Fri, Feb-01-02, 16:48
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Senior Member
Posts: 354
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Plan: Atkins/PP
Stats: //
BF:
Progress: 50%
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Hi! I'm no expert, but here's my understanding of it.
It has to do with the rate at which glucose hits your bloodstream. All carbs turn to glucose but those aren't all absorbed at the same rate. If you eat sugar, it pretty much all absorbs at once. If you eat a lentil, all that fiber gets in the way of immediate absorbsion.
If it's all hitting your bloodstream at the same time, your liver (I think) responds with a big increase in insulin so that some of that sugar gets stored, in order to protect your brain from blood sugar levels that are too high. If the glucose is getting absorbed at a more even rate, slowly, no big surge of insulin is necessary.
The glycemic index is an attempt to rate foods according to the rate at which they hit your bloodstream. Sugar is 100; lentils are about 14. Read more here:
http://www.mendosa.com/gi.htm
Why are nuts a problem? Beats me!
Allison
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