Is a Calorie a Calorie?

I’m frequently blown away by the misguided advice handed out by institutions, experts and well-meaning consumers. The glycemic index of food is a prime example.

Introduced by Dr. David Jenkins (back in 1981), the glycemic index is a tool to help individuals make better food choices. A valuable concept in and of itself, it has suffered the fate of many nutrition and health guidelines.

Apples or Fruit Loops? Enter the Glycemic Index

The glycemic index (GI) ranks carbohydrate foods on a scale from 0-100 according to how they affect blood sugar.

The faster a carbohydrate source (i.e. sugar) is absorbed and the higher the postprandial insulin spike, the higher the GI score of the particular food. Judging by this system potatoes (GI of 85) rank above sugar (58), and should thus be avoided.

You often hear me talk about the glycemic impact of your nutrition, and the importance of managing insulin. I don’t necessarily refer to the glycemic index of your food choices (go ahead and have a bowl of Fruit Loops or God forbid… a potato) so much as the overall glycemic load of your diet.

The difference?

The glycemic index refers to the spike in blood sugar after consumption of a particular food, while the glycemic load looks at the bigger picture. How much are you stressing your pancreas to produce insulin over the course of days, weeks and months? This is where things get interesting.

A Calorie is a Calorie!

A calorie remains a calorie, no matter what any so-called guru or diet expert tells you. You cannot outsmart physics. Eat an excess of calories (irrespective of source) and you will gain weight.

But yes, there’s more to this than just calories. And glycemic control might be the missing piece to your health puzzle.

Foods like vegetables, fruits, nuts, meats and fish are much preferred to high GI foods such as sugary cereals, snack foods and sugar sweetened beverages.

Notice a trend? The glycemic index strongly correlates with the degree of food processing. In many cases, the more refined a food the more it will shoot up insulin.

The overconsumption of high GI foods and concomitant spikes in blood sugar promote a host of side effects, from compromising endocrine function, to the disruption of hunger signals and eventual weight gain.

Control Your Insulin Control Your Health

“The glycemic index of foods? Victor, why do you get so hung up on minutia?

I never do. And this is far from being “small fries” or irrelevant. As a species, we have not adapted to a processed food diet. We simply can’t tolerate the high-glycemic junk sold as food at the supermarket.

A low glycemic impact diet offers a plethora of health benefits:

• Increased satiety/ decreased hunger
• Higher insulin sensitivity
• Better body composition (= more muscle, less fat)
• Improved metabolic health

In addition to the above, a low glycemic diet will support mental performance and acuity. If you suffer from brain fog or post meal fatigue (“carb coma”), opt for better nutrition.

In addition to making educated food choices, the proper combination of foods may further attenuate the insulin response to a meal. Try to mix carbs with protein and/or fat foods at every meal, choosing whole food fats and carbohydrates over refined options.

Looking at foods in isolation is futile. Instead, monitor the overall glycemic impact of your diet.

If you’re going to eat refined carbohydrates, do so in moderation. Eating them pre- and post-workout is your best bet. You want insulin’s interference around your training. You do not want high insulin levels throughout your day.

Empty Calories: Don’t Neglect Your Micros

Ever heard of “empty calories”? This term frequently used by health nuts around the world refers to high-calorie, low-nutrition foods like donuts, cakes and cookies, sodas, chips, crackers, gummy bears and other sindful delights.

They are considered empty for their lack of nutrition.

Unprocessed whole foods are loaded with vitamins, minerals and additional micronutrients that help you break down and assimilate your meals. A benefit processed foods don’t offer.

Consider supplementing with insulin sensitizing nutrients such as Magnesium, Zinc and Chromium if you find yourself struggling with blood sugar issues (Get a full blood panel first!).

Berberine and green coffee extract have also shown to possess blood sugar regulating properties (the former is as effective as the diabetes drug Metformin for lowering blood glucose). Research and experiment.

Popping pills without adopting a better nutritional protocol is not the way to go. Trust me. Your diet is and will always remain your first line of defense.

Common Sense Trumps Misguided Science

I don’t want you to be walking around with a list of permitted foods or start fearing individual macronutrients. No. I want you to be better than that. Choose whole or minimally refined over processed foods for the majority of meals and you’re good.

That’s right, I said majority of meals. Eating junk every once in a while is not going to impact your physique or performance goals to a significant degree. Aim for a sound balance (i.e. 80:20), not an all-or-nothing approach. We only have this one life.

Apples or Fruit Loops? I’ll let you answer that for yourself.

 

Thank you for reading

Victor

 

Resources

Larsen, T.M., et al. Diets with high or low protein content and glycemic index for weight-loss maintenance. N Engl J Med, 2010. 363(22): p. 2102-13.

Ludwig, D.S., et al. High glycemic index foods, overeating, and obesity. Pediatrics. 1999 Mar;103(3):E26.

Ludwig, Daniel S. “The glycemic index: physiological mechanisms relating to obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease”. Journal of the American Medical Association. May 2002. 287 (18): 2414–2423.

Mozaffarian, D., et al. Changes in diet and lifestyle and long-term weight gain in women and men. N Engl J Med, 2011. 364(25): p. 2392-404.