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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?” It’s simple – high GI foods DON’T
necessarily make you fat – choosing natural foods and burning more
calories than you consume are far more important factors. Although it’s
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:
|
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 Men’s Exercise, as well as on hundreds
of websites worldwide. For information on Tom's Fat Loss program,
click
here.
Click
Here To Return To
Articles By Tom Venuto
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