GI Symbol News with Dr Alan Barclay

Dr Alan Barclay

Smart carbs for smarter kids
Most parents know that for peak performance, it’s vital that children and teenagers eat a good breakfast before they head off to school. Now, there’s growing evidence that along with providing essential nutrients (protein, carbohydrate, fat and fibre plus vitamins and minerals like calcium and iron), making this healthy breakfast a low GI one brings extra benefits. In fact, this is where low GI carbs really deliver the ‘smarts’ improving mental performance during those difficult tasks like maths tests!

When UK researchers recently investigated the effects of meals of varying overall GI values and carbohydrate content on 60 students aged 11–14 years, they found that the kids who ate a low GI/higher carbohydrate breakfast completed the maths tasks faster and more accurately and improved their general reasoning skills and their overall attentiveness. In fact, the low GI, higher carbohydrate meal helped kids excel in the four hardest tests examined. Earlier studies with younger children and adolescents have reported similar results.

The brain boosting power of the low GI/higher carb meal isn’t really surprising as we know that glucose is the brain’s primary fuel source and it needs a steady supply of it throughout the day. Eating that healthy low GI breakfast provides the brain with a more constant level of blood glucose compared with the highs and lows of a high GI breakfast. So, here’s how you can kick start your children’s day every day of the week with a healthy low GI breakfast to truly nourish and sustain them.



7 easy low GI breakfasts

• Fruit bread (e.g. Burgen Fruit and Muesli) with a smear of margarine and a little of a favourite spread (e.g. jam/honey) plus a glass of fat reduced or low fat milk
• Wholegrain, low GI breakfast cereals (e.g., Kellogg’s Sustain or Guardian) with
• reduced or low fat milk and fruit
• Natural muesli (e.g., Morning Sun) with reduced or low fat milk (e.g. Dairy Farmers Skim)
• Low GI bread (e.g. Tip Top 9 Grain; Burgen) with a smear of margarine and a favourite spread (jam/marmalade/Vegemite/peanut butter/etc.)
• Low GI bread with baked beans
• Low GI bread with a smear of margarine and a poached or scrambled egg (or a boiled egg with ‘soldiers’)
• Plain or diet yoghurt with fresh, canned or dried fruit

For more breakfast ideas, check out Anneka Manning’s 14 easy-to-prepare low GI brekkies including the irresistible Eggs in Nests in The Low GI Family Cookbook.

The GI Symbol, making healthy low GI choices easy choices



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: www.gisymbol.com

GI Update

Prof Jennie Brand-Miller answers your questions


Prof Jennie Brand-Miller

I am always being asked about sugars and starches. This month, I thought it would be useful to dispel some of the perennial myths about them.
# Myth: Starchy foods such as potatoes and pasta are fattening.
Fact: Starchy foods are often bulky and nutritious. They fill you up and stave off hunger pangs, which means they can actually help with, rather than hinder, weight loss. The key, as with all foods, is to be choosy about the kinds of starchy foods you’re eating.

# Myth: Sugar causes diabetes.
Fact: Today, there’s consensus among health researchers and scientists specializing in diabetes that sugar in food does not cause diabetes. Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune condition triggered by unknown environmental factors. Type 2 diabetes is largely inherited, but lifestyle factors such as a lack of exercise or being overweight increase the risk of developing it. Foods that produce high blood glucose levels may increase the risk of type 2 diabetes, but sugar has a more moderate effect than many starches.

# Myth: Sugar is the worst thing for people with diabetes.
Fact: People with diabetes used to be advised to avoid sugar at all costs. But research shows that moderate consumption of refined sugar (30–50 grams or 6–10 teaspoons per day) doesn’t compromise blood glucose management. This means people with diabetes can choose foods that contain refined sugar or even use sensible amounts of table sugar. Saturated fat is of greater concern for people with diabetes than refined sugar.



#Myth: All starches are slowly digested in the intestine.
Fact: Not so. Most starch, especially in cereal products, is digested in a flash, causing a sharper increase in blood glucose than many sugar-containing foods.

# Myth: Sugar is fattening.
Fact: Sugar has no special fattening properties. It is no more likely to be turned into fat than any other type of carbohydrate. Apples and soft drinks have the same sugar content (10 percent to 12 percent). Yes, sugar is often present in high-calorie foods (cakes, cookies, chocolate, and ice cream, for instance). But it’s the total calories in those foods, not the sugar, that’s the problem.

# Myth: Diets high in sugar are less nutritious.
Fact: Studies have shown that diets containing a moderate amount of sugar (from a range of sources, including dairy foods and fruit) often have higher levels of micronutrients, including calcium, riboflavin, and vitamin C, than low-sugar diets.

# Myth: Sugar goes hand in hand with dietary fat.
Fact: Many foods high in fat are also high in sugar—think chocolate, full-fat ice cream, cake, cookies, and pastries. But most high-sugar diets are actually low in fat, and vice versa. The reason: most sources of fat in our diet are not sweet (e.g., potato chips, French fries, steak), while most sources of sugar contain no fat (e.g., soft drinks and sweetened juice drinks). Nutritionists call this the “sugar-fat seesaw.”

# Myth: Starches are best for optimum athletic performance.
Fact: In many instances, starchy foods (like potatoes or rice) are too bulky to eat in the quantities needed for active athletes. Sugars (from a range of sources, including dairy food and fruit) can help increase carbohydrate intake.

GI testing by an accredited laboratory North America
Dr Alexandra Jenkins
Glycemic Index Laboratories
20 Victoria Street, Suite 300
Toronto, Ontario M5C 298 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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Nuratrim, used by Kim Kardashian burns 380 calories per dose

Nuratrim is already populair in the U.S., when it launched in October it sold out within a short time.
The makers of Nuratrim claims that one dose burns 15x more calories than normal, 380 calories per dose.
Jennifer Aniston, Mariah Carey and Kim Kardashian used Nuratrim. The popular diet pill contains green coffee to speed up digestion and extracts of liquorice.The maker dr. Afred Hasslebacher from Germany said: 'Nuratrim is for all women and men looking to lose weight and control their appetite. The reason why the

Nuratrim shows effective results because:

•   Suppresses your appetite
•    Burns fat
•    Increases metabolism
•    Increases your confidence
•    Cuts your calories by almost 20%
•    Starts to work right away
•    Can help in management of weight control
•    Contributes to reduce your appetite
•    Faster metabolic rate
•    Ability to easily burn fat
•    Safe, natural and effective
•    No known side effects] waiting for claims sheet to confirm
This pill burns as many calories as a 40 minute run. Want to know more: visit the official site.

Drinking black tea good for high blood pressure

Flavonoids in tea are thought to improve the blood vessels' tone and reduce body weight and abdominal fat. A Dutch population study also found that high tea consumption is associated with a reduced risk of death from heart disease. Researchers in Australia observed the effects of black tea among 95 men and women, both groups were similar in age and weight status. The researchers found that drinking black tea long-term was shown to lower blood pressure in people with normal to high levels. For 6 months, half the participants drank three cups of black tea per day, while the other half were given a placebo drink that simulated the flavor and caffeine content of tea.

 

By the end of the study, those who drank black tea experienced an average reduction of between two to three points in their 24-hour average systolic blood pressure levels. Earlier Green tea was also shown to have similar effects on the same cells in a study out of Greece. Source: NYDailyNews

Gwyneth Paltrow is not a dietitian

Actress Gwyneth Paltrow has come under attack from a health professional regarding marketing an extreme cleanse program (detox) on her website.The celebrity informed followers about her diet plan 'Cleanse'. The detox involves, vitamins, two protein shakes and one low-calorie dinner each day. Dietitian Catherine Collins (chief) from St. George's Hospital in London is not impressed with Gwyneth Paltrow diet plan. Catherine Collins informs Daily Mail On Sunday, "She is not a dietitian. I would not advise to follow this diet plan." The manufacturers of Cleanse response: "It supports the body's organic detoxing process."

Exposure to sun lower risk to suffer from depression

Although vitamin D is found in oily fish, and is routinely added to milk, diet accounts for very little of the nutrient that actually makes it into the bloodstream. Children with the highest levels of the ‘sunshine vitamin’ have a 10% lower risk of developing mental health problems. Those with low levels of  vitamin D are more likely to suffer from depression, claim scientists. The scientists looked at vitamin D levels in more than 2,700 children when they were aged nine and 13. Those with the lowest levels of vitamin D were more likely to show signs of depression.

Slim Weight Patch

The study investigated levels of two forms of the vitamin D2 and D3 and found the strongest anti-depression link with D3. Lead researcher Dr Anna-Maija Tolppanen, of Bristol University’s school of social and community medicine, said further research is needed before a change in medical practice could be recommended.
Source: DailyMail