GI News—July 2009

• Adding years to your life and life to your years
• The real deal on sugar and sweeteners
  
• Prof Trim on what drives us to drink
• Which foods are best for heart disease?
• Spotlight on psyllium
• Super foods or super expensive foods?
  
• Money-saving low GI recipes
  

‘10 years younger in 10 days’ promises the TV show. Of course we know that they are talking about looking younger, and we take it with a pinch of salt or three. But it is possible to turn back the clock, although it takes a bit more effort than a brief stint on a reality TV show. In Food for Thought, dietitian Giselle Brand, who is passionate about helping people ‘add years to their life and life to their years,’ looks at what we need to do to reduce the risk of chronic disease and really enjoy the ‘golden years’.

Good eating, good health and good reading.

GI News Editor: Philippa Sandall
Web Design and Management: Scott Dickinson, PhD

Food for Thought

Enjoying the golden years
We are living longer. In fact, if you are a baby boomer or younger, chances are you will make it to the 100 mark if you are in generally good health. The real question is how are you going to get there? Will your ‘golden years’ be active and healthy ones? Or will they involve debilitating pain and chronic disease such as heart disease, cancer, diabetes, stroke and arthritis.

We have come to accept that these diseases are an inevitable part of aging. They aren’t. It is possible to reduce your risk of the chronic diseases associated with growing older by making some lifestyle changes. This is because we now know that the basis for accelerated aging and disease is low grade systemic inflammation caused by a number of lifestyle factors including being overweight, having high blood glucose, high cholesterol or high blood pressure. Chronic inflammation also plays a part as an underlying cause of excess body fat, and could explain why some people just can’t lose weight.

Throughout human history, inflammation has been both our saviour and executioner. As saviour, it plays a central role in our immune system by killing bacteria and invading pathogens, thereby protecting us. However, when this inflammation process is chronic, our body turns on itself, attacks its own blood vessels, nerves and organs causing accelerated aging and precipitating disease.

Our lifestyle (diet, lack of exercise, lack of sleep, stress etc) has become our mortal adversary. But we can do something about it. Decreasing inflammation in the body today is the most prudent measure to resisting tomorrow’s ailments.

10 really rejuvenating tips

• Don’t smoke – it’s never too late to quit.
• If you drink alcohol, be moderate.
• Get 7–8 hours of sleep a day.
• Maintain a healthy weight.
• Make healthy food choices.
• Reduce stress, stay in touch with friends and family, and maintain a positive attitude to life.
• Get 10–20 minutes of sunlight a day.
• Reduce insulin resistance.
• Drink water to quench your thirst.
• Exercise regularly.

Giselle Brand

For more information on 'adding years to your life and life to your years', check out Giselle's website.

News Briefs

Low-fat chocolate milk and recovery after exercise
A recent study in Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise reported that post-exercise consumption of low-fat chocolate milk provided equal or possibly superior muscle recovery compared to a high-carbohydrate recovery beverage with the same number of calories. We asked Dr Emma Stevenson to comment.

‘Several studies have reported that milk can be just as effective as sports drinks to aid recovery in athletes,’ she says. ‘This latest one has focused on having chocolate milk during recovery. However, Cockburn and colleagues found consuming plain semi-skim milk following exercise that resulted in muscle damage was more effective than a carbohydrate containing sports drink at attenuating the decrease in muscle performance and increase in creatine kinase and myoglobin (these are blood markers of muscle damage).



Another recently published study supports the earlier finding of Karp and colleagues that chocolate milk not only reduces muscle damage following exercise, but can also improved subsequent endurance capacity in well trained cyclists.

Milk has a low GI and so can be a healthier alternative to sports drinks. Further research is needed to see whether drinking milk before or after exercise is beneficial for active people (these previous studies have been carried out in well-trained athletes). It may also have beneficial effects on substrate metabolism and appetite.’

First 3 months critical
There’s a growing body of evidence that the first 3 months of life is a really critical period. Dutch researchers who compared the growth of 217 infants during their first year of life with their health status as young adults found that increased weight gain relative to height during the first 3 months was associated with increased risk factors for type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease including reduced insulin sensitivity, lower HDL cholesterol, and higher total : HDL cholesterol ratio according to a new study in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

Is it really heart healthy?
Despite claims that many foods and diets are heart healthy, a new study by researchers from McMaster University published in Archives of Internal Medicine clarifies what foods and dietary patterns are best for reducing the risk of heart disease.



The researchers evaluated almost 200 studies on diet and heart disease over more than 50 years and found overall there are certain food groups or dietary patterns that are beneficial including vegetables, nuts, monounsaturated fatty acids, and overall ‘healthy’ dietary patterns such as the Mediterranean diet which incorporates generous amounts of fruits and vegetables, healthy fats, such as olive and canola oil, small portions of nuts, red wine in moderation, very little red meat and fish on a regular basis. They also conclude that there’s strong evidence that high GI foods and trans fatty acids are harmful.

Lead author Andrew Mente, PhD, says: ‘The findings highlight the importance of improving overall diet quality to maintain good cardiovascular health. People need to be cautious and not become too preoccupied with a few individual nutrients or food items, while ignoring diet in its totality. In fact, the evidence gathered on most individual dietary components is too modest to be conclusive, and in many instances, clinical trials evaluating coronary outcomes are absent. On the other hand, the evidence clearly shows that adherence to a quality dietary pattern such as the Mediterranean diet is highly protective against coronary heart disease and total mortality.’

‘Eating fish twice a week can help prevent eye disease’ – behind the headlines


Visit the UK’s NHS Choices website and you will find a page called Behind the Headlines. It takes the biggest health news stories each day, finds the real scientific evidence behind them, and gives you a clear and simple summary of The Facts under the following headings:

• Where did the story come from?
• What kind of scientific study was this?
• What were the results of the study?
• What does the NHS Knowledge Service make of this study?

Here’s what NHS Choices says about the latest oily fish plus low GI foods study from Tufts University researchers. ‘The complex results from this study suggest that a diet rich in the DHA form of omega-3, may reduce the progression of early stage AMD in people not taking certain dietary supplements. Also, a low GI diet rich in omega-3 may reduce the risk of progression to advanced AMD. It should be noted that the results of this research may have been affected by factors other than the dietary factors addressed and require careful interpretation. In general, eating a healthy, balanced diet, including omega-3 fatty acids and low GI foods, may have various health benefits.

In conclusion they state: ‘The study did not report the number of people or eyes with AMD progression in each group. This makes it difficult to determine the importance of the reported changes in risk. Also, the authors did not report exactly how many people fell into each of the groups compared. If very few people fell into some of the groups, this would reduce the reliability of results.’

Read the whole story at the NHS website.

Making traditional recipes healthier


Azmina Govindji

Check out this delicious new resource: The Aga Khan Health Board for the UK and theismaili.org – the official website of the global Ismaili Muslim community – have launched this online nutrition centre. It features a library of traditional African, South and Central Asian and Middle eastern recipes with nutrition info and healthy eating tips. ‘This is a site about traditional recipes and how to make them healthier,’ says registered dietitian & TV nutritionist Azmina Govindji. ‘As the site develops, we will offer more recipes from more diverse backgrounds, as we hope that this will become a useful tool for many more communities.’


Chicken Tikka Masala

Foodwatch with Catherine Saxelby

Spotlight on psyllium


Catherine Saxelby

Psyllium (pronounced sill-ee-um), which looks like fine flakes of wheat bran and consists of the outer husks of Plantago psyllium or Psyllium ovata seeds, is an important source of soluble fibre. In fact, it contains 5–6 times more soluble fibre than oat bran. It’s also rich in mucilages which take up water, swell and expand in size to form a gelatinous mass.

We need about 15 g (1/2 oz) of soluble fibre a day – around half of our total fibre intake – although there is no official figure. Here’s what soluble fibre can do for you:

• It helps to lower cholesterol by binding to the ‘bad’ cholesterol and swishing it out of the body via the bowel. To make up for the drop in cholesterol, the liver draws more from our bloodstream so blood cholesterol falls.
• It also bulks up the stool volume and softness, so it’s easy to pass.
• It forms a gel in the intestines, which slows stomach emptying, delaying the absorption of glucose from your blood stream.

Psyllium sounds like an obvious solution to get the soluble fibre we need. However, it’s not very tasty – in fact it looks and tastes pretty much like chaff. You also need to consume a serious quantity to lower your cholesterol and this can be difficult to achieve day in, day out. The easiest way I’ve found to include enough psyllium in the diet is to stir it through your usual cereal or mix 2 teaspoons of it in milk or juice and drink it down once a day. Or you can stir it into fruit yoghurt and spoon it down. Make sure you eat it straight away as it gets gluggy. You can also use it in place of a quarter of the flour when you bake muffins and cakes. Being gluten-free, it helps add fibre into the diets of coeliacs.



There are a couple of commercial products made with psyllium that are an easier way to get the soluble fibre you need.

Kellogg’s Guardian cereal is made from whole wheat and whole barley with 12% psyllium and tastes quite pleasant for breakfast - a little like corn flakes but more golden and less crunchy (also less salty). One bowl or 2/3 cup (30 g/1 oz) gives you around 6 g fibre including 3 g soluble fibre, which is quite amazing from one single food. As a yardstick, 30 g All-Bran supplies 9 g fibre but less than 1 g soluble fibre. You’ll need to consume around two-thirds of a cup of Guardian each day, although this depends on how much fruit, dried fruit, legumes or grain breads you eat (all contributors to soluble fibre). It has a very low GI (37) so makes an excellent breakfast cereal for those with diabetes.

Psyllium is the basis of several laxatives including Metamucil and Fybogel. You simply mix the powder into a glass of water or juice twice a day.

When you start using psyllium, start gradually, as it has a powerful laxative effect. Some people report a lot of flatulence (wind) when they start using it, so be warned. This settles down after a week but it’s something to be aware of. Drink plenty of water as well.

What’s the bottom line? Psyllium doesn’t have the rich nutrient content of other time-honoured supplements like wheatgerm (packed with B vitamins) or lecithin (B vitamins and choline) or flaxseed (high in omega-3s and phyto-oestrogens). But as a cholesterol-lowerer, it’s superior to oat bran. As a regularity aid, it wins over wheat bran. I like to think of it as a ‘super supplement’ – and definitely a worthy addition in the arsenal of dietary weapons to control your blood glucose levels.



Catherine Saxelby is an accredited dietitian and nutritionist and runs the Foodwatch Nutrition Centre. Her latest publication is The Shopper's Guide to Light Foods for Weight Loss (available as a PDF). For more information or to order a copy, visit www.foodwatch.com.au.

Low GI Recipes of the Month

American dietitian, Johanna Burani invites GI News readers to try recipes from her Italian kitchen (photographed by Sergio Burani).


Johanna Burani

Cream of carrot and celery soup
This simple, earthy soup tastes like it came right out of Mother Nature’s very own soup kettle! It’s wholesome, smooth and absolutely delicious. Make a double batch and freeze some. It will taste just as good the second time – if not even better.
Serves 4 (approx. 1½ cup each)



4 carrots (approx. 230 g/8 oz)
1 small head celery (approx. 700 g/1½ lb)
2 scant teaspoons caraway seeds
4 slices hearty rye bread
4 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
4 teaspoons grated parmigiano reggiano

• Wash the vegetables with a vegetable brush. Cut off the ends and cut in half horizontally. Place vegetables in a large pot with 5 cups of lightly salted water. Cover and cook over moderate heat for 30 minutes or until vegetables are tender.
• Remove a quarter of the vegetables at a time and place in a blender. Process on high for a smooth puree, adding some of the cooking liquid if needed. Pour the puree into a medium sized pot. Continue processing all the vegetables until they are all pureed and in the pot. Add the remaining broth and keep warm on a low heat. Stir in the caraway seeds and mix well.
• Place a slice of bread on the bottom of each soup bowl. Ladle equal amounts of the hot soup into each bowl, over the bread. Drizzle a teaspoon of oil on each bowl of soup, sprinkle with the grated cheese and serve hot.

Per serve
Energy: 777 kJ/ 185 cals; Protein 5 g; Fat 7 g (includes 1 g saturated fat and 1 mg cholesterol); Carbs 28 g; Fibre 7 g

Each month, GI News readers can shop smart, cook smart, eat well and save money with Diane Temple's Money Saving Meals.



Melt-in-the-mouth beef goulash
The big cost savings (it worked out at AUD $2.25 a serve or $2.10 without the pasta) came with using more vegetables and less meat than many standard goulash recipes, and making the stock with a stock powder (I like Vegeta for its flavour). This recipe uses the Australian 20 mL tablespoon, so US and UK readers will need to add an extra teaspoon of paprika and vinegar). About 20 mins to prepare and 1 hour 50 mins to cook.
Makes 8 serves



1 tablespoon olive oil
900 g (2 lbs) chuck steak, visible fat trimmed and chopped into large chunks
3 onions, peeled, halved and sliced
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
2 teaspoons brown sugar
1 red capsicum, seeded and diced
1 green capsicum, seeded and diced
1 tablespoon paprika
¼ cup tomato paste
3 cups beef or chicken stock
250 g (9 oz) flat mushrooms, wiped and sliced
2 tablespoons chopped parsley

• Heat the oil in a large saucepan and brown the meat on all sides in 2–3 batches for 2–3 minutes for each batch over medium heat. Don’t overcrowd the pan or you’ll end up stewing the meat not browning it. Lift the meat out and set aside.
• Sauté the onion for 10 minutes over low heat until it is very soft and starting to caramelise, adding a little stock if it sticks to the pan. Add the red wine vinegar and sugar and stir for 1 minute to deglaze the pan (dislodging any delicious bits stuck on the bottom).
• Return the meat to the pan with the red and green capsicum, paprika, tomato paste and stock. Stir well to combine, bring to the boil, then reduce the heat, cover, and simmer on a low heat for 1 hour. Stir in the mushrooms and continue simmering for 30 minutes, until the meat is almost falling-apart tender.
  
• Scatter over the parsley and serve with rice (a low GI one of course), or with pasta, mashed sweet potato, or sourdough or a grainy bread to mop up the juices.

Per serve (with pasta)
Energy: 1410 kJ/ 336 cals; Protein 29 g; Fat 9 g (includes 3 g saturated fat and 67 mg cholesterol); Carbs 34 g; Fibre 3 g

Busting Food Myths with Nicole Senior

Myth: Superfoods make you super healthy


Nicole Senior

Fact: Superfoods and supplements are over-hyped and super-expensive
The term ‘superfood’ was coined to describe foods with high levels of nutrients and phytochemicals that offer health benefits such as green leafy vegetables, berries and oily fish. However, food and supplement marketers have ‘gone to town’ with the whole concept and make inflated promises and exaggerated claims. While I used to love talking about superfoods, I now brace myself for the next ridiculous product claim. The first examples that come to mind are superfood supplements – not even foods at all. A cursory internet search yields claims of such enthusiasm and exaggeration as to qualify as fiction.

Take acai berries. According to the promo, they contain “every single essential nutrient required for humans”, or are “the most perfect food on the planet”. These claims are unsubstantiated and if taken literally imply that all you need to eat is these little berries and nothing else! However, unless you live in Brazil, the berries aren’t for sale. What you buy instead is a highly touted, processed dietary supplement – a tablet or instant drink powder.



And spirulina (a dried blue-green algae extract) containing “rich vegetable protein 60–63%, 3–4 times higher than fish or beef”. How is this relevant when you only take 5–10 g at a time and a typical daily protein requirement is 50 g? Or, “1 kg of Spirulina is equivalent to 1000 kg of assorted vegetables”. How silly. The obvious omission from this comparison is the valuable dietary fibre component of vegetables. I wouldn’t recommend giving up eating your vegetables on the basis of this. Spirulina is also described as “the most complete food source in the world”, again suggesting a bit more than the suggested dose of 10–20 tablets a day may be required for this claim to be tested. And how about that dose – most people struggle to take their prescribed life saving medications or a single daily multi-vitamin, never mind 20 tablets!

As for superfruits such as acai, goji and mangosteen, while they sound tantalisingly exotic, many are unfeasibly expensive. Often they are grown in far flung places and have to be imported dried, juiced or as extracts for supplements. For instance, dried acai powder retails for around (AUD) $40 per 100 g (3½ oz), a 500 g (1 lb 2 oz) packet of dried goji berries is around $30, goji juice is $40 per litre (about 1 quart), and dried mangosteen powder is $25 per pack (making 2 litres). You have to question the “natural goodness” of such processed derivatives, and what about the carbon emissions produced during transport?

In Australia we have a wealth of traditional indigenous superfoods that have maintained the health of our Aboriginal people for thousands of years, yet it is a growing trend to buy processed superfoods from halfway around the world. And don’t get me started on the spin-off products that have spun-off most of their health benefits like milk chocolate coated goji berries ($15 per 300 g pack).

Nutritional goodness does not have to cost the earth or be hard to get, as illustrated by the humble apple. According to a scientific review by Horticulture Australia, apples are one of the best and cheapest fruit sources of antioxidants around with one apple containing more antioxidants than half a punnet of blueberries or a cup of strawberries. Apples are grown within 45 minutes from my house and cost around $4 a kilogram – you do the maths. And they are also low GI. You’re likely to have similar examples in your area.

The bottom line? Lots of foods are super and work best in combination rather than on their own. It is whole diets containing a variety of different foods – not single foods or supplements – that help prevent disease and promote health and wellness. If you’re into exotic superfoods and supplements and you have money to spare then go ahead but take the claims with a good dose of skepticism. For the rest of us, health and vitality can be ours without the hefty price tag. For good health and a healthy environment buy a variety of fresh, local, seasonal and minimally packaged produce – they’re super too.

For Nicole's heart-healthy eating advice, tips and recipes go to www.eattobeatcholesterol.com.au

Talking Turkey with Prof Trim

What drives us to drink?
Thirst Like hunger, thirst is a biological drive that prevents us from dehydrating, and ensures that the 70% of the human body that is made up of fluid is maintained. Any decrease of body fluid by more than 5% can cause major physiological problems – and ultimately even death. As a result, humans can’t last for more than a couple of days under normal conditions without some fluid intake (where we can last for several months without food). Genuine thirst however, is satisfied by water. Yet many people go for years without drinking water. Obviously other drivers are involved in what drinks we choose.

Taste Again as with food, taste is a driver of consumption. As fat and sugar are nutrients designed to make us consume more (to get energy for survival), drinks that are loaded with either of these (e.g. dairy based, sugar sweetened), will usually be preferred over water. If taste is an issue modern technology can provide an answer – artificial sweeteners can add the taste, but no extra energy.



Mind alteration While there’s usually little genuine thirst involved in the craving for alcohol, kava and other mind altering drinks, these do provide some fluid to the body. And while these seem to have no real biological (although they may have a psychological and/or sociological) purpose, mind altering fluids have been consumed in some form by most cultures throughout the ages. The need may be, as some drug experts claim, to alter our normal form of consciousness from time to time. Fortunately, most mind altering drugs (e.g. alcohol), although high in energy, are disposed of quickly in the body. If the accompanying diet is controlled, they should not be a problem for weight (although they could cause other problems).

Conditioning This is the big one which is often overlooked when trying to manage body weight. By opportunistically consuming a high energy, tasty drink when genuinely thirsty, the odds of craving this when thirsty the next time are increased. Drinking full strength soft drink after a dehydrating game of sport for example, increases the chances of that drink being preferred over water the next time thirst strikes. In this case (as often occurs in children who are given soft drink or fruit juice when thirsty, the only real option is to go ‘cold turkey’ and stick to water or diet drinks when genuine thirst strikes.

Arousal Drinks like tea or coffee or those with added caffeine can aid arousal and are therefore often preferred when a ‘pick-me-up’ is required. In their ‘raw’ state, tea and coffee add no calories to water, hence these can be useful for managing body weight. The addition of caffeine to high-energy drinks on the other hand is not so likely to have the same benign effect on body weight.

Advertising/marketing Finally, beverage choice is often based on the images associated with that drink. How else could a dirty black fluid with some coca stimulant make you feel young, sexy and as if you’re having a great time when you drink it – even if you’re not thirsty and feeling miserable at the time? Consciousness of advertising messages and what is being done to persuade you to pay money for, and pick up that climate-changing can of soft drink, instead of grabbing a glass of water from the tap, is about the only thing that can help keep the weight off. Meanwhile … all this speculation is making the Professor thirsty. Now where’s that double scotch that makes men especially attractive with the soda, orange juice and a dash of genuine H2O?


Dr Garry Egger aka Prof Trim

For more information on weight loss for men, check out Professor Trim.

Your Success Stories

‘I was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes when I was 10 years old.’ – Kate
‘Having lived with type 1 diabetes since I was 10, and coeliac disease for the past few years, I have experienced first hand the difficulties of following a restricted diet ... which I suppose makes me rather different from most dietitians. In fact, being diagnosed with type 1 diabetes was the inspiration to study dietetics and then diabetes education, which has allowed me to have a career I love, helping others with diabetes. Having a real understanding of what they are going through is a huge benefit.

I don’t remember feeling sick at all. I mainly remember feeling thirsty all the time. I was on holidays with my Dad and my strongest recollections of the holiday were struggling to walk back up the hill from the beach and running to the toilet all the time. My Mom took one look at me the moment I arrived home and took me straight to the doctor, and within hours I had been whizzed off to hospital and told that I had type 1 diabetes. A lot of people comment it must have been difficult to be diagnosed so young, but I think it is much harder on your parents when you are diagnosed as a child, as they can understand the long term implications.

Like most kids growing up with diabetes, food and birthday parties, especially the cake, seem to be what we remember most! One year my Mom created a sugar-free pavlova with liquid sugarine – it turned out like polystyrene! But at least it was a cake.


Kate Marsh

These days I basically eat a lot of vegetables, legumes, nuts and seeds and use quinoa and brown rice as my main grain foods. I had been vegetarian since my teenage years and a few years ago I adopted a vegan diet, for a number of reasons, but particularly health and environmental reasons. I really enjoy vegetarian foods and never really liked much meat so this isn’t difficult but combining it with a gluten-free diet that is also suited to my diabetes can be a challenge at times, particularly if eating out, which I don’t do a lot of. I don’t make a good dinner guest!

Unfortunately most gluten-free foods tend to be high GI which makes managing blood glucose levels more difficult but there are also plenty of lower GI options and building my diet around these has really helped. This is one of the reasons I was so keen to write Low GI Gluten-free Living – to help other people with coeliac disease understand the benefits of choosing low GI foods (whether or not they have diabetes) and to give them some practical ideas of how to do this.

When people hear that I have type 1 diabetes, the first comment is usually “so you have to give yourself injections – that must be hard”. But anyone with type 1 diabetes will tell you this is the easy bit! For us, insulin is the difference between life and death, but it doesn’t “cure” the disease and alone it doesn’t control our blood glucose levels. Living with type 1 diabetes means constantly juggling insulin, food, exercise and other factors such as stress and illness, all of which affect blood glucose levels. For me, understanding GI and how carbs really do affect blood glucose levels has been a great help in managing my diabetes.’

Kate Marsh is an Advanced Accredited Practicing Dietitian and Credentialled Diabetes Educator. She has just completed her PhD at the University of Sydney.

Send us your GI success story.

GI Symbol News with Alan Barclay

Alan Barclay

The real deal on sugar and sweeteners
Feel guilty every time you enjoy something sweet? Do you think having diabetes equals no sugar? You are not alone. However, many scientific studies over the past 20 years clearly show that a moderate amount of sugar (e.g. 30–50 grams or 6–10 teaspoons a day) in diets for people with diabetes does not adversely affect blood glucose levels nor lead to unwanted weight gain. Keep in mind, however, that this moderate amount includes all sources of refined sugar you consume – 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.

The sugar veto for people with diabetes has helped create a huge market for alternative sweeteners from aspartame (Equal/Nutrasweet) to stevia. In the first of a three-part series, Dr Alan Barclay checks out the pros and cons of the tabletop sweeteners you will find in your supermarket (including sweeteners primarily used to sweeten low-calorie commercial products). This month he looks at nutritive sweeteners.

Nutritive sweeteners are simply those that provide some calories (kilojoules) and, as the name suggests, nutrients. Highly refined sweeteners like white sugar (sucrose or fructose) provide calories and carbohydrate but little else. Less refined sweeteners like raw sugar, Logicane™, honey, golden syrup, pure (100%) maple syrup and agave also provide small amounts of calcium, potassium and magnesium. These sweeteners provide around 4 grams of carbohydrate and 14 calories (60 kJ) per level teaspoon. Remember, small amounts do add up – particularly when included in soft drinks (6–8 teaspoons of sucrose per cup/250 mL/9 fl oz) and cordials (5–6 teaspoons of sucrose per cup).



GI values range from a low of 19 for fructose to a high of 100 for glucose. While the GI of a typical blended honey is similar to that of white sugar, some of the Australian pure native floral honeys like yellow box, red gum and iron bark honey do have low GI values (35, 46 and 48, respectively), but they are not always available. The new sugar Logicane™ has a much lower GI than regular white sugar (50), and most of the other nutritive sweeteners with the exception of fructose.

Table sugar or sucrose (white, raw or brown) is the second sweetest after fructose, is the best value for money and is the easiest to use in cooking. And because it generally has a lower GI than the refined flour, it can actually lower the GI of recipes for baking, especially if you choose Logicane™. However, it is much more expensive.

The sugar alcohols, such as sorbitol, mannitol and maltitol, are generally not as sweet as table sugar, provide fewer calories and have less impact on blood glucose levels. To overcome their lack of sweetness, food manufacturers usually combine them with non-nutritive sweeteners to keep the calorie count down and minimise the effect on blood glucose levels. However, most have a laxative effect and may cause wind and diarrhoea if consumed in large quantities.

Used in sensible quantities, fructose certainly rivals table sugar as a good all-round sweetener. It stands out from the crowd, being sweeter than sugar, providing the same number of calories, but having only one-third the GI. So you can use less fructose to achieve the same level of sweetness, and as a result, consume fewer calories and experience a much smaller rise in your blood glucose levels. Its main drawback is cost.

There is some evidence that moderate (less than 50 g, or 10 teaspoons, per day) to high (100 g, or 20 teaspoons, or more, per day) consumption of fructose can raise triglyceride levels and increase the risk of weight gain, but most people do not normally eat anywhere near this amount – even those living in the United States.

Click for a complete guide to nutritive and non-nutritive sweeteners along with the brands that carry the GI Symbol.

For more information email: alan@gisymbol.com



Contact
Dr Alan W Barclay, PhD
CSO, Glycemic Index Ltd
Phone: +61 2 9785 1037
Mob: +61 (0)416 111 046
Fax: +61 2 9785 1037
Email: mailto:alan@gisymbol.com
Email: alan@gisymbol.com
Website: www.gisymbol.com.au

GI Values with Fiona Atkinson

To have your product GI tested, contact an accredited GI testing laboratory
North America
Dr Alexandra Jenkins
Glycemic Index Laboratories
36 Lombard Street, Suite 100
Toronto, Ontario M5C 2X3 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

New Zealand
Dr Tracy Perry
The Glycemic Research Group, Dept of Human Nutrition
University of Otago
PO Box 56 Dunedin New Zealand
Phone +64 3 479 7508
Email tracy.perry@stonebow.otago.ac.nz
Web glycemicindex.otago.ac.nz

See The New Glucose Revolution on YouTube

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GI News—June 2009

• Who really needs a gluten-free diet?
• Money-saving low GI recipes
• 5 tips to reduce your risk of diabetes
• More bang with low GI foods for your exercise buck
  
• GI database updated with over 2,480 foods
• New GI Symbol Program website
  

‘It’s a myth that everyone should be on a gluten-free diet,’ says Shelley Case a registered dietitian and a member of the Medical Advisory Boards of the Celiac Disease Foundation and Gluten Intolerance Group in the US and Professional Advisory Board of the Canadian Celiac Association during May’s Celiac Awareness Month. In Food for Thought, Shelley explains why it’s vital to see your physician before adopting a gluten-free diet, and dietitian and diabetes educator Kate Marsh explains why there’s more to gluten-free living than focusing on foods to avoid, and why gluten-free diets can be high GI.

Good eating, good health and good reading.

GI News Editor: Philippa Sandall
Web Design and Management: Scott Dickinson, PhD

Food for Thought

Who really needs a gluten-free diet?
‘These days, going gluten-free is being hailed as the solution to everything from autism and ADHD to obesity, but going gluten-free before being screened for celiac disease (an autoimmune disorder that affects 1 in 100 people in many Western countries) can be hazardous to your health! This is because removing the gluten from your diet may prevent your physician from being able to diagnose it accurately,’ she says. ‘It’s absolutely imperative to see a physician before adopting a gluten-free diet.’


Shelley Case, RD

‘For people with celiac disease, following a strict gluten-free diet (no wheat, rye and barley) for life is a critical medical intervention. In fact it's the ONLY treatment available and as such must be followed very carefully.’

Celiac disease is the most common and one of the most under-diagnosed hereditary autoimmune diseases. Typical symptoms include:

• Fatigue, weakness and lethargy
• Low iron levels or unexplained anemia that does not improve or recurs after taking iron supplements
• Wind, bloating and abdominal distension
• Stomach cramps
• Diarrhea
• Constipation
• Nausea and vomiting
• Weight loss, and/or
• Poor weight gain, delayed growth and delayed puberty in children.

Some less common symptoms in adults include:

• Easy bruising of the skin
• Mouth ulcers
• Infertility and miscarriages
• Muscle spasms/cramps due to low calcium levels
• Deficiencies of vitamins B12, A, D, E and K
• Dental problems
• Poor memory and concentration, and
• Bone and joint pains.

If you have one or more of these signs or symptoms, make an appointment with your doctor for a check-up. They should refer you to a gastroenterologist who specializes in celiac disease.

‘The only way to diagnose celiac disease is with a blood test and small intestinal biopsy and gluten must be present in the diet in order for these tests to be accurate,’ emphasizes Case. ‘Starting the diet before the test could easily result in more people being mis-diagnosed.’

Dietitian Kate Marsh, author of Low GI Gluten-free Living Made Easy, adds: ‘There’s much more to gluten-free living than focusing on foods to avoid. Eating well is a key to good health and preventing other long-term health problems like diabetes and heart disease. While it is great to see an ever-increasing range of gluten-free foods becoming available and making life easier for those with celiac disease, unfortunately many of them are highly processed and some are high in fat and added sugar – two ingredients that are naturally gluten-free! Gluten-free diets also tend to have a high GI because many low GI staples such as whole wheat kernel breads, pasta and barley are eliminated because they contain gluten. The gluten-free alternatives, due to their ingredients and processing methods, are often quickly digested and absorbed, raising blood glucose and insulin levels.’

Low GI Gluten-free Living, which shows you how to incorporate low GI carbs into a gluten-free diet, is available from books stores and Amazon.

For more information on celiac disease and a gluten-free diet, contact your local celiac association or check out Shelley Case’s website.

News Briefs

5 tips to reduce your risk of diabetes
When researchers checked out the lifestyle habits of some 4,900 adults, aged 65 or older and without diabetes over a 10-year period, they found that the factors associated with low risk for diabetes were:

• physical activity
• a healthy diet
• no smoking
• moderate alcohol use
• not being overweight

The researchers showed that 80% of new cases of diabetes are attributable to these risk factors, a number that increases when obesity is included. 'Our findings suggest that, even later in life, the great majority of cases of diabetes are related to lifestyle factors,' write Dariush Mozaffarian (Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA) and colleagues in the April 27, 2009 issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine. 'Our results support the need for emphasising healthy and achievable physical activity and dietary goals among older adults, including:

• moderate leisure-time activity and walking pace,
• higher intake of dietary fiber and polyunsaturated fat, and
• lower intake of trans fat and easily digestible [high GI] carbohydrates.'

More bang with low GI foods for your exercise buck
‘If you are trying to shed fat, you may consider eating low GI foods before you exercise,’ suggests Dr Emma Stevenson after a recent University of Nottingham study published in the Journal of Nutrition found that a low GI breakfast before exercising could help with weight loss because it increases fat oxidation both at rest and during subsequent exercise.


Dr Emma Stevenson

In the study, eight healthy, sedentary but not overweight women ate either a high GI breakfast (cornflakes and milk, white bread and jam and a carbonated glucose drink) or a low GI one (natural muesli and milk, tinned peaches and yoghurt and apple juice) in test sessions held several days apart (each breakfast contained the same number of calories and same proportion of those calories from carbs, fat and protein). Three hours later they did a 60-minute walk on a treadmill, which was set to make them work but not to the point of exhaustion, before having lunch.

Blood glucose was higher – as expected – after the high GI breakfast than the low GI one, and had returned to normal levels by the time the women started to exercise. But plasma free fatty acids (FFA) – which indicate the amount of fat being used as an energy source – began to rise two hours after the low GI breakfast was consumed. Exercise led to a rapid increase in FFAs in both groups – but concentrations were higher in the low GI group. After lunch the concentration of FFAs was the same in both groups, but overall fat oxidation was higher in the low GI group than the high GI group. ‘A low GI breakfast also had an impact on appetite, with the women feeling fuller for longer after they’d eaten these types of foods,’ said Dr Stevenson.



How high glucose might damage blood vessels
Diabetes increases the risk of cardiovascular disease such as heart disease and stroke, even when blood glucose levels are under control. In fact, about 75% of people with diabetes die from some form of heart or blood vessel disease, according to the American Heart Association. Medical College of Georgia researchers now suspect increased modification of proteins by a glucose-derived molecule is a player in vascular problems associated with hypertension, stroke and obesity as well. The found that a decreased ability of blood vessels to relax resulted from increased activity of a natural mechanism for altering protein form and function, according to Dr Rita C.Tostes, physiologist in the MCG School of Medicine.

One aftermath of high glucose levels is low levels of the powerful vasodilator nitric oxide in blood vessels, a shortfall that increases the risk of high blood pressure and eventual narrowing of the vessels, researchers reported at the American Society of Hypertension 24th Annual Scientific Program in San Francisco during a joint session with the Council for High Blood Pressure.

Most of the glucose in the body is carried by the blood stream to the body’s cells where it provides fuel for energy. However about 5% of all glucose is converted to O-GlcNAc, one of the sugar types that can modify proteins.



Inside the blood vessel walls of healthy mice, MCG researchers found increased activity by O-GlcNAc competes with another mechanism for modifying proteins called phosphorylation. In blood vessels, phorphorylation modifies the enzyme that produces nitric oxide, called nitric oxide synthase, so that it makes more of the blood vessel dilator. But add more O-GlcNAc to the mix and it seems to beat phosphorylation to the punch so there is the opposite result. The longer O-GlcNAc levels were high, the worse the resulting problem, says Victor Lima, a graduate student at the University of Sao Paulo working with Dr Tostes.

An animal model of hypertension seemed to confirm the finding that the more O-GlcNAc, the more blood vessels contract because these animals had higher O-GlcNAc levels. 'Now we are trying to see why this is happening and what comes first. Is increased blood pressure leading to changed O-GlcNAc or are augmented levels of O-GlcNAc contributing to the change we see in the vasculature of hypertensives?' Dr Tostes says. 'If we know how this changes vascular function, we can understand some of the dysfunction that we see in diabetes.'

To make sure they were targeting the O-GlcNAc sugar and not dealing with other effects of glucose on blood vessels, the researchers blocked the enzyme OGA, an enzyme that normally removes O-GlcNAc from proteins so they can revert to their normal state.

If the findings continue to hold true, drugs similar to those they use in the lab to inhibit OGA or OGT, the enzyme that adds O-GlcNAc to the protein, could one day help reduce the significant cardiovascular risk associated with diabetes, Mr Lima says.

International Diabetes Federation streamlines website



‘We want to serve the needs of people with diabetes, people interested in learning more about diabetes, of governments and researchers looking for evidentiary data about the diabetes epidemic, and of diabetes and health associations looking for global material on diabetes care, prevention and education,’ said Mario Fetz, IDF Director of External Relations. www.idf.org is available in three languages and is integrated with Facebook and Twitter.

Foodwatch with Glenn Cardwell

Mushrooms and cancer


Glenn Caldwell

Mushroom eaters get many health benefits (one serve provides more than 20% of our daily needs of the essential nutrients riboflavin, niacin, pantothenic acid, biotin, copper and selenium). Back in October 2008, GI News reported on a US study that found mushrooms to be an ideal way to cut calories without losing out on flavour or a sense of fullness. Now the mushroom is showing itself to be a tasty way of stacking the odds in our favour against developing the top two cancers that hit non-smokers.

If you are a non-smoker, then, statistically speaking, the cancer you are most likely to get is either breast or prostate cancer, each of which kill around 3000 Australians every year (compared to 7,500 people dying of lung cancer). Yet a solution could be a close as your local supermarket. According to a report from the University of Western Australia published in the March issue of the International Journal of Cancer, one of our most popular foods could greatly reduce your risk of getting these cancers.



Mushrooms good to breasts Researchers, led by Dr Min Zhang, studied 1000 Chinese women with breast cancer and compared them to 1000 control women without cancer. Their findings reveal that those women who consumed the most fresh mushrooms were around two-thirds less likely to develop breast cancer in comparison to those that didn’t eat mushrooms. There was a further risk reduction if they also drank a cup of green tea each day.

You may be thinking that the women in the study were eating exotic mushrooms that we rarely see in the supermarket. Not so. The most common mushroom consumed was the button mushroom, and 10 g (about 1/3 oz) or one small mushroom a day was enough to lessen the chance of breast cancer.

Mushrooms good to prostates too Earlier research published in the journal Cancer Research in 2006 has revealed that unique compounds in mushrooms inhibit two enzymes – aromatase and 5-alpha reductase – which encourage the progression of both breast and prostate cancer respectively in mice. The results have proved so encouraging that funding has just been granted to conduct human studies in the US to observe the effect of mushrooms in those who have had breast or prostate cancer.

First human research The study by Dr Zhang was the first human research showing a link between button mushrooms and a lower risk of breast cancer. A previous Korean study looking at other types of mushrooms also noted a link between mushrooms and a lower risk of breast cancer.

So, start stacking the odds in your favour with Johanna Burani’s Pappardelle con funghi or Diane Temple’s Mushroom minestrone with barley in this month’s GI News.

Glenn Cardwell is an Accredited Practising Dietitian consulting to the mushroom farmers of Australia. More information on mushrooms is available at www.mushroomsforlife.net. Make sure you check out Glenn's website.

Low GI Recipes of the Month

American dietitian, Johanna Burani invites GI News readers to try recipes from her Italian kitchen (photographed by Sergio Burani).


Johanna Burani

Pappardelle con funghi
Egg noodles with mushrooms
Laughing Cow cheese wedges are pasteurized spreadable Swiss flavor cheese wedges.
Serves 4

450 g (1 lb) fresh mushrooms (crimini, baby portabella, Swiss brown)
12 sprigs fresh flat-leaf parsley, minced (approximately 1/2 cup)
6 Laughing Cow cheese wedges, light
1 cup marsala wine (sweet red dessert wine)
230 g (8 oz) egg pappardelle

• Use a damp paper towel to wipe mushrooms clean. Cut each one into 4–5 vertical slices.
• Thoroughly coat a large skillet with vegetable spray and warm over a medium heat for 1 minute. Add the mushrooms and cook for 6 minutes. Stir frequently to cook evenly. Lower the heat if necessary. Stir in the parsley and simmer for 1 minute. Remove skillet from heat.
• Drop the cheese wedges into a small saucepan, pressing down with the back of a fork to squash them. Add the marsala. Stir with a wooden spoon to combine and cook the sauce over a medium–high heat for 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Tip the sauce into the mushroom mixture and keep covered and warm while the pasta is cooking.
• Cook the pasta according to package directions until al dente. Be careful not to overcook it. This type of pasta only needs 4–5 minutes once it comes to a boil. Drain.
• Pour the pasta over the mushroom sauce, toss, and serve immediately (fresh egg noodles absorb liquids very quickly). If you like you can add grated parmiggiano reggiano cheese.

Per serve
Energy: 1612 kJ/ 384 cals; Protein 14 g; Fat 5 g (includes 2 g saturated fat and 80 mg cholesterol); Carbs 53 g; Fibre 1 g; 538 mg sodium

Each month, GI News readers can eat well and save money with Diane Temple (co-author of a new book, Money Saving Meals). Diane shares her tips on cutting back on food bills and still enjoying fresh-tasting, easily prepared, seasonal, satisfying and delicious low GI meals that don’t compromise on quality and flavour one little bit.


Diane Temple

Mushroom minestrone with barley
Use any fresh mushrooms you like in any combination for this – white (button), crimini (Swiss brown), baby portabella or field (flat) mushrooms or any of the more exotic ones). If you only want to use one type of mushroom, I would suggest using cheap flat mushrooms for colour and flavour. The real aroma booster for this soup comes from the dried porcini. Don’t gasp. Although this may seem a pricy option, you only need a pinch or three to pack a punch. I don’t think this soup needs any garlic, but if you can’t live without it, sauté a chopped clove with the onion and other vegetables. Preparation time: 15 minutes; cooking time: 40 minutes.
Serves 4

10 g (1/3 oz) dried porcini mushrooms
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 large carrot, peeled or scrubbed and diced
2 stalks celery, diced
½ cup pearl barley, rinsed
6 cups hot water mixed with 1 tablespoon chicken or vegetable stock powder
250 g (9 oz) flat mushrooms
2 tablespoons chopped flat leaf parsley
4 slices sourdough or grainy low GI bread, to serve

• Place the porcini mushrooms in a heatproof bowl and pour over ½ cup of boiling water. Set aside while you prepare the vegetables.
• Heat the oil in a large saucepan and cook the onion, carrot and celery for 10 minutes on a low heat until soft, stirring occasionally. Add the porcini mushrooms and the soaking liquid, the barley and the chicken (or vegetable) stock, stir and bring to the boil. Cover and simmer gently for 30 minutes.
• Cut the flat mushrooms in half then slice them crosswise and add them to the soup. Cover, and continue to simmer for another 10 minutes or until the barley is tender to the bite then stir in parsley. Ladle into soup bowls and serve with bread.

Per serve (with 1 slice bread)
Energy: 1221 kJ/ 292 cals; Protein 9 g; Fat 11 g (includes 2 g saturated fat); Carbs 35 g; Fibre 7 g

Stocktake: Diane’s nifty & thrifty cooking tip of the month
Stock helps make great tasting soups, but it needn’t cost the earth, take hours to prepare, or come in a carton or can. If you do the maths, you’ll find that stock powders deliver the best value for money (Australian dollars quoted here).

• 1 litre carton (4 cups) chicken stock about $3.10
• 4 cups chicken stock made with stock cubes about 40 cents
• 4 cups chicken stock made with Vegeta stock powder about 15 cents

You also have more control of the flavour – you can follow instructions (usually 1 teaspoon stock powder per cup of water) or use a bit more or less as you wish. Some brands are high on flavour, low on fillers and additives, salt reduced and gluten free. However, hold the salt shaker. Like other stock products on the supermarket shelf, stock powders can be on the salty side, so don’t add any extra. And keep in mind any salty toppings you are serving like Parmesan cheese.

Busting Food Myths with Nicole Senior

Myth: Foods labelled as ‘Natural’ are healthier


Nicole Senior

Fact: ‘Natural’ claims mean very little
To find healthier foods, check the ingredients list and nutrition information panel on the label, and try eating more fresh foods that don’t need labels. According to Mintel market research, ‘natural’ was the most popular claim made on new food and drink products around the world in 2008. In Australia, a Galaxy Research survey on 1,100 adults found 99% of Australians are consuming more natural and unprocessed foods to improve their health. But are we always getting something healthier when we buy foods with ‘natural’ on the label?

Not when you think in terms of adverse nutrients, such as saturated fat and sodium. Salt, butter, lard and cream are natural, however they are disastrous to our heath when eaten in excess, and surveys show we are still eating too much of these. Organic claims carry similar health cred with consumers, however may not actually deliver the health benefits you might expect. While organic food is better for the environment, it is not necessarily better for your health. An organic muffin made with white flour, butter and sugar is still a high calorie, high saturated fat snack with poor nutritional value – the addition of blueberries does little to redeem it.



I once read ‘organic crystallised sugar cane juice’ on the label of a so-called ‘health bar’ – a classic case of sugar dressed up as natural, dressed up as healthy. Similarly I have encountered an organic ‘health bar’ made with white flour, butter, sugar and oats with enough saturated fat to exceed the entire day’s maximum, and as many calories as an entire meal. Another obvious example is ‘natural’ confectionery, which contains as much sugar and calories as the regular stuff, and offers no health benefit for most people (except perhaps a misplaced reduction in guilt).

In Australia, the regulations for ‘natural’ claims are very open to interpretation. In fact, there is no formal definition of ‘natural’ within the Food Standards Code, so consumer protection is via a set of “guidelines” for interpreting the Trade Practices Act from the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC). While corrective action is sometimes taken for flagrant breaches, there are thousands of foods to police, limited resources to police them, and very expensive court time needed to bring companies making dodgy ‘natural’ claims into line.

Is our hankering for ‘natural’ foods a sign of our general disillusionment toward the modern pace of life and our complex food environment? Perhaps ‘natural’ is a word that promises deliverance from the time and stress of interpreting nutrition labels? This same simplicity rationale is behind traffic light labelling: red means unhealthy and green means healthy, right? Well, no not always, and so much depends on the individual dietary context, frequency and amount of the food. Like a lot of areas in nutrition, the simple way doesn’t always guarantee the best way, and creates much collateral damage.

If we are to make the best of our sophisticated food supply, we must read and understand the nutrition information on our food. A good first step is relinquish our desperate grip on the ‘natural’ claim as a healthy signpost. Sometimes ‘natural’ is anything but healthy. Oh, and eat more fresh foods without labels – much food goodness needs no advertising.

For more heart-healthy eating advice, tips and recipes go to www.eattobeatcholesterol.com.au

Move It & Lose It with Prof Trim

Prof Trim’s 5-point fitness test
How do you rate?

Size refers to body fat. This is related to fitness, but not perfectly. It is possible to be fit AND fat and activity levels are more important than weight loss in people who just can’t lose weight.

All you need to do is move.

Stamina is aerobic capacity. It’s a good indication of cardiovascular (heart-lung) fitness. It can be increased by regularly moving at increasing levels of intensity.

A simple home screening question is: “Do you regularly (ie. daily or almost daily) carry out exercise for the sole purpose of improving your health. or increasing your physical fitness.” If the answer is ‘yes’, you’re likely to have an acceptable level of stamina.

Strength is the ability of a muscle to produce force on contraction. Strength is improved through resistance type activities like weight lifting, rubber straps, aquarobics, exercise machines etc.



A good test for overall strength is either the strength of abdominal muscles (tested by doing full, bent leg sit-ups) or the quadriceps of the thighs (tested by standing from a chair to your full height in one movement). Test how many of each of these you can do in 20 seconds. More than 12 of either is a reasonable test of strength of these muscle groups.

Suppleness is another name for flexibility. It refers to the ability to stretch muscles through their full range. Suppleness is improved by stretching or in such activities as yoga. As the hamstrings (behind the thighs) are a large muscle group that are important for bending and moving, a measure of the ability to stretch these isa good indication of overall flexibility.

Sitting on the floor, slowly reach forward to see if you can reach between your feet. If you can do so, or if you can exceed this, you are adequately flexible. If you can’t, you need some more stretching exercises.

Stability is important for preventing falls, particularly in older people. It is an indication of the ability of muscles and joints to work in harmony in daily movement.

A simple measure of stability is to stand on one leg for 30 seconds. Imagine a T sign across the shoulders and down the mid-line of the body. If this wavers, during leg standing, it indicates a lack of stability. To makes sure of this, then close the eyes for 30 seconds and check
if it can be done without wavering. Stability is increased by learning how to stand on one leg like this for longer.


Dr Garry Egger aka Prof Trim

For more information on weight loss for men, check out Professor Trim.

Feedback

Why are many high-fibre foods high GI?
Dietary fibre can be divided into soluble and insoluble types. Soluble fibre is often viscous (thick and jellylike) in solution and remains viscous even in the small intestine. It slows down digestion, making it harder for enzymes to digest the food. Foods with more soluble fibre, like apples, oats and legumes, are low GI as a result. Insoluble fibre, on the other hand, is not viscous and doesn’t slow digestion, especially if it’s finely milled. This is why wholemeal bread and white bread have similar GIs, and why brown pasta and brown rice have values similar to those of their white counterparts.



Does retrograded starch ever revert back to regular starch?
Yes, retrograded starch will revert back to normal starch if it’s reheated – perhaps not all of it, but much of it. That’s the basis of making stale bread into ‘fresh’ bread by heating it up in the oven. So twice-cooked potatoes will remain high GI. Even cold potatoes have a high GI because only 10 per cent of the starch is retrograded. Some critics debate about the fact that cooking makes a difference to the GI of potatoes, but the effect is relatively small and the overall message is that potatoes usually have a high GI. Having said that, we are discovering that some varieties, such as Nicola, have a lower GI – in the high 50s. These are usually called waxy potatoes and they are recommended for making a potato salad because they keep their firm shape.

Email your questions about carbs, the GI and blood glucose to: gicurlyquestions@gmail.com

Your Success Stories

'My experience so far has ensured a life time of lower GI eating for myself and my family.' - Fiona
‘I am currently pregnant with my third child. I was diagnosed with PCOS in 1998. Although my specialist at the time specialised in PCOS for her doctorate, I had no understanding of the link between insulin and my condition. I went on to have two rather large sons – 4.44 kg at 37 weeks and 4.62 kg at 35 weeks (yes, that is right!) – and gained a lot of weight during pregnancy. My second son also had blood glucose issues after birth, although I have never tested positive for gestational diabetes. In my journey to try and fall pregnant a third time I finally read a book I had owned for 4 years but never read – The New Glucose Revolution for Managing (Guide to Living Well with PCOS in the US and Canada). What an eye opener! I can’t believe I had not got around to reading it before. As my husband was also trying to lose weight at the time following the South Beach Diet I took the opportunity to switch to a low GI diet. I have since fallen pregnant again and, despite not being rigid in my diet, have only gained a ‘normal;’ amount of weight and the baby is measuring average for dates at 5 months. My experience so far has ensured a life time of lower GI eating for myself and my family (at least while I have some control over what goes in their mouths!)

Update: Fiona had Baby Number 3 in May - a very respectable 3.95 kg. 'I know that is big for some but small for me! No blood glucose issues with the baby either,' says Fiona

Send us your GI success story.