Really basic question!!!

[buksoon]

Okay, I know that high G.I foods = bad, and that you want to avoid an insulin spike (except post-workout), etcetera.

But what I'm not clear on is ... WHY? Why is an insulin spike a bad thing?

It sucks because I love to pour Splenda in my protein powder (even though it's already in there--I have a very sweet tooth). But Splenda is all maltodextrin, the HIGHEST G.I. food.

My question is: Why is it even bad to spike insulin?

Again, basic but complicated. Try and write your responses as if I am 5 years old. Me no get this chemistry stuff. Thank you so much!

 

[Stryc-9]

Why is it bad to spike insulin?? The following is a pretty basic explanation - please don't flame me for oversimplifying!!

Well when you eat those high GI carbs the body experiences a sharp spike in blood sugar and releases a corresponding amount of insulin in response (so the higher the GI, the higher the insulin).

High insulin is bad because it decreases the sugar in your blood and in your brain. Low sugar in the brain means poor concentration, fatigue, and other problems.

Insulin also is responsible for turning blood sugar into body fat so you GAIN WEIGHT (aghh!!) even as your energy decreases!! Insulin is also linked to the serotonin system which regulates mood.

The medical term for high insulin levels is "reactive hypoglycemia"

How can you tell if high insulin levels and low blood sugar are a problem for you?

Here are some symptoms:

1. Failing to lose weight while sticking to a low-fat, high carbohydrate diet.

2. Mid-morning or mid-afternoon drops in energy, a few hours after eating.

3. Sugar cravings.

4. Bloating or water retention

5. Fatigue after exercising

6. The more carbs you eat, the more you want.

7. High choles., high triglylcerides, high blood pressure or diabetes.

Ofcourse, these symptoms are also indicative of other problems, so you really ought to discuss these sorts of things with a doctor!

And I'm no doctor.....but I think I have the basics down okay....

 

[buksoon]

Stryc, no flaming for over-simplifying!!! No sir, I INSIST on over-simplifying!!! So, thanks!

Follow-up question then: Why are alpha-lipoic acids good? It's an "insulin mimicer." I would think it would be BAD, yet folks suggest we take it with high-GI foods. Why?

Should I never eat my Splenda again?? (Again, it's sucralose. Which is maltodextrin--the highest G.I. food.)

 

[asone]

buksoon....
Hi GI food have there place in a diet. The time to utilize these sugars is for post work out. This is when you want an insulin spike, the insulin will carry any protein, carbs, or creatine in to the depleted muscles. Any other time a rise in insulin will make you fat, thats why it's best to eat lo-GI carbs. A.L.A. helps you get more from the insulin spike without the insulin going to high.



asone....

 

[MS]

5 year old hmmmmm. OK Mother to 5 year old child with a sweet tooth...."Insulin and food are the two most important things that your body needs to help you grow. Since you want to 'grow up' you need plenty of both. But your body doesn't like TOO much insulin OR toTOO much food all at once. Both of these things can make you fat. Some people like fat people less than thin people, though I love you no matter what size you are. So the best advice if you want to 'grow up like me' is to eat foods that have plenty of stuff that makes insulin, but not stuff that makes too much insulin all at once. Cookies make too much insulin. Chinese noodles make too much insulin. Wonder bread makes too much insulin. This yummy looking chick pea curry makes insulin, but not too much for your body to handle".......

So you give this little pep-talk to your 5 year old just before they throw the chickpeas in your face!

Long term (which is NOT a concept any 5 year old can grasp) continuous high blood glucose levels can lead to a decrease in your body's ability to recognize and use glucose. This will almost certainly lead to increase in fat and other health problems. Too much of a good thing is the best analogy I can think of. So the occassional (and well timed) insulin spike is good for you. All of the time is bad for you. So in other (5 year old) words "you can have that sweet treat today........but it's only for special occassions." NB, normal growing children have a much higher need for carbohydrates, fats AND proteins than mature adults.

As a side note, there is no scientific evidence that high carb diets in the absence of fat cause problems with glucose tolerance or obesity. It is becoming more and more clear that it's the COMBINATION of fats plus carbohydrates that can cause the most health problems. This makes some biological sense if you look at naturally occuring foods which tend to be either high protein and fat, or high protein and carbs, but never high carb and fat!!!

 

[buksoon]

You guys friggin' rock!!!! Thank you!

So ... does that mean throw out my Splenda? Damn! I just spent $20 on protein powder that DEMANDS Splenda. I'm going to swallow the loss, and dump it all.

Do you guys know how diabetes might change the mix? That runs in my family, big-time.

 

[Mighty P]

Stryc-9

OK, I have about all the problems you have listed. I'm pretty cut, but I crave sweets like no other. I have a pretty clean diet except for cheat day. Anyway.... how can I combat these syptoms you've listed. I figured my workout was what made me fatigued? I've been wondering why I retain so much water? why I crave sweets sooooo much? My diet is a lot of protein, plenty of carbs, and moderate fat. I'm just basicly on a maitenence diet. I know you're not a doc. or anything, but any ideas you may have would be greatly appriciated.

Thanks

 

[MS]

Oops my five year old child. I forgot to mention that some foods taste sweet, but do not make 'bad insulin'. Sucralose is one of these. It will have very little impact on your blood glucose or insulin levels (BIG WORDS... I apologize), but the men in white coats still don't know if it's safe for people like you and me to eat all of our lives. It's prolly fine to eat a little bit (certainly tastes good), but we don't yet know if it's better or worse for your than that sugar you put on your food.

 

[DanielBishop]

Don't throw out your protein powder.... send it to me. I can't afford it.

Hey, if Splenda is maltodextrin.... does that mean it could be taken post-workout?

 

[buksoon]

Don't throw out your protein powder.... send it to me. I can't afford it.

Hey, if Splenda is maltodextrin.... does that mean it could be taken post-workout?

Pay for the shipping and you got it, babe! (Warning though: It's nasty. That fake vanilla taste is cloying.)