Understanding The Misunderstandings

This doesn’t mean you should avoid all high-glycemic index foods. In fact, many fruits and vegetables have a high glycemic index but, because they provide valuable nutrients, they should remain part of a well-balanced diet.

A fundamental misunderstanding of the glycemic index concept has even led one diet ‘guru’ to recommend avoiding carrots, an very nutritious vegetable. But to take in 50 grams of carbohydrates—the amount needed to trigger a high-glycemic index effect—you’d need to eat more than a pound of carrots, all at one sitting.

The key point to remember is that our meals are typically—and should be—complex, containing not just one type of carbohydrate, but a mix of different carbohydrates, proteins and, yes, fats. The total insulin effect of a meal depends on the proportion of the individual foods we take in.

So, by combining high- and low-glycemic index foods together in each meal, we can regulate our body’s insulin response. And because both carbohydrate and protein are powerful stimulants of insulin release, scientists have found that, in general, the total calories of a meal correlates well with insulin levels. Eat fewer calories and you’ll lower your insulin levels—and lose weight.

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