The Basics: Part III

In The Basics: Part I we went over the glycemic index (GI) & how we should make sure to choose foods that don't cause sudden spikes & drops in blood sugar. In Part II we went over the three different macronutrients: carbs, proteins & fats. Now I'll tell you how each macronutrient affects the glycemic index. Let's start with those pesky carbohydrates. Most of the carbs we eat are made up of starches & in order for all of the starches to be absorbed and enter into our bloodstream, they have to be broken down into glucose (the smallest of the sugar molecules of which starches are composed). Glycemia indicates the rate at which glucose is absorbed (digestability). Carbohydrates are very complex (no pun intended), so I am going to try to outline the important parts & explain why it matters to the GI, and our kids.  

 

This is a picture of Claire's first visit to Manny's Deli in Chicago. 

That is half of my turkey pastrami sandwich, just HALF! She weighed around 6lbs in this picture. Clearly I polished off about 4lbs of sandwich, whoops. 

Those days are long gone!

Food Starch:  Extreme boiling temperatures modify starch structure. When starch is heated, water is absorbed, and the starch granules swell with a sort of solution. When the heating process is prolonged - usually boiling to desired consistency, what happens is something called gelatinization, because the solution formed has a gelatinous, highly viscous consistency.  The greater the degree of gelatinization in starches, the greater its capacity to become glucose and, naturally, the greater its tendency to raise blood sugar levels (GI). 

This does not hold true for ALL vegetables, but mostly for starchy ones such as potatoes, sweet potatoes, yams, plaintains, and carrots. Raw carrots, for example, have a GI of 20. That GI spikes to 50 as soon as they are boiled. My point here is that when eating these items, serve in moderation & try to serve both raw & cooked carrots (not at the same time of course). We were advised to stay completely away from white potatoes, and yams or sweet potatoes should be enjoyed not more than once a month. Personally, I can't stand plantains, so those will be no problem to stay away from. Also, slightly cooking veggies, like steaming them, actually helps the body absorb more of it's nutrients. But to steam them so they lose all structure & are just a wet mess, they have been reduced to kinda useless.  

Recent studies confirm that the body absorbs much more of the beneficial anti-cancer compounds (carotenoids and phytochemicals—especially lutein and lycopene) from cooked vegetables compared with raw. Some vitamins in food are the ones to suffer being that they are reduced by up to 30% once the food is heated. 
Claire loves carrots, and right now she has to eat them somewhat cooked to be able to get her little teeth to break them down. Each time I give them to her, however, I try to not cook them quite as much as the time before. Hopefully she will be able to move onto raw ones in the near future. I am trying to get her to eat more & more raw veggies, and we always eat slightly cooked veggies too.It will always be a combination of the both.
It is very note-worthy to share that it has been found that steaming your veggies, rather than boiling them, causes less gelatinization. My message here is that vegetables (qualifying vegetables) should be enjoyed both steamed, or lightly cooked, and raw to maximize all their health benefits.

Corn has an especially high starch content, meaning that it is quite high on the GI. As you know from reading food labels (and you should be reading food labels), food starch is CORNstarch. It is used as a thickening agent, biding agent, in a lot of bread items & in powdered sugar. Modified food starch, again is cornstarch, is really found in so many prepackaged foods. Popcorn, on the other hand, has a lot of benefits like fiber content & the level of an anti-cancer compound called ferulic acid. 

Another reason cooking from scratch has numerous health benefits!

Fiber contained in starches reduces glucose from being absorbed into the bloodstream, hence preventing blood sugar spikes. Starchy fruit is higher on the GI depending on how ripe it is. This is true for many fruits & vegetables: the longer they sit to ripen, the higher their number on the GI. The skin of most fruit, like an apple, contains a good portion of it's fiber. Peeling an apple does no one any favors in regards to GI & fiber. Fresh fruits & vegetables are necessary for more than one reason!

When starchy foods are ground into finer particles (wheat into flour, oats into cereal, etc) it allows for easier absorption, hence raising it's GI.  Because of the way flour is now milled & super-refined, they have lost fibers, proteins, vitamins, minerals & essential fatty acids, which causes the (unnatural) rise in it's GI. 

To see where your next meal falls on the GI, click here:  Check the GI
Nutritionists advise that anything that falls on the GI at 70 or higher is a HIGH GI, anything 50 or below is is low. 

At one time (for a brief moment) I thought a gluten-free diet would probably work beautifully for Claire. Then I started researching what is actually in gluten-free foods and found a lot of them just replace wheat with rice (big no-no for PWS). This is why I urge everyone to read & understand your food labels. Some gluten-free bread is also low-carb, so there are good choices out there, we just have to look for them!  

COMPLEX vs. SIMPLE CARBOHYDRATES:
Complex carbs are usually the more nutritious of the two, found in fruits and vegetables (apples, berries, spinach, broccoli, beans, zucchini, lentils), whole grains (quinoa, barley, wheat, buckwheat)  & cereals (oats, semolina wheat). These carbs are broken down more slowly, giving the feeling of fullness for longer. 
Simple carbs are the bad ones. They are usually found in sweets (table sugar, honey, milk, pop - or soda again for you southerners, juice, etc). These carbs tend to only be a quick fix for hunger, lasting a very short amount of time. Fruit is really the only simple carb considered to be good for you.

 

There are many ways that carbohydrate starches & sugars are modified. They all affect the body's ability to digest & absorb them, leading to glycemic & insulin reactions. (http://www.montignac.com/en/the-factors-that-modify-glycemic-indexes/)
So, basically, carbohydrates are evil. Kidding! Carbohydrates provide fuel you use as energy for physical activity, brain function and organ function. However, carbs that are not used are stored as fat. 

Eating carbohydrates stimulates the production of serotonin, a brain chemical that impacts mood and appetite. Studies indicate that those with PWS have increased neuronal reward activation in response to food, especially high energy foods, both pre- & post- meal (Holsen et al., 2006, 2009: Miller et al., 2007). We believe that is where the craving for these high-energy (high carbohydrate-containing) foods come into play with those with PWS. Getting into good habits with good carbs will help curb those cravings naturally.