The
Glycemix Index (GI) - Key To Fat Loss Or Just Another
Diet Gimmick
By Tom Venuto, NSCA-CPT, CSCS
The glycemic
index (GI) is a scale from 1 to 100 that measures how
quickly carbohydrate foods are broken down into glucose.
The original purpose for the glycemic index was to help
diabetics keep their blood sugar under control. The glycemic
index has recently attracted a lot of attention in the
bodybuilding, fitness and weight loss world and has even
become the central theme in numerous best-selling diet
books as a method to choose the foods that are best for
losing weight.
According to
advocates of the glycemic index system, foods that are
high on the GI scale such as rice cakes, carrots, potatoes,
watermelon or grape juice are "unfavorable"
and should be avoided because high GI foods are absorbed
quickly, raise blood sugar rapidly and are therefore more
likely to convert to fat or cause health problems.
Instead, we
are urged to consume carbohydrates that are low on the
GI scale such as black eye peas, barley, old fashioned
oatmeal, peanuts, grapefruit, apples and beans because
they do not raise blood sugar as rapidly.
While the
GI does have some useful applications, such as the use
of high GI foods or drinks for post workout nutrition
and the strong emphasis on low GI foods for those with
blood sugar regulation problems, there are flaws in strictly
using the glycemic index as your only criteria to choose
carbs on a weight loss program.
For example,
the glycemic index is based on eating carbohydrates by
themselves in a fasted state. If you are following effective
principles of fat-burning and muscle building nutrition
such as those outlined in my Burn
the Fat, Feed The Muscle e-book (www.burnthefat.com),
you should be eating small, frequent meals to increase
your energy, maintain lean body mass and optimize metabolism
for fat loss.
However, since
the glycemic index of various foods was developed based
on eating each food in the fasted state, the glycemic
index loses some of its significance. you should be eating
small, frequent meals to increase your energy, maintain
lean body mass and optimize metabolism for fat loss. However,
since the glycemic index of various foods was developed
based on eating each food in the fasted state, the glycemic
index loses some of its significance.
In addition,
when you are on a diet program aimed at improving body
composition (losing fat or gaining muscle), you will usually
be combining carbs and protein together with each meal
for the purposes of improving your fat to muscle ratio.
When carbs are eaten in mixed meals that contain protein
and some fat, the glycemic index loses even more of its
significance because the protein and fat slows the absorption
of the carbohydrates (as does fiber).
Mashed potatoes
have a glycemic index near that of pure glucose, but combine
the potatoes with a chicken breast and broccoli and the
glycemic index of the entire meal is lower than the potatoes
by itself.
Rice cakes
have a very high glycemic index, but if you were to put
a couple tablespoons of peanut butter on them, the fat
would slow the absorption of the carbs, thereby lowering
the glycemic index of the combination.
A far more
important and relevant criteria for selecting carbs for
weight loss - as well as all your other foods, proteins
and fats included - is whether they are natural or processed.
To say that a healthy person with no metabolic disorders
should completely avoid natural, unprocessed foods like
carrots or potatoes simply because they are high on the
glycemic index is ridiculous.
I know many
bodybuilders (myself included) who eat high glycemic index
foods such as white potatoes every day right up until
the day of a competition and they reach single digit body
fat. How do they do it if high GI foods make you
fat? Its simple high GI foods DONT
necessarily make you fat choosing natural foods
and burning more calories than you consume are far more
important factors. Although its not correct to say
that all calories are created equal, a calorie deficit
is the most important factor of all when fat loss is your
goal.
The glycemic
index is clearly not a "gimmick" and should
not be completely disregarded, as it is a definitely a
legitimate nutritional tool. Is it a good idea to eat
low GI foods in general? Sure. Is eating high GI foods
after your workouts a good idea? Absolutely. But diet
programs which hang their hats on glycemic index alone
as the miracle solution are just another example
of how one single aspect of nutrition can be used as a
"hook" in marketing and said to be the "end
all be all" of fat loss, when it's really only one
small piece of the puzzle.
Eating Low
glycemic index foods alone does NOT guarantee you will
lose fat. You have to take in the bigger picture, which
includes calories/energy balance, meal timing and frequency,
macronutrient composition, choice of processed versus
refined foods as well as how all these nutritional factors
interact with your exercise program.
For more information
on carbohydrates and the glycemic index, and for a balanced,
gimmick-free look at all aspects of fat-burning nutrition,
be sure to visit Burn
the Fat, Feed The Muscle
About
the Author:
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Tom Venuto is a lifetime
natural bodybuilder, an NSCA-certified personal
trainer (CPT), certified strength & conditioning
specialist (CSCS), and author of the #1 best-selling
e-book, "Burn
the Fat, Feed The Muscle. Tom has
written hundreds of articles and has been featured
in print magazines such as IRONMAN, Australian IRONMAN,
Natural Bodybuilding, Muscular Development, Exercise
for Men and Mens Exercise, as well as on hundreds
of websites worldwide.
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