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By Tom Venuto, NSCA-CPT, CSCS
www.burnthefat.com
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Tom
Venuto |
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3.7%
Body Fat |
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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.
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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 (BFFM) 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 the Burn The Fat,
Feed The Muscle website at: www.burnthefat.com
Tom Venuto is
a natural bodybuilder, certified strength and conditioning
specialist (CSCS) and a certified personal trainer (CPT). Tom is the
author of "Burn the Fat, Feed The Muscle,” which teaches you
how to get lean without drugs or supplements using methods of the
world's best bodybuilders and fitness models. Learn how to get rid
of stubborn fat and increase your metabolism by visiting: www.BurnTheFat.com
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