Glycaemic Load and Dax Moy

I like Dax.

I like his blog.

But that does not always mean he gives the best information.

Take his most recent blog:

(extract)

"Go for low GI (Glycemic index) carbs and reduce the overall carbohydrate intake and make sure that those consumed are spread throughout the day to avoid insulin 'spikes' that will command your body to store fat. Maintain a steady protein and fat intake and be sure to supplement your diet with a high quality fish oil too."

Dax's blog

The advice above is both wrong and incomplete.

Let's look first at 'high quality fish oil'.

Firstly it should be Krill.

Why?

Read this.

Now let's look at the Glycaemic Index.

What's GI?
There has been much talk about the Glycemic Index (GI), the measurement of how rapidly a particular carbohydrate turns into sugar, by many low-carb dieters and diabetics alike. Not all carbohydrates are created equally. Some turn to sugar more rapidly then others, causing a spike in insulin, while others are slower, causing an equally slower rise in insulin. The GI measurement is based on a reference of 50 grams of glucose (or some tables use white bread). The higher the GI value, the faster it turns to sugar.

But that’s not the whole story. GI doesn’t take into account the amount of the particular carbohydrate in a serving of food. It simply compares 50 grams of carbohydrate “X” against 50 grams of glucose. So, carrots for example have an extraordinary high GI of 131% (50 grams of the carbohydrate in carrots turns to sugar 131% faster than 50 grams of glucose). Does that mean a low-carber should avoid carrots? Absolutely not.

What's GL?
Enter the Glycemic Load (GL). This takes into account the serving size of a particular food. For instance, a ½ cup of carrots has a high GI of 131%, but the amount of carbohydrate in this serving size is only 8 grams. Therefore, the GL is 10.48 (1.31 x 8 = 10.48). This is relatively low, compared to a baked potato, which has GL of 45, or a ½ cup of cooked white rice, which has GL of 28.

The GI is a useful number, but the GL number is a more practical number. See how Team A has a high GI, but it actually has the lowest insulin impact. That's because the GL is the lowest. The GL just doesn’t look at the individual carbohydrate, it looks at the total amount in a serving. This would be similar to carrots -- high GI, but not a lot, so it has a low GL.

In fact, a lower GI carb could have a higher impact on insulin simply because there is more of it per serving, like in Team B. This would be like rice. Rice has a GI of 81% (less than a carrot), but the same 1/2 cup has GL of 28 (more then 2.5 times greater then a carrot).

The above is cut and pasted from here but I could have used another site such as this or this one or indeed many many others.

So - the best oil and the glycaemic LOAD - be wary of what you read elsewhere!