MAXIMIZE
RESULTS GET YOUR CARB CHOICES RIGHT: BUILD MUSCLE FAST
Vince Delmonte - 10 Jan 2009
To build a lean muscular physique is not difficult, as long as you know how to manage your
body’s natural production of insulin. The precise amount of hormone is critical in allowing fat
to be utilized for fuel, while maintaining the anabolic drive of nutrients into hungry muscles.
Dietary control of insulin maximizes fast muscle gains, and promotes fat
loss. For super fast gains CLICK ON No Nonsense
Musclebuilding.
The macronutrient that influences insulin responses the most is carbohydrate. Due to their impact on
insulin, your carb choices make or break your results from training.
Smart bodybuilders no longer think of carbs in terms of simple and
complex. They understand the importance of
low and high glycemic index (GI) carbohydrates. They know when to consume each at very
specific times of the day.
The GI is a ranking of foods based on their immediate effect
on blood glucose (blood sugar) levels. The GI ranks food on a scale from 0 to 100,
according to the extent to which it raises blood sugar levels after eating. Carbohydrate foods that break
down quickly during digestion, have the highest GI rating. Their
blood sugar response is fast and high. The substance which
produces the greatest rise in blood sugar is pure glucose. Therefore, the
GI of glucose is 100.
Every other food is ranked between 100 and zero. Carbohydrates that break down slowly,
releasing glucose gradually into the blood stream, have a low GI. Foods with a high GI produce a great surge of
glucose into the blood stream. The surge in blood glucose is matched by another in insulin, in an attempt to
control blood glucose levels.
High GI foods produce marked fluctuations in blood glucose
levels. Low GI foods, by virtue of their
slow digestion and absorption, result in steady blood
glucose and insulin levels.
By selecting carbs with the GI factor in
mind, you will decrease the amount
of insulin secreted while promoting
insulin sensitivity within tissues. Both factors enable fat to be utilized (burnt) for fuel while promoting a
hormone profile maximizes muscle anabolism. The bottom line is a leaner, stronger, healthier physique.
GLYCEMIC LOAD VS GLYCEMIC INDEX
Another term, the Glycemic Load
(GL) has become popular when discussing the GI impact of food choices. Both GI and GL
are important, but different. A clear understanding of both will help make better choices at meal time to
optimize results from exercise.
Whereas GI compares the potential of foods containing the
same quantity of carbohydrate to raise blood glucose, the amount of carbohydrate
consumed also affects blood levels and insulin responses.
TheGI indicates how
rapidlya particular food increases blood sugar levels after
consumption. The GL takes into
account the serving size of the food and the effect this has on blood glucose levels.
The GL is measured by the GI of a food multiplied by the
carbohydrate content of the food (per 100grams). It provides a more accurate picture of blood sugar responses to
meals.
The GL is useful to clarify the confusion about some foods on the GI list. Even though a food may technically have a high GI, it may not necessarily have a high
GL.
CARROTS AND ICE
CREAM
Some very healthy foods such as carrots and watermelon have a rather high GI on most scales.
However, that does not mean that these foods should be avoided if an individual is looking to optimize fat
loss.
Plant foods such as carrots and watermelon may be listed
with a fairly high GI, but they actually possess a low GL. This is due to the small amount
of carbohydrate they contain per serving. According to Dr. Rob Thompson, author of The Glycemic Load Diet, you’d
need to eat 30 carrots to get the same elevation in blood sugar as you’d get from
one bagel.
Conversely,ice-cream is characteristically listed as a low
GI food. The amount of calories contained per serving makes it an unrealistic staple food
for anyone that wants to shed body fat and keep it off. A reflection of this is ice-cream’s high GL rating.
The GL describes the quality and quantity of carbohydrates in a meal or diet. The GL helps clarify carb choices as
it reveals that real impact the meal will have on blood insulin responses.Knowing both the GI and GL will help you make much better carb choices
to maximize results from training. For further great advice on diet and exercise check out
No Nonsense Musclebuilding.
References
Liu S, Willett WC. Dietary glycemic load and atherothrombotic risk. Curr Atheroscler Rep. 4 (6): 454-461, 2002.
Fajcsak Z, Gabor A, Kovacs V, Marto. The effects of 6-week low glycemic load diet based on low glycemic index foods
in overweight/obtese children--pilot study. J Am Coll Nutr. (1):12-21, 2008.
Pereira MA. Dietary glycemic index and glycemic load in diabetes prevention-what can we learn from observational
studies? Nat Clin Pract Endocrinol Metab. June 10, 2008MA
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