On Nutrition, Cycling, Glycemic Index (GI)

Have bike, we will help save the earth...

                                            Angel Taking High GI Food on the Ride to Tagaytay

                                           Real Man Alan With Large Portions of Rice at Real Resto


I thought that GI or Glycemic Index was just for diabetic.  It is only from the Book Ride Fast by Eric Harr that I understood it well.

Food is rated to its glucose content, with pure glucose having an index of l00.  As you get closer to it, the GI gets higher.  Raw food: fruits and vegetables generally have lower GI;  those that are processed have higher GI.  Those that are dark colored bread and rice have lower GI.

l.  How do you use GI knowledge for biking nutrition.

When you take food with high GI, your Blood Sugar level shoots up, your body is asked to produce more insulin, and incredibly, 20 minutes later your blood sugar level crashes and all of a sudden you experience fatigue.  Therefore, it is better that before and during the ride, take food that have lower GI;  after the ride and you are rested, take food that are high in GI; your tank is  empty and you need the glucose perk up/shoot.

2.  Food with low GI make you feel more full and satfisfied.

3.  Why do eating food with high GI make you (and most people fat)

When your blood sugar spikes, the body produces more insulin.  More insulin makes it difficult to metabolize (burn up) fats.  You thus become fat.  More sugar does not necessarily combine to form fats.

Example of food with low GI: all beans, all bran cereals, rice bran, apple, dried apricot, grapefruit, unripe banana, cherries, grapes, orange, peach, pear, plum, rye, apple juice, milk, milk chocolate!! soy milk, pudding, yogurt, snickers!!!!,macaroni, spaghetti, M & M peanuts.

All other food not mentioned here especially processed food have high GI:  white bread, rice, softdrinks, all bread.

Milk and chocolate lovers:  take note:  snickers, MM peanuts, milk chocolate have low GI.  Enjoy