scientific studies on goji berries are lacking and we do not know how bioavailable and active their antioxidants are in the body. So for daily eating rest assured, that sticking to locally grown fresh berries (or frozen out of season) will definitely enhance your antioxidant intake.



Photo credit : 'Berry Pudding', Ian Hofstetter, The Low GI Vegetarian Cookbook

Berry prep Robust berries like strawberries can be tossed under cold running water to clean. But raspberries and other delicates like blueberries, are best carefully tipped into a large bowl of cold water to bob around for a few seconds and then be scooped up with a slotted spoon onto a paper towel.

Berries are beautiful eaten fresh, scattered on breakfast cereal, added to salads or whipped into a low GI smoothie. When supplies are bumper, freeze berries in zip lock bags, or make homemade fruit spreads and coulis sauces. Try these GI News recipes:

• Lemon semolina pudding with berry coulis
• French toast with berry compote

Ripe for the picking Berry picking is one of the best ways to teach children about food and nutrition. It’s fun, tasty and not too time consuming. Just take a look at my family’s adventures berry picking in Australia here.

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.

In the GI News Kitchen

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.

Barley risotto with mushrooms and thyme
I’ve just returned from our summer visit to our home in Friuli, Italy. As always, I spent loads of time with my friend, Vanda. When we are together we inevitably start talking about food – new recipes, seasonal ingredients and things like that. This time was no different. Since Vanda is not a pasta enthusiast (silly girl!), we discussed the different ways we use barley in our homes. She uses it in place of arborio rice because, being diabetic, she’s found that her blood glucose levels are much better with barley consumption. On the plane ride home, I started thinking about this recipe. I made it for dinner the other night and we liked it. I hope you will too. Serves 4

120g (4oz) mushrooms (cultivated, baby bella, cremini), halved or sliced
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 large clove garlic, minced
1 carrot, finely chopped
1 stalk celery (no leaves), finely chopped
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 cup pearl barley
4 cups stock/broth (vegetable or chicken), heated
2–3 sprigs fresh thyme, leaves picked



Warm a medium sized non-stick fry pan over medium heat. Add the mushrooms and cook for 3 minutes stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and set aside.
Pour olive oil into a large non-stick fry pan. Heat on medium-high for 30 seconds, then add the garlic and vegetables and cook for 5 minutes, stirring frequently to prevent burning.
Add the prepared mushrooms minus any water that resulted from their cooking. Add the barley and stir the entire mixture thoroughly. Pour 2 cups of broth into the barley-vegetable mixture, reduce heat to medium and allow to cook for about 10 minutes or until the broth has been absorbed. Stir occasionally. Slowly add in the remaining broth, 1/2 cup at a time, until all has been used and barley is cooked. This will take another 20 minutes.
Remove from heat, season to taste, sprinkle on the thyme and serve immediately.

Per serve
Energy: 690kJ/165cals; Protein 6g; Fat 3g (includes less than 1g saturated fat); Available carbohydrate 24g; Fibre 6g

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 these Money Saving Meals recipes from two books recently published. For more recipes check out the Money Saving Meals website.

Spicy Caramelised fennel, valencia orange, tomato & olive ragout
Chef Mark Jensen wants us to eat more greens for our health and the planet’s which is why the vegetable chapter in The Urban Cook contains the greatest number of recipes. ‘I’ve done this deliberately,’ says Mark. ‘Traditionally, when we conceive of a meal we first decide on the meat protein component and then we choose the accompanying vegetables. I want to challenge this notion by encouraging you to choose the vegetables first. Draw inspiration from the seasonal produce in your greengrocer’s window and only then decide on the protein.’ Serves 6 as a side dish.

2 fennel bulbs, about 600g (1lb 5oz) each
4 Valencia oranges
1/3 cup olive oil
2½ tbsp white wine vinegar
200g (7 oz) cherry tomatoes, halved
100g (3½ oz) black olives
handful parsley, roughly chopped



Trim the fennel tops, reserving any smaller stems. Trim off the bottom core of the fennel bulb, then slice it in half. Continue to slice the bulb in half until you have eight pieces about 1.5cm (5/8in) wide at the thickest edge. Repeat for the second fennel bulb.
Cut the top and bottom off two of the oranges, then remove the rest of the skin by following the contour of the orange, working from top to bottom, with your knife. Work around the orange until all the skin and pith have been removed. To segment the orange, lay it on its side and slice in between the white pith towards the middle of the orange until all the flesh has been removed. Reserve the segments and place in a bowl. Squeeze the juice from the remaining two oranges, reserving the juice.
To cook the fennel, heat a large frying pan over medium heat and add the olive oil. When the oil is hot but not smoking, add the fennel and fennel stems, taking care to lay the pieces flat in the pan, without overcrowding. You may have to fry the fennel in batches. Cook for 4 minutes, or until the fennel takes on a nice caramel colour, then turn and caramelise the other side.
Add the reserved orange juice and vinegar and continue to cook until the liquid has reduced by a third.
Add the tomatoes, olives and orange segments and cook for another 5 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and stir through the parsley. Season with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, and serve. This dish can be served hot or cold.
– Reproduced from The Urban Cook by Mark Jensen (Murdoch Books)

Per serve
Energy: 800 kJ/ 190 cals; Protein 2 g; Fat 13 g (includes 1.8 g saturated fat); Available carbohydrate 15 g; Fibre 4 g

Kathmandu stew
We always say that ‘people with diabetes should learn to love fabulously low GI lentils’. Did you know that they are a good source of plant protein too? You’ll be coming back for seconds with this mildly curried, mildly sweet red lentil and sweet potato stew from Forks Over Knives: The Plant-Based Way to Health (published by The Experiment). It’s satisfying served alone or with a simple raita made with soy yogurt, toasted cumin seeds, and cucumbers. Serves 4.

1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp cumin powder
1 tsp fennel seeds
3 tsp curry powder
½ tsp coriander powder
½ tsp turmeric powder
pinch cinnamon
2 cups organic red lentils, rinsed
1 medium orange-fleshed sweet potato, diced
2 carrots, diced
1 medium red onion, diced
4 garlic cloves, minced
1–2 tsp sambal oelek or dried red chillies
4 cups water
1 small bunch of fresh cilantro (coriander), chopped

Toast the cumin seeds and powder, fennel seeds, curry powder, coriander, turmeric, and cinnamon in a cast iron frying pan on high heat until the cumin seeds start to pop.
Add the red lentils and stir until the spices are mixed in. Add a splash of water and continue cooking and stirring. Add the sweet potato, carrots, onion, sambal oelek, and 4 cups water.
Stir, cover, and bring to a boil, then stir again, turn down the heat, and simmer for about 20 minutes until the sweet potatoes and lentils are cooked. Add salt to taste, and serve garnished with fresh cilantro.
– Recipe is reproduced by kind permission of Moira Nordholt.

Energy: 1400 kJ/ 335 cals; Protein 25 g; Fat 3 g (includes 0.4 g saturated fat); Available carbohydrate 46 g; Fibre 17g

Busting Food Myths with Nicole Senior

Myth: Sustainable food is only a greenie’s issue.

Fact: Sustainable food should be on everyone’s shopping list if we want quality of life for our children and grandchildren. World population is exploding and we’re starting to run out of the raw materials to grow food: land, soil, water, fossil fuel and fertiliser.

Farming We’ve done a great job in producing more food and quite cheaply, but we failed miserably in feeding everyone and feeding ourselves in a healthy way: just look at the dual-scourges of hunger and over-nutrition. We have also done terrible damage to the environment while doing it. Our food systems have simply failed to account for the environmental costs of deforestation, soil erosion, salinity, residues of artificial fertilisers and pesticides, rivers drained for irrigation and severe losses of biodiversity: an awful case of short term-ism that is now starting to bite, and hard. We only have a small amount of arable land and fertile soil which we are losing at such a rate there are new terms to describe these dual disasters: ‘peak land’ and ‘peak soil’: Some experts say we only have 60 years of topsoil left.

Climate change is the big fat blow-fly in the ointment, adding further pressure to a system already under extreme stress. Changes in temperature, rainfall, carbon dioxide concentrations in the atmosphere and increased extreme weather events all add uncertainty and variability to growing food the way we always have. Water is another precious resource to grow food, yet our rampant over-use, inefficiency and waste is compromising future food supplies: you can add ‘peak water’ to the list. Innovative sustainable agriculture is our best hope, but many governments around the world are complacent and not funding the research needed.

People The global food system is under pressure from exploding population growth and the ‘nutrition transition’ whereby people emerging from poverty start to eat a more Western (higher protein) diet. We will have more mouths to feed, and more of them will want meat. And why shouldn’t they? Iron deficiency anaemia is one the most common childhood illnesses in the developing world and eating a little meat will fix it. And yet here we are ordering 500g (1lb 2oz) steaks in restaurants for lunch or dinner (enough meat for others for a whole week).

Choices We are lucky enough to be able to choose what we eat. Many people are already choosing better for a more equitable and sustainable food system. But there are also folks who don’t know where to start to make an impact on such huge complex problems. Here are my small but positive steps you can take to ensure you’re eating a fair share of the earth’s bounty, and moving our food system toward sustainability:

• Respect and appreciate your food: it is precious and life-giving – you are lucky to have it
• Base your meals on plant foods and use meat as a nutritious garnish: meats from smaller animals and eggs are nutritious and have a smaller environmental impact
• Choose local, seasonal, organic produce and ‘fair trade’ when you can
• Try not to overeat, and eat less highly processed ‘junk’ food
• Teach your children where food comes from and how to cook healthy meals
• Grow whatever vegetables, fruit and herbs you can (in a window-box if necessary)
• Avoid food waste by only buying what you need and managing leftovers wisely
• Recycle food packaging and compost green waste (or get a worm farm)

There are those who will read this and say I’m simplifying and moralising. Maybe they’re right. I have fallen into the abyss of over-thinking and despair but have climbed out the other side clasping at the thought that doing something is better than doing nothing. My hope is you do the same.

Want to know more? If you are interested in finding out more, hop over to my website – www.nicolesenior.com.au – for further reading tips.

Nicole Senior is an Accredited Practising Dietitian, nutrition consultant, author and food enthusiast with an interest in food and environment issues. She believes healthy food need not cost the earth.

GI Symbol News with Dr Alan Barclay

Dr Alan Barclay

Is salt reduction the only answer to reducing the risk of dying of a heart attack or stroke?



“Cutting down on the amount of salt has no clear benefits in terms of likelihood of dying or experiencing cardiovascular disease (CVD).” reports a new Cochrane Review. Part of the reason for this discouraging result is the simple fact that large enough trials have not been run for long enough periods of time to prove that sodium reduction really does reduce the risk of heart attack and strokes (CVD).

To date, the evidence suggests that cutting back on dietary sodium may help reduce blood pressure by 1.1–4.1 mmHg in people with normal and high blood pressure, respectively. But salt reduction is not the only way of lowering blood pressure and therefore reducing the risk of death from a heart attack or stroke.

• Losing 10 kg of excess body weight will reduce blood pressure by 5–20 mmHg
• Consuming a diet rich in fruits, vegetables, and low-fat dairy products with a reduced saturated and total fat content (i.e., the DASH diet) will lower blood pressure by 8–14 mmHg
• 30 minutes a day of regular physical activity (a brisk walk will do) will lower it by 4–9 mmHg.

And focusing on sodium reduction alone often doesn’t work as the makers of Cambell’s Soup recently found out. If you lower the salt content of certain foods too much people simply won’t buy them anymore because they don’t like the taste …

What we need to remember is that there are many risk factors for the development of CVD (heart disease and stroke) including high blood pressure, high cholesterol and high blood glucose levels. For example, another mineral, potassium, also affects our blood pressure – high potassium intakes lower blood pressure which is why it’s important to eat more fruits, vegetables and wholegrains. And the type and amount of fat we eat has a powerful affect on our blood cholesterol levels.

Few people realise that the amount and type of carbohydrate that we eat also has an effect on our blood pressure. Dr Reaven was the first to describe the role of insulin resistance in the development of high blood pressure in the 1990s. Put simply, the kidney does not develop insulin resistance like the liver and muscles do, and as insulin levels get progressively higher in the blood, the kidneys increase their retention of sodium (in other words, we excrete less sodium in our urine), leading to higher blood pressure.

This is why an overall healthy diet that’s moderate in sodium, and lower in kilojoule/calories, saturated fat and high GI carbohydrates is the best way to reduce your risk of having a heart attack or stroke – not simply reducing the amount of salt or salty foods that you eat. And this is where front-of-pack labelling schemes like the GI Symbol can help. We developed category specific nutrient criteria for energy (calories/kilojoules), carbohydrate, fat, saturated fat, sodium, and where appropriate, fibre and calcium for the low GI Symbol to help make all-round healthy food choices in the supermarket easier for everybody, every day.





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

GI Update

Professor Jennie Brand-Miller answers your questions



I have read that we should be basing our diet mostly on plant foods for good health. But I have also read that a moderate protein diet will keep us feeling fuller for longer and help us maintain a healthy weight. What plant foods have protein and which ones are low GI?
Protein is found in many plant foods, and the good news is that many are low or lower GI foods – check the GI Database (www.glycemicindex.com) for your favourites. To give you an idea how much protein you can get from plant foods, I have selected the following foods (with their sample serving sizes) from The Shopper’s Guide to GI Values – 2011 Australian edition.



Legumes (pulses)

• ½ cup (150g) baked beans in tomato sauce (GI 49) provides around 7g protein
• ½ cup (130g) canned, drained cannellini beans (GI 31) provides around 8g protein
• 2/3 cup (125g) cooked red lentils (GI 26) provides around 9g protein
• 1 cup (180g) cooked split peas (GI 25) provides around 12g protein
• 1 cup (170g) cooked soy beans (GI 18) provides around 23g protein
• 100g (3½oz) tofu (raw) provides around 12g protein (GI not relevant)
• 1 cup (250ml) So Natural light soy milk (GI 44) provides around 5g protein

Breakfast cereals, breads and grains

• ¾ cup (30g) Kelloggs Special K original (GI 56) provides around 6g protein
• ¾ cup (45g) Kelloggs All-Bran (GI 44) provides around 7g protein
• ¼ cup (30g) raw traditional rolled oats (GI 57) provides around 3g protein
• 1 slice (35g) Tip Top 9-grain Original bread (GI 53) provides around 4g protein
• 1 slice (40g) Burgen Soy-Lin bread (GI 52) provides around 6g protein
• 1 cup (170g) cooked brown rice (GI 59–86, so check the tables and choose a low GI one) provides around 5g protein
• 1 cup (170g) cooked basmati rice (GI 58) provides around 4g protein
• 1 cup (180g) cooked pasta (GI 35–54) provides around 7g protein
• 1 cup (180g) cooked fresh rice noodles (GI 40) provides around 3g protein
• 1 cup (180g) cooked soba/buckwheat noodles (GI 46) provides around 9g protein
• 1 cup (190g) cooked pearl barley (GI 25) provides around 6g protein
• 1/2 cup (90g) cooked Nature First Organic quinoa (GI 53) provides around 4g protein

Nuts and seeds

• A small handful (30g/1oz) of most nuts or seeds will deliver around 5g protein (GI not relevant)

New GI Values from SUGiRS
‘Be Natural’ low GI breakfast cereals




SUGiRS tested these Be Natural breakfast cereals with water (after all, you can't ask volunteers to chow down dried cereal). The serving sizes used are those recommended by the manufacturer. Served with a little reduced fat milk or a dollop of fat-free yoghurt, the GI would be a little lower.

• Be Natural Cashew, Almond, Hazelnut & Coconut Muesli GI 54 – 27g available carbs and 5g protein per 2/3 cup (45g) serving
• Be Natural Multi-Grain Porridge GI 53 – 22g available carbs and 4.8g protein per sachet (40g) serving
• Be Natural Pink Lady Apple & Flame Raisin Muesli GI 51 – 31g available carbs and 4.3g protein per 3/4 cup (45g) serving

Naked Pizza
Pizza is basically a flat bread (the crust) with toppings. That's why it's great to see a low GI grainy crust (it's over to YOU to choose the healthier toppings on offer). We have to say there was no shortage of volunteers when GI Labs in Toronto were testing Naked Pizza’s Original grainy pizza crust. Co-founder Jeff Leach says they set out ‘to create a better-for-you pizza without additives and with fewer calories, more protein and fibre and less fat that people can enjoy as part of a healthy lifestyle.’ The multigrain crust includes 10 grains and seeds plus prebiotic fibre from agave plants and added probiotics (for digestive health). A gluten-free crust is also available. ‘Our number one seller is the Superbiotic, followed by the Mediterranean and then the Omnivore,’ says Jeff.

• 1 slice medium-sized Naked Pizza Original crust GI48 – 9g available carbs, 5g fibre and 3g protein plus sauce, cheese and toppings
  

Remember: pizza is for sharing! That means enjoy a slice or two with friends or family: don't eat the whole pizza on your own.

You can read more about Naked Pizza (what’s on the menu, what's in it and where you can buy it) HERE.

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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