Why should I care about the Glycaemic Index(GI)?

Well, if you’re just like me and don’t have the time to make the ideal meal or stop by a restaurant which cooks healthy (think white meat chicken breast with broccoli and rice.. yes, yuck, I know), then the GI of foods you consume can make a big difference if you’re trying to control your food or are on a weight loss plan of some sort.

- a high GI diet can increase the risk of heart disease
- you can control your appetite better after a low GI meal
- a low-GI meal before exercise/high-intensity training can allow you to train harder with less fatigue

Simple ways you can modify your existing diet to incorporate low-GI foods
- opt for wholemeal bread instead of white bread. Or better still, try Gardenia’s Breakthru bread which has a low GI index
- go for cereals with whole grain (think post cereals, etc), instead of regular cornflakes.
- Consume Oatmeal every now and then for breakfast, but PLEASE dont make it the way we Malaysians do (loaded with condensed milk) but follow the instructions on the label.

GI Index rating of some common foods (now you know why they say white rice can be bad):
Roasted and salted peanuts - 14
Cherries - 22
Whole milk - 27
Dried apricots - 31
Skimmed milk - 32
Low-fat fruit yoghurt - 33
Wholemeal spaghetti - 37
Apples - 38
Pears - 38
Oranges - 44
Green grapes - 46
Peas - 48
Carrots, boiled - 49
Milk chocolate - 49
Banana - 55
Boiled potatoes - 56
Honey - 58
Coca cola - 63
Weetabix - 69
Wholemeal bread - 69
Mashed potato - 70
White bread - 70
Watermelon - 72
French fries - 75
Cornflakes - 84
White rice, steamed - 98

This list should keep you occupied for awhile. As for me, I’m still having trouble accepting the fact that white rice has a GI of 98.

Your friend and coach,
DM

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