Glycemic Index

• What Is the Glycemic Index (GI)?
• Why Is GI Important?
• How Is GI Measured?
• Why Do Some GI Values Seem Surprising?
• Where Can I Find Out More About GI?
• References

What Is the Glycemic Index (GI)?

Glycemic Index (GI) is a measurement carried out on carbohydrate-containing foods and their impact on our blood sugar. GI is a relatively new way of analyzing foods. Previously, most meal plans designed to improve blood sugar analyzed the total amount of carbohydrates (including sugars and starches) in the foods themselves. GI goes beyond this approach, looking at the impact of foods on our actual blood sugar. In other words, instead of counting the total amount of carbohydrates in foods in their unconsumed state, GI measures the actual impact of these foods on our blood sugar. We rank our WHFoods as being very low, low, medium, or high in their GI value. You can find a GI value for each individual food in its food profile. Just go to any food profile and take a look at the DRI%/DV% bar chart that is located towards the beginning of the article. At the top right-hand side of the chart you will find the food's GI value.

Why Is GI Important?

Over the past 15 years, low-GI diets have been associated with decreased risk of cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, metabolic syndrome, stroke, depression, chronic kidney disease, formation of gall stones, neural tube defects, formation of uterine fibroids, and cancers of the breast, colon, prostate, and pancreas. Taking advantage of these potential health benefits can be as simple as sticking with whole, natural foods that are either low or very low in their GI value. We've ranking all of our WHFoods as being either high GI, medium GI, low GI, or very low GI to make it easier for you to focus on foods whose GI values fall into the low or very low range (we've also done this for the herbs and spices we include on the website).

How Is GI Measured?

Typically, a food is consumed in whatever serving size will provide 50 grams (about 1.8 ounces) of available carbohydrates. Available carbohydrates (or avCHOs) are carbohydrates that get readily digested, absorbed, and metabolized by our body. These carbohydrates have a much greater impact on our blood sugar level than carbohydrates in general because carbohydrates in general include substances that aren't readily digested, absorbed, and metabolized. Insoluble fibers, for example, are carbohydrates that do not have an immediate impact on our blood sugar level because they cannot be readily digested. As a very general way of estimating available carbohydrates in a serving of food, researchers take the total amount of carbohydrates and subtract out the total amount of fiber. Available carbohydrates are what's left.
After 50 grams of available carbohydrates have been consumed, blood sugar levels are measured over a period of 2 hours. The results are plotted on a graph and summarized in what is called glucose AUC, or "area under the curve." Glucose AUC shows the immediate impact of the food on our blood sugar.
Measuring GI also requires a second step. In this second step, 50 grams of available carbohydrate are consumed, but this time the food involved is one of two reference foods: either white bread or pure sugar (glucose). Once again, blood sugar levels are measured over a period of 2 hours, and the glucose AUC is calculated. At this point, it is possible to compare the two results. The impact of the first food on our blood sugar is compared to the impact of either white bread or glucose itself. When these two results are compared, the impact of the white bread or glucose is arbitrarily given a value of 100 to make the comparison easier. As an example, let's say that researchers are trying to establish a GI for green peas and they decide to compare the impact of green peas on blood sugar to the impact of white bread. And in this example, let's say that a person consumes a starchy vegetable like green peas, and the glucose AUC (area under the curve) is 48% as large the glucose AUC when white bread is consumed. In this case, the GI for green peas would be established at 48% of 100, or 48. (In fact, this is precisely the GI that we use for green peas at WHFoods.)

WHFoods GI Rating System

Most healthcare organizations use a "high," medium" and "low" rating system for GI. Using this system, foods get classified in the following way:

Low GI	Medium GI	High GI
0-55	56-69	70 or greater

We like this rating system. It's also the one we used as the foundation for our own rating system at WHFoods. We kept each of these same categories (low, medium, and high). But we used the concept of avCHO (available carbohydrate) to establish a fourth category called "very low" as well as to rank some of our WHFoods as "low" even though they did not have a published GI value. Since over one-third of our WHFoods are vegetables that often contain very small amounts of avCHO, we thought that the addition of a "very low GI" category would be helpful for sorting out our vegetables in terms of their GI value. To qualify as "very low" our foods needed to have an avCHO of less than 5 grams. (We calculated avCHO by setting a standardized food serving size of 100 grams, recording the food's total carbohydrate content in grams, and subtracting out its total fiber in grams.) To qualify as "low" our foods needed to have an avCHO of 5 grams or more but less than 12 grams. Finally, we ended up classifying a few of our foods as low-GI even when they did not meet our avCHO criterion. While researching the GI values for our foods, we came across research evidence for some particular foods that showed those foods to have a beneficial impact on blood sugar. When the preponderance of research studies for any food showed a beneficial impact on blood sugar, we classified that food as low-GI even if it did not meet our avCHO criterion. Here is a summary chart showing our WHFoods rating system criteria.

WHFoods Glycemic Index Rating System

	Very Low GI	Low GI	Medium GI	High GI
Criteria for Classification	No established GI value and an available carbohydrate (avCHO) of less than 5 grams OR an established GI of less than 20 and an avCHO of less than 7 grams	Either an established GI value of 55 or less OR an available carbohydrate (avCHO) value greater or more than 5 grams but less than or equal to 12 grams OR a beneficial impact on blood sugar in a preponderance of research studies	An established GI vale of 56-69	An established GI value of 70 or greater

Why Do Some GI Values Seem Surprising?

One of the most interesting aspects of GI involves its relationship to the unique features of carbohydrates. Carbohydrates are definitely not the same with respect to their immediate impact on our blood sugar. For example, non-whole grain breads and pasta noodles both contain similar amounts of starch, and their starches are similarly composed of long chains of the simple sugar, glucose. But the 3-dimensional structure of bread allows more of the starch to be exposed to enzymes in our saliva and in our digestive tract. This greater exposure to enzymes allows more of the starch to be broken down into sugar and gives non-whole grain breads a generally higher GI value than non-whole grain pastas. Similarly, two basic types of starch found in many foods - amylose and amylopectin - also influence their GI values, even if the foods have identical amounts of total starch.
With respect to their GI, foods are also differently impacted by cooking. Many legumes, for example, have cell structures that are fairly resistant to disruption and help prevent breakdown of the starches inside their cells. For this reason, legumes tend to have lower-than-expected GI values, provided that they have not been overcooked. Before they have been ground into flour, whole grains also tend to have lower GI values due to the sturdiness of their cell structures. But after being ground into flour, their starches become more susceptible to breakdown and their GI value tends to increase. Of course, these descriptions are generalizations and can be different for specific legumes, specific grains, and specific flours. Still, they reflect a general pattern and principle: namely, that for a carbohydrate-containing food, the more its natural integrity becomes disrupted by processing or overcooking, the more its GI value is likely to be increased. Minimal disruption of whole foods from their natural, unprocessed state is one of our key principles at WHFoods, and it is a principle 100% aligned with promotion of lower GI values.

GI Ratings for the World's Healthiest Foods

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Food Group	Very Low GI	Low GI	Medium GI	High GI
World's Healthiest Foods
Vegetables	asparagus	carrots	beets	potatoes
	avocados	eggplant	corn
	beet greens	garlic	leeks
	bell peppers	green peas	sweet potatoes
	bok choy	onions
	broccoli	sea vegetables
	Brussels sprouts	winter squash
	cabbage
	cauliflower
	celery
	collard greens
	cucumbers
	fennel (bulb)
	green beans
	kale
	mushrooms, crimini
	mustard greens
	olives
	olive oil
	Romaine and other lettuce
	spinach
	summer squash
	Swiss chard
	tomatoes
	turnip greens
Fruits		apples	apricots
		bananas	cantaloupe
		blueberries	figs
		cranberries	papaya
		grapefruit	pineapple
		grapes	raisins
		kiwifruit	watermelon
		lemons/limes
		oranges
		pears
		plums
		prunes
		raspberries
		strawberries
Nuts & Seeds	flaxseeds	almonds
	sesame seeds	cashews
		peanuts
		pumpkin seeds
		sunflower seeds
		walnuts
Beans & Legumes	soybeans	black beans
	tofu	dried peas
	tempeh	garbanzo beans
		kidney beans
		lentils
		lima beans
		navy beans
		pinto beans
Seafood	cod	scallops
	salmon
	sardines
	shrimp
	tuna
Meats	beef, grass-fed
	chicken-pasture-raised
	lamb, grass-fed
	turkey, pasture-raised
Dairy		cheese, grass-fed
		eggs, pasture-raised
		cow's milk, grass-fed
		yogurt, grass-fed
Grains		barley	millet
		brown rice
		buckwheat
		oats
		quinoa
		rye
		whole wheat
World's Healthiest Spices and Herbs	black pepper
	chili pepper
	cilantro & coriander seeds
	cinnamon
	cloves
	cumin seeds
	dill
	ginger
	mustard seeds
	oregano
	parsley
	peppermint
	rosemary
	sage
	thyme
	turmeric

Where Can I Find Out More About GI?

Much of the pioneering work on glycemic index was carried out by Professor Jennie Brand-Miller,PhD, Personal Chair in Human Nutrition in the Human Nutrition Unit, School of Molecular and Microbial Biosciences at the University of Sydney in Sydney, Australia. The glycemic index website at the University of Sydney provides extensive information about her work as well as a searchable database for GI values.
Another resource we like is the website established by medical writer David Mendosa and devoted to issues involving glycemic index, glycemic load, and diabetes management. The Mendosa site also provides comprehensive lists of foods and their GI values.

Source: http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=faq&dbid=32

5 All-Natural Ways To Beat Acne For Goo

5 All-Natural Ways To Beat Acne For Good

Nowadays I spend most of my time out in the world makeup-less, but this wasn't always the case. I used to have horrible skin, with rash-like acne covering my forehead and cheeks. As an actress and model, it was seriously getting in the way of my professional success, and wreaking havoc on my self-esteem.

After trying the traditional solutions doctors and infomercials tell you to try — including topical creams, on-the-spot treatments, tonics, solutions, face washes, etc. — one day I got so frustrated that I marched into my bathroom and threw out every last one of the chemical products that were supposed to be my salvation in the trash. Right then and there I decided that I didn’t want a short cut; I was going to do whatever it took to stay acne-free forever, and this time I would attack from the inside out.

Here are five simple but effective ways you can achieve and maintain glowing skin the natural way. Warning: sometimes the issue initially gets worse during your initial detoxification phase as toxins are trying to make their way out of your system. If you can stick it out when the going gets rough, at the end of your journey you'll most likely find yourself with an all-natural glow you never thought you'd have, with onlookers clamoring to know your secret.

1. Eliminate processed foods, gluten, and dairy.

That means no junk food, no chips, no sodas, no refined sugar, and no hydrogenated or saturated fats. If you have acne, you have to recognize that it's a disease and is pointing to the fact that you’re out of balance. You may have a toxic body from your diet, your organs could be overworked, and to make the kind of progress that lasts forever, you need to detoxify and consume alkaline foods. Period. There's no getting around it, sorry. I'm telling you this now to save you the money you would have spent on the latest infomercial miracle solution destined to take your acne away.

2. Take a chill pill.

Meditate, do yoga, take a walk, or just plain BREATHE deeply daily. Stress can also play a factor in acne, mostly because when our emotional state is out of whack it can throw our hormones even more out of balance, which eventually creates disease. Negative emotions are toxic to our bodies’ just like processed foods are, so it’s important to find whatever discipline works for you and tap into that inner Zen.

3. Clean your colon.

This is huge when it comes to staying acne free. Once I understood this principle, I never had an issue with acne again. Most of the time, acne happens when our colons are clogged up and we're constipated, meaning our bowel movements have not caught up with the amount of food we're eating. When this happens and waste piles up, the body responds by trying to push toxins out through the skin in the form of pimples. Why waste your time piling chemicals on your face, when a little tender loving care for your colon goes a long way?

4. Find nutritional balance.

Very frequently, people with acne are nutritionally out of balance in some way. Just like any other disease, the condition can stem from too much of something, in this case perhaps refined sugar, carbs, etc. or too little of important nutrients like: zinc, sulfur, or omega-3 fatty acids. So, it is very important that you begin to eat a wide range of whole foods that are fresh and nutrient dense that give your body what you need, and that you also incorporate super foods or supplements to rectify any long-standing nutritional deficiencies and boost your immune system.

5. Stop putting chemicals on your face!

I know when you're dealing with the annoying fact that your face is covered with pimples it's only natural to jump for anything that could be a quick fix. Unfortunately, the majority of the quick fixes don't really work, or if they do work for the moment, they don't address the root cause. As hard as it may be, it's better to take a good look at what you're using on your skin and make sure you understand what every ingredient is in your products. What you put on our skin should be virtually edible and natural so as not to aggravate your acne or add more toxicity to your system.

Ref: http://www.mindbodygreen.com/0-12641/5-all-natural-ways-to-beat-acne-for-good.html

GM Diet Plan - Full Details

DAY ONE

All fruits except bananas. Your first day will consists of all fruits you want. It is suggested you consume lot of watermelon and rock melon (cantaloupe).

Note: And drink lots of water [At least 20 cups/12 glasses of water –> 3L to 4L].

DAY TWO

All vegetables. You are encouraged to eat until you are stuffed with all the new and

Cooked vegetables of your choice. There is no limit on the account or type. Avoid oil

And coconut while cooking vegetables. Have large boiled potato/sweet potato for breakfast.

Breakfast: One [IF BIG], Two [If small] potato/sweet potato – boiled and cooked in frying pan

Lunch: Broccoli fry with onion and little bit oil salt [very very less oil].

Dinner: Make a soup using Cabbage, Broccoli and baby corn.

Snacks (Vegetables) - Carrots, Lettuce, cucumber, beetroot slices, Baby corn

Note: And drink lots of water [At least 20 cups/12 glasses of water –> 3L to 4L].

DAY THREE

Any mixture of fruits and vegetables of your choice. Any amount, any quantity. No

Bananas yet and no potatoes today.

Breakfast: Eat 2 apples and 1 pear and some water melon/rock melon

Lunch: Broccoli fry with onion and little bit oil salt [very very less oil]. And some fruits

Dinner: Make a soup using Cabbage, Broccoli and baby corn.

Snacks (Vegetables) - Carrots, Lettuce, cucumber, beetroot slices, Baby corn

Snacks (Fruits) – Grapes, apple bits, pear bits, cherry, blue berries,

Note: And drink lots of water [At least 20 cups/12 glasses of water –> 3L to 4L].

DAY FOUR

Bananas and milk. Today you will eat as many as eight bananas and drink three glasses of milk. You can also have I bowl of vegetables soup.

Breakfast (around 7 to 8 AM): Eat 2 red banana (Sevvalai) and 1 tumbler boiled milk (Use Meji milk)

Lunch (around 12 to 12:30 PM): Eat 2 red banana (Sevvalai) and 1 tumbler boiled milk (Use Meji milk)

@ 4 to 4.30 PM: Eat 2 red banana (Sevvalai) and 1 tumbler boiled milk (Use Meji milk)

Dinner (around 7 to 8 PM): Eat 2 red banana (Sevvalai) and 1 tumbler boiled milk (Use Meji milk) and also have a cabbage soup

Snacks – Strictly nothing

DAY FIVE.

Today is a feast day. You will eat 1 cup of rice. You also have to eat six whole tomatoes and drink 12 glasses of water today to cleanse your system of the excess uric acid you will be producing.

Breakfast (around 7 to 8 AM): Take 4 tomato cut in to round slices. Fry in a pan with few drops of sun flower oil and little bit salt. And cool it and have half of it. And keep the remaining half for lunch with rice.

Lunch (around 12 to 12:30 PM): Eat 1 cut of rice and tomatoes slice gravy [same.

@ 4 to 4.30 PM: Eat 2 raw tomatoes

Dinner (around 7 to 8 PM): Eat 2 raw tomatoes and have a veg soup [less quantity]

Snacks – Strictly nothing

DAY SIX

Today is another all vegetables day. You must eat 1 cup of rice today and eat all the

Vegetables you want cooked and uncooked.

Breakfast: Raw or cooked vegetables

Lunch: 1 cup rice and vegetables (raw or cooked)

Broccoli fry with onion and little bit oil salt [very very less oil].

Dinner: Make a soup using Cabbage, Broccoli and baby corn.

Snacks (Vegetables) - Carrots, Lettuce, cucumber, beetroot slices, Baby corn

Note: And drink lots of water [At least 20 cups/12 glasses of water –> 3L to 4L].

DAY SEVEN

Today your food intake will consist of 1 cup rice, fruit juice and the vegetables you care

to consume.

Breakfast: Drink water melon/rock melon [Fresh cut fruit or juice]

Lunch: 1 cut rice with Vegetables [very very less oil]. Cooked or raw vegetables

Dinner: Make a soup using Cabbage, Broccoli and baby corn.

Snacks (Vegetables) - Carrots, Lettuce, cucumber, beetroot slices, Baby corn

Snacks (Fruits) – Grapes, apple bits, pear bits, cherry, blue berries

Tomorrow morning you will be five to eight kgs. Lighter than 1 week ago. You have your system under control now and it will thank you for all the purging and cleansing you just gave it. Even more than a diet program it is good to follow this diet once in a while to clean your digestive system and remove toxic substances that have a accumulated in the system.

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS

·         The most important element of the program is the 10 tall glasses of water a day.

·         You can also flavor the water will some lemon to make the drink easier.

·         While on the program, take only black coffee and never more than one teaspoon of oil.

·         Preferably do not use oil because the high calorific content.

·         No fruit juices before day seven.

Here is what happens to your body while you are on this program and how and why it Works.

Day 1: You are preparing your system for the upcoming program. Your only source of  Nutrition is fresh fruits. Fruits are nature's perfect food. They provide everything You can possibly want to sustain life except total balance and variety.

Day 2: Starts with a fix complex carbohydrates in the form of a boiled potato. This is taken in the form of a boiled potato and taken in the morning to provide energy and balance. The rest of the day too consists of vegetables which are virtually calories free and provide essential nutrients and fiber.

Day 3: Eliminates the potato because you get your carbohydrates from fruits. Your system is now prepared to start burning excess pounds. You will have cravings, which should start to diminish by day four.

Day 4: Bananas and milk. You are in for a surprise. You probably will not be able to eat all the bananas allowed. But they are there fore the potassium you have lost and the sodium you may have missed the last three days. You will notice a definite loss of desire for sweets and you will be surprised at how easy this day will go.

Day 5: Rice and tomatoes. The rice is for the carbohydrates and the tomatoes are for the digestion and the fiber. Lots of water purifies your system. You should notice colorless urine today. Do not feel you have to eat one cup rice, you may eat less. But you may eat six tomatoes.

Day 6: It is similar to five. Vitamins and fiber from the vegetables and carbohydrates from the rice. By now your system is in a total weight loss inclination.

There should be a noticeable difference in the way you look today compared to day one. Motor than one cup of coffee with milk is especially forbidden.

Milk and oil add empty calories to your diet.  Avid coffee lovers can console themselves with black coffee.

However, after the first week, it will help your digestion and set your stomach. The key think to remeb4er is that if you are hungry at any time, then you are not following the diet correctly. Almost all people give up the diet when they are hungry because of dieting. The secret of this program is that you should never hungry. If it is a vegetable day, eat so much vegetables so that you are never hungry. If it is a fruits day, eat so much fruits that you are never hungry. You may be bored of eating vegetables all day, but you should not be hungry.

You can take any amount of General Motors wonder soup on any day.

GENERAL MOTORS WONDER SOUP

The following soup is intended as a supplement to your diet. It can be eaten any time of the day in virtually unlimited quantities. You are encouraged to drink large quantities of this soup.

23 oz water

06 large onions

02 green peppers

03 whole tomatoes

1 cabbage

1 bunch celery ­ add herbs and seasoning as desired.

This program is highly recommended for women and men above 40 for whom excess weight is especially dangerous. Excess weight for women aggravates arthritis problems and leads to rapid joint decay. Pain and joint deterioration can be lessened by weight loss as weight loss removes the stress on the knee joint. Excess weight is the most critical factor in keeping good health and excess weight is responsible for the most problems including coronary diseases, heart problems, arthritis and cancer among other serious life threatening diseases. Most serious health problems can be avoided by the single function of maintaining an ideal weight. Daily mild exercise of 20 minutes is also essential. Do not tire yourself out, but being regular in your exercise and maintaining an ideal weight goes a long way in ensuring a happy, healthy and long life.

Enjoy...Happy Healthy Living.....Vijay