Glycemic Index, how to make sense of it!

[Jesse Marunde]

Here's the basics of what you need to know about the glycemic index.
http://www.marunde-muscle.com/glycemicindex.html

here's a full list of foods on the GI index.
http://www.missworldfitness.com/glycemicindex2.html

Jesse

[Jesse Marunde]

Lance, maltodextrin has a GI of 105.

Jesse

[Lance Peterson]

Crap that is very high! How does the GI of foods change when stuff is combined. Like protein + carbs etc. I read that alot of the MRPs use maltodextrin for carbs?

[lhprop1]

Thanks Jesse. Good to know.

Now that you've opened that can of worms, what would you suggest for pre-game/contest loading?

If I want to load for a rugby match on a Saturday, should I start on Wed or Thurs? How should this differ from my regular diet during the week (considering that I also train and practice throughout the week): More foods with a low GI or more with a high GI?

Also, during a strongman competition, is there any point to loading earlier in the week, or should I concentrate on foods with a higher GI right before/during the contest?

Or am I just talking gibberish and it doesn't make much difference?

[Jesse Marunde]

Hi Ben! Carb loading the night and day of is what I would do if loading is your thing. I always have a fairly high carb diet so I don't change my diet precontest. I just eat like I would during training so that I feel normal.

Preworkout some simple sugars or maltodextrin are OK. Post workout I like to take 30g suger, 50g malto, and 100g whey. Not real sure about the GI effect when combining different foods.

Weightgainers use maltodextrin because it is dirt cheap. check out how cheap like 100 pounds of it is from www.supplementdirect.com (http://www.supplementdirect.com)

Jesse

[Dave Ostlund]

The GI of carbs when combined with protein and/or fats will be lowered. I couldn't tell you exact numbers though. I do know that different proteins will affect the GI of a carbohydrate differently. A hydrolzyed whey powder will have very little impact on it, while eating whole eggs or cottage cheese would lower the GI more significantly.

Stick with complex, low GI carbs except for pre-, post-, and during training/contests.

[Jesse Marunde]

you got it! Glad to see you made it back Dave.


Jesse

[lhprop1]

Ok, so if I'm thinking straight, I should be trying to get more foods with a lower GI rather than a higher GI. Am I correct in thinking this?

What range should I shoot for? I noticed there weren't too many below 50 on that list. I eat a lot of Basmati rice, is that ok?

Sorry for all the questions. This whole nutrition/supplementation thing is kinda new to me.

[SqeezeMasterFlash]

Ben you're skinny enough to eat whatever you want! Just avoid things with white flour and sugar in them and you'll be fine. Also avoid enriched wheat flour. Look for whole wheat flour instead. Basmati rice is ok, brown rice is better. If you want rice that's still fragrant try jasmati. It's cheaper and I beleive higher in fiber.

[patrick w.]

I thought since this pertains to the discussion on Glyemic index I would post this here. It is about Glycemic Load which is a little more specific than the glycemic index is.

*sorry to bump and old thread*


glycemic load (http://diabetes.about.com/library/mendosagi/ngilists.htm)

[Steve Shafley]

The gycemic index is mostly just a guideline. It doesn't take into consideration the addition of proteins and fats to the food mix. Most of us, I would imagine, don't eat one single type of macronutrient at a time.

Aside from that, focusing on lower gycemic index foods is better, because these foods tend to be more nutrient dense and calorie sparse.

With regards to carb loading and rugby:

Ben, in my experience, carb loading for rugby was pretty useless unless you had depleted carbs about 3 days prior to the match. I ended up playing one entire season on a version of DePasquale's Anabolic Diet and I would basically eat no carbs Mon-Thu, then carb load on Friday and Saturday morning then after the game. Low carb would resume on Sunday morning, whenever the hangover went away. I went from ~240 to 202 in a period of 10 weeks, and, while I was weaker (I always found it hard to juggle strength training and the conditioning required to dominate on the pitch), my performance on the pitch and fitness improved week by week.

Shaf