What exactly is the Glycemic Index? In the early 80’s a British-born doctor working in Canada was studying the effects of carbohydrates on blood sugar. Dr. David J.A. Jenkins and his colleagues developed the concept known as the Glycemic Index which is basically a way to measure how fast carbs break down into the blood stream. Carbs that break down quickly and cause more of a blood-sugar spike such as white bread and other processed food have a high GI, and those that take more time to break down such as whole grain breads and less processed foods have a lower GI. While originally it was studied to see which foods were better for people with diabetes, it has been used for weight control. In this article we’re going to explain how to use the GI for another kind of weight control, how to get fat!
GI values interpreted as percentages on a scale are classified in this way – 55 or less is considered a low GI, these foods might include fruit, vegetables, nuts, whole grains, etc; 56 – 69 are considered medium which include whole wheat, brown rice, potatoes, and so forth; A high GI is 70 and above which include white bread, white rice, things like candy bars, and pretty much anything processed. Most people using the GI for weight control actually will start cutting out processed foods, and try to get to more whole foods. Whole foods are essentially foods that are as close to unprocessed or unrefined as possible. There’s also the concept of glycemic load which essentially means it takes into account the amount of carbs you eat. For instance a small piece of candy might have a high GI, but because it is small the response is relatively low. Glycemic load is a bit beyond the scope of this article and won’t be referred to anymore.
Since this is a ’Monday’ article I won’t spend the time to write a GI chart here, you can probably do that by doing an internet search on the Glycemic Index, glycemic load, etc, but it all comes down to this. Start logging the GI of each of the foods you eat for a week. Then try to substitute a higher GI food for a lower one. Also try to increase your consumption of food. Eating a lot can go a long way toward getting you fat. I would recommend you gradually switch to higher GI foods rather than just eating a bunch of candy bars right from the start. If you ate mostly veggies and suddenly exposed yourself to a large steak and baked potato with butter and sour cream, you would start feeling lethargic, likewise if you ate a lot of candy from the start you would have a quick sugar high and then a low crash, and might even feel sick from eating all that candy. So as in everything start slow and build up. Becoming a lard-butt is hard work, but with a little persistence and some apple pie you too can use the Glycemic Index to become fat.
Until ‘Monday’