GI Symbol News with Dr Alan Barclay

Dr Alan Barclay

Finding healthy low GI breakfast cereals
Despite all the noise about sugar there’s more to making healthy choices in the breakfast aisle than going for the one with the least amount of sugar on the nutrition info panel. Good choices will:

• Be high in fibre (from wholegrains or dried fruit)
• Be low in added salt (sodium)
• Contain only good fats (e.g. from nuts, seeds and grains ), and
• Be low GI.

Carbs: The carbs in breakfast cereals come from both the sugar and starch. The nutrition info panel tells you how much there is in a typical serving but doesn’t tell you anything about the type or nutritional value of either of them. (Note: If you want to work out the amount of starch in a food, it's the grams of total carbohydrate minus the grams of sugar.)

Not all sugars are the same. The sugars found in Australian ready-to-eat breakfast cereals are typically sucrose or table sugar (GI 65) which is refined and usually added to the product, and fructose (GI 19) and lactose (GI 46) which come naturally with the dried fruit or yoghurt in the product and are a nutritious source of dietary fibre (dried fruit), and/or vitamins and minerals (dried fruit and yoghurt).

Not all starches (or ‘complex carbohydrate’) are the same either. First of all, there are two types of starch in food – amylose is harder to digest than amylopectin and the ratio of one to the other has a powerful effect on a food’s GI. Prof Jennie Brand-Miller explains how that works HERE.

Secondly, less processed grains like steel cut oats or traditional rolled oats are much harder to digest than finely milled re-constituted grains like bran flakes (See Prof Jennie’s comments in GI Update, below). Unfortunately, it is not possible to tell how refined the starch is by reading the food label – even the latest buzz word ‘wholegrain’ does not tell you the full story. So while a ‘wholegrain’ breakfast cereal is a good overall choice (it is higher in fibre, vitamins and minerals), its wholegrain content does not provide you with any real indication of how it will affect your blood glucose.

Fat: Many cereals from corn flakes to porridge oats naturally contain relatively small amounts of fat. However, it’s increasingly popular to add tasty and nutritious nuts and seeds to cereals boosting the amount of fibre and vitamins and minerals. Keep in mind that they are high in total fat, so can add significantly to the product's overall calorie content. However, the fat is predominantly mono- and poly-unsaturated, so it will not adversely affect blood cholesterol levels. Be aware that some mueslis are toasted in added oil or fat, often a highly saturated fat like palm oil. Traditional (untoasted) mueslis are better choices.

Salt: Because most cereals are relatively bland, it is common for food manufacturers to add salt to enhance the flavour – even if they have already added sugar (a little salt enhances sweetness believe it or not). Excessive salt intakes are associated with higher blood pressure, amongst other things, so salt-reduced or no-added salt are the ones to look for if available.

Tips for making good choices: Use our GI Symbol nutrient criteria for breakfast cereals to help you make a healthy choice an easy choice:

• Fat: 5g per 100 g or less, or 5–10g per 100g, provided that saturated fat is not more than 20% of the total fat content (or up to 15g per 100g if the source of saturated fat is grains, seeds or nuts but not coconut)
• Salt: (sodium) 400mg per 100g or less
• Dietary fibre: 3g per 100g or more

Breakfast cereals that carry the GI Symbol in Australia and New Zealand:

• Morning Sun Natural Style Muesli – Fruit Free Nuts and Seeds GI 55
• Morning Sun Natural Style Muesli – Apricot & Almond GI 49
• Morning Sun Natural Style Muesli – Peach & Pecan GI 49
• Naytura Fruit and Nut Muesli GI 48
• Woolworths Select Traditional Rolled Oats GI 57

Beware! Some manufacturers claim on their packs that their breakfast cereal is low GI when consumed with milk. The cut-off for low GI foods (55 or less) is for individual foods (i.e. the cereal itself), not a mixed meal (i.e. cereal and milk). The cut-off for mixed meals and diets is 45 or less.



For more information about the GI Symbol Program
Dr Alan W Barclay, PhD
Chief Scientific Officer
Glycemic Index Foundation (Ltd)
Phone: +61 (0)2 9785 1037
Mob: +61 (0)416 111 046
Fax: +61 (0)2 9785 1037
Email: alan@gisymbol.com
Website: http://www.gisymbol.com/

GI Update

GI Q&A with Prof Jennie Brand-Miller



'I am curious why high-fibre cereals like Bran Flakes that look so healthy, and everyone assumes are healthy, actually have a high GI?'
Bran Flakes and Raisin Bran are fibre-rich breakfast cereals designed to keep you ‘healthy on the inside’ as they say. But they are high GI and digested in a flash because the production process makes the starch very accessible. It’s the same with most ready-to-eat breakfast cereals you’ll find in the supermarket

Why do these cereals have high GI values? Grinding, milling, flaking, popping and puffing grains radically changes ‘nature’s architecture’ and makes it easier for water to be absorbed and digestive enzymes to attack the food. This is why many foods (including bread) made from fine flours tend to have a high GI value. The larger the particle size, the lower the GI value.

One of the most significant alterations to our food supply came with the introduction, in the mid-19th century, of steel-roller mills. Not only did they make it easier to remove the fibre from cereal grains, but also the particle size of the flour became smaller than ever before. Prior to the 19th century, stone grinding produced quite coarse flours that resulted in slower rates of digestion and absorption.

When starch is consumed in ‘nature’s packaging’ – whole intact grains that have been softened just by soaking and cooking – the food will often have a low GI. For example, cooked pearl barley’s GI value is 25. But not ALWAYS. For example, some barleys have more naturally-occurring viscous beta-glucans (a form of fibre) that creates greater viscosity in the small intestine and physically slows down the digestive processes. It’s hard to know which varieties of barley are low GI unless they have been previously tested. Brown rice often has a surprisingly high GI too. This is because the insoluble fibre around brown rice is not viscous and it’s micro-thin. It’s easy for enzymes to attack the starch in rice because the milling operation has resulted in thousands of minute channels that allow water to hydrate the grain and gelatinise the starch during cooking. Greater gelatinisation of starch means higher GI.



Prof Barry Popkin on the evolution of cornflakes
‘Dr John Harvey Kellogg (1852–1943) was a Seventh-day Adventist who opened a well-known hospital called the Battle Creek Sanitarium. Actually, it was more like a health resort than a hospital. At Battle Creek, for example, Kellogg taught about food preparation, had his clients engage in breathing exercises and marching to promote digestion, and he gave his guests daily enemas and had them consume yogurt afterward … John Kellogg’s first great discovery was cornflakes, the result of experimentation in the 1890s. The sanitarium kitchen’s cooked wheat was exposed to air for a day or more. Then, when running it through rollers, separate flakes were discharged and cereal flakes were born. The breakfast staple became an instant hit at the sanitarium and beyond, as guests would write after their visits to request supplies of their food.

Somewhere along the line this dream changed. The realities of selling cereal globally transformed Kellogg’s into a company that produced a large array of products with refined carbohydrates, added sugars and fats. The original cereals were made only with whole wheat and contained a small number of calories and plenty of fiber. But that was then – at less than 100 calories per serving – and this, at 120–400 calories per serving, is now. The virtuous company that made truly healthy products is a dim memory. Even so, Kellogg’s Post, and other ready-to-eat cereals are a lot healthier than most breakfast alternatives such as bacon, sausages and fried eggs.’
– The World is Fat

And a tip from Michael Pollan …
‘Don’t eat breakfast cereals that change the color of the milk.’
– Food Rules, An eater’s manual

New GI values from North America: low GI juice beverages
Sweetened with organic blue agave nectar, the new Lo-Gly juice beverages provide 140 calories (588 kJ) per 1 cup (8 fl oz/240ml) serving. Each flavour is certified kosher and the beverages were GI tested in North America at Glycemic Index Laboratories in Toronto. They are available in the US and Canada.

• Pomegranate (contains 49% juice) – GI 28 (total carbs per 1 cup/240ml serve: 35g)
• Acai-Blue (contains 57% juice) – GI 31 (total carbs per 1 cup/240ml serve: 34g)
• Pomegranate Mojito (contains 51% juice) – GI 24 (total carbs per 1 cup/240ml serve: 35g)
• Mango Mojito (contains 56% juice) – GI 32 (total carbs per 1 cup/240ml serve: 31g)

For more information contact Lo-Gly marketing manager Don Necochea: don@Lo-Gly.com

New GI values from Fiona Atkinson: Bakers Delight Chia Bread and Rolls
Bakers Delight have combined with The Chia Company to bring two new moderate GI bread products packed with nutritious chia seeds to the market in Australia and New Zealand.

• Chia White Block Loaf GI 63 – 1 slice has 17g available carbohydrate
• Chia White Round Roll GI 63– 1 roll has 31g available carbohydrate

You might like to know that all the volunteers commented that they liked the bread. That is a bit of an unusual/unexpected response because usually they aren't that keen to eat 3 or 4 slices of plain bread, but they did mention it was nice.

Dietitian Catherine Saxelby looked at chia seeds in GI News back in August 2009 and reported that: ‘Like all seeds, chia seeds are high in fat especially the good fats. At around 30% fat, they’re lower than sesame seeds (50%) or nuts but make up for this with an extraordinarily high level of omega-3 – unusual in the plant world. They have 18% ALA which is around the same as flaxseeds (linseeds) at 22%, making they are one of the richest sources of the plant form of omega-3 called ALA. They are also big on fibre. In fact, at 37% they are an outstanding source of fibre, in particular soluble fibre. And they contain 15% protein – as much as from wheat – plus a variety of vitamins, minerals and trace elements including folate, phosphorus, iron, manganese, copper and potassium. Like almonds and sesame seeds, they have a surprisingly high content of calcium, usually found in dairy foods, but how well this is absorbed is debatable.’

GI testing by an accredited laboratory
North America
Dr Alexandra Jenkins
Glycemic Index Laboratories
36 Lombard Street, Suite 100
Toronto, Ontario M5C 2X3 Canada
Phone +1 416 861 0506
Email info@gilabs.com
Web www.gilabs.com/

Australia
Fiona Atkinson



Research Manager, Sydney University Glycemic Index Research Service (SUGiRS)
Human Nutrition Unit, School of Molecular and Microbial Biosciences
Sydney University
NSW 2006 Australia
Phone + 61 2 9351 6018
Fax: + 61 2 9351 6022
Email sugirs@mmb.usyd.edu.au
Web www.glycemicindex.com

See The New Glucose Revolution on YouTube

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You on a Diet by Dr. Michael F. Roizen and Dr. Mehmet C. Oz

The well-known doctors start off with a two-week plan that they say will take up to 2 inches off your waist. That waist measurement is what they say people should be focusing on. That's because weight stored around the waist is the biggest predictor of obesity-related health problems. (The ideal waist measurement, they say, is 32 1/2 inches or less for women, and 35 inches or less for men.) What secret dieting weapons do they share? One is the permission to stop beating yourself up when you slip  something they say is an inevitable part of the process. The key is to get back up and do a "You-turn," as they call it, rather than slide back into a pattern of unhealthy eating.

They suggest changing your environment instead of trying to fight hardwired behavior. For example, choose a fish restaurant rather than a burger place when eating out. Keep fruit in your pantry instead of chips. When the urge to overeat strikes, head out the door for a short walk and contemplate what's driving the cravings. And consider your friends' habits, which can influence your own. Meet friends for breakfast at a juice bar rather than the pancake house. Schedule a walk instead of coffee and dessert.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

The "tipping point" in obesity often occurs before two years of age

While many adults consider a chubby baby healthy, too many plump infants grow up to be obese teens. New research suggests that the "tipping point" in obesity often occurs before two years of age, and sometimes as early as three months, when the child is learning how much and what to eat. This study comes in the midst of alarming rates of childhood obesity, which now ranks as one of the most prominent health concerns in the United States today. While some hospitals have begun offering healthy eating and weight loss program for children, what hasn't been as clear is how early to intervene.

Read more: Science News

Sensa, feel full faster, lose weight

The scientific principle behind Sensa is remarkably simple. As you eat smell and taste receptors send messages to your brain which release hormones that tell your body it's time to stop eating. This is a phenomenon we call Sensory Specific Satiety. By enhancing smell, Sensa Tastants were designed to help speed up the process and trigger your "I feel full" signal, so you eat less and feel more satisfied. Because Sensa works with your body's natural impulses, rather than against them, there are no feelings of hunger or intense cravings.



Clinically Proven
Over the course of 25 years, Sensa creator Dr. Alan Hirsch has conducted ongoing research on the effects of smell and taste on eating habits, ultimately leading him to spearhead one of the largest studies ever conducted on weight loss. Over a 6 month period, 1,436 women and men sprinkled scented, flavorless "Tastant" crystals on everything they ate. Participants were instructed not to change their existing diet or exercise program.

The 1,436 people in the treatment group who completed the program lost an average of 30.5 pounds - nearly 15% of their total body weight. Those in the control group lost only 2 pounds, on average.

This was followed by a double-blind, placebo-controlled study conducted by an independent laboratory, in which participants lost 27.5 pounds and about 14% of their body mass, on average. Participants were instructed not to change their existing diet or exercise program. Those in the control group gained half a pound, on average.



Source: Sensa

The Zerona treatment destroys fat, drop two dress sizes in just two weeks

The procedure has reportedly been used by US celebrities to quickly slim for events as no recovery time is needed and there are no scars. Doctors claim that patients can drop two dress sizes in just two weeks, without having to exercise or diet. The Zerona treatment, which is painless, costs £1,000 for six 40-minute sessions. US safety regulator the FDA found the average patient lost 3.64 inches from the waist, hips, and thighs. Some lost 9 inches. But the laser doesn't work on obese people, as it can't cut through the layers of fat. Tatiana Karelina, who runs the Laser Lounge in Kensington, West London, said: 'It's the invention every woman has been waiting for.'




Source: Telegraph.uk