At one time or another, we have all been told to eat low-glycemic foods. Do you know what the glycemic index is though? How about the difference between the glycemic index and the glycemic load? What if I told you it was all garbage? Interested now? Good, let's start at the beginning.
The glycemic index (GI) is a tool that measures the effect that 50g of carbohydrate from a given food will have on blood sugar levels. It was originally developed to assist diabetics in calculating the amount of insulin required when eating carbs, but has since become a staple of many mainstream diets and the extent of your doctor's dietary advice.
Here is a list of 5 foods and their respective GIs:
Food - GI
Glucose - 100
Boiled Potatoes - 78
Pumpkin - 64
Snickers - 43
Apple - 36
As you can see, 50g of pure glucose has a GI of 100. This is used as the baseline to which all other foods are compared. Before going any further, I should mention that there is a second version of the GI which uses white bread, instead of glucose, as the baseline, but we will ignore that for now. Therefore, 50g of carbohydrate from boiled potatoes will have 78% as much of an effect on your blood sugar levels as 50g of glucose would have. It also means that 50g of carbohydrate from a Snickers bar will raise your blood sugar less than half as much as glucose would and only two-thirds as much as pumpkin would.
I know, I know. This is one of the problems with the GI. It standardizes everything by using 50g of carbohydrate even if a typical serving is nowhere near 50g. Using cooked pumpkin and a Snickers bar as our examples, you would need 2.2 POUNDS (35.3 ounces) of pumpkin vs 2.8 ounces of a Snickers to have 50g of carbohydrate. I don't know about you, but when I eat pumpkin or other types of squash, it is never in the multiple pound range.
This problem was solved in the late 90s by the introduction of the glycemic load (GL). This new tool would not only account for the type of carb, but also the amount eaten. To do so, the GI of a given food is divided by 100 and then multiplied by the amount of net carbs in the serving being consumed. Remember, net carbs is equal to total carbs minus fiber. Let's look at an example once again using a Snickers bar and pumpkin.
A regular Snickers bar (2 ounce variety) has a GI of 43 and 34g of net carbs. This equates to a GL of 14.62.
A cup of mashed pumpkin, weighing in at a little over 8 ounces (half a pound), has a GI of 64 and 9g of net carbs. This equates to a GL of 5.76.
As you can see, the Snickers bar fairs much worse than pumpkin when using the GL. What this means is that a food may have more of an effect on blood sugar levels (GI), but if eaten in a smaller quantity, that rise in blood sugar will be minimized (GL).
The GL definitely improved on the GI, but it still has many flaws. Most importantly, the GI and GL only account for the effect that food will have on your blood sugar level. This means that fructose gets a free pass. Load something up with fructose instead of glucose and it will score very favorably. This is due to the fact that fructose goes directly to your liver for processing instead of entering the blood stream. A low GI or GL diet will not necessarily equate to a low fructose diet and this can be dangerous (Fructose 1, Fructose 2)
Another major problem is that the GI of foods were calculated by measuring blood sugar levels for only the first 2 hours after eating. Some foods will continue to increase blood sugar levels for an additional 1 or 2 hours past this point. It is a critical flaw that this was not taken into account.
A third problem stems from the fact that the GI of a food is averaged from samples. These samples typically have very large ranges and are easily impacted by outside factors. For one, how you prepare a food may change its glycemic impact. This is because the cooking process breaks most foods down, making them easier to digest. Easy digestion equates to faster digestion which in turn increases blood sugar levels more dramatically.
Food combining may also alter the GI of a food. When the GI of a food was originally calculated, it was eaten by itself. Combining fat or fiber with a food will slow digestion and possibly lower the GI.
Finally, each and every one of us are highly individualized. Our bodies do not all respond the same to a given food. What may cause a spike in blood sugar for one person may not cause as much of an increase in another and vice versa.
To sum everything up, the objective of the GI and GL is to minimize blood glucose levels and the resulting insulin response. A low carb diet has the same objective, but without the confusing charts and numbers. Not to mention, very few foods are actually on the GI list.
So what's the bottom line on the GI and GL?
If the picture wasn't clear enough, I think they are useless.
Let's all keep it simple and stick to eating real food, including veggies if you are so inclined, but minimizing carb intake while avoiding fructose as much as possible.
In 2007, researchers at the University of Bordeaux, France, reported that when rats were allowed to choose between a calorie-free sweetener and intravenous cocaine, 94 percent preferred the sugar substitute. The researchers concluded that "intense sweetness can surpass cocaine reward. . . . The supranormal stimulation of these receptors by sugar-rich diets, such as those now widely available in modern societies, would generate a supranormal reward signal in the brain, with the potential to override self-control mechanisms and thus to lead to addiction." Nicole Avena, an expert in behavioral neuroscience at the University of Florida in Gainesville, has spent many hours analyzing the behavior of rats enticed into sucking up sugar. She says that feeding on sugar can, like snorting coke, lead to bingeing, withdrawal, and craving. It does this by lighting up the same circuitry within the brain triggered by cocaine and amphetamines, the dopamine center.
March 2011 issue of Details magazine - "ARE CARBS MORE ADDICTIVE THAN COCAINE?"
I know it seems silly to think of carbs in the same light as illegal narcotics and alcohol, but this is no laughing matter. The effect that carbohydrates have on our hormonal processes makes them truly addictive and potentially lethal.
The CrossFit Games season is finally here. The first level of qualifiers this year is being called the CrossFit Open. Anyone and everyone is welcome to participate. All you have to do is register, pay the $10 fee, and then show up to the Fort. It really is that simple.
The CrossFit Open will consist of 1 WOD a week for 6 consecutive weeks. The WODs will be announced every Tuesday at 7:00pm, beginning on Tuesday, March 15th. Participants will then have until the following Sunday at 7:00pm to complete that week's WOD and submit their score online.
At the end of each week, the top male score in our Region will be awarded 1 point, second place will receive 2 points, third place will get 3 points, and so on. The goal is to have the fewest points at the end of the 6 weeks. The same scoring system also applies to the ladies.
As for the Affiliate Teams, scoring will be based on that team's top 3 men and top 3 women for that given week. The top 3 men and top 3 women may very well be different every single week for our team and that is OK.
At the end of the 6 weeks, the top 60 men, top 60 women, and top 30 teams from our region will qualify for the North Central Regional competition to be held May 27th-29th in Chicago, IL. From there, the top 3 men, top 3 women, and top 3 teams will advance to the 2011 CrossFit Games in Los Angeles, CA on July 29th-31st.
To remain eligible in the standings and have a shot at Regionals, a competitor must complete all 6 WODs and submit their score before the deadline each week. Scaling is also prohibited. Therefore, a DNF or scaling will automatically eliminate a competitor. Once a competitor is eliminated, his/her scores are no longer applied to the Affiliate team's score.
Here is the important part. For CrossFit Fire to qualify a team for Regionals, and potentially the Games, we need as many of our members to register as possible. Being we won't know any of the WODs ahead of time, nobody can say that they won't be able to do well. Not to mention, headquarters has said that the WODs are going to be programmed so that reasonable CrossFitters can perform them as Rx'd. Your specialty may appear in the week 5 WOD, but if you didn't register and participate the first 4 weeks, you won't be eligible to participate in week 5. There is absolutely no way that your participation could hurt CrossFit Fire. You can only help!
So here is what you need to do. Go register NOW, being sure to join the CrossFit Fire team. Then, plan on coming to the Fort every Saturday morning for 6 weeks beginning March 19th. If for some reason you will be unable to make it on a given Saturday, contact Bill ASAP and schedule an earlier time during that week to get the WOD completed.
According to Medline Plus, "Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) happens when a muscle at the end of your esophagus does not close properly. This allows stomach contents to leak back, or reflux, into the esophagus and irritate it."
Anyone who suffers from GERD is probably taking an antacid. After all, antacids are the number 2 selling drug in the US (Lipitor is number 1). The problem with this medical approach is that the symptom is being treated while the cause of that symptom is left untouched. This leads to a lifelong dependency of said drug. Great for the pharmaceutical industry, but not so great for your health.
The proper approach would be to target why your lower esophageal valve (LEV) is allowing contents of your stomach to re-enter your esophagus. By fixing that, the need for an antacid disappears.
So, why is your LEV dysfunctional?
Increased intra-abdominal pressure (IAP).
To better understand the source of your increased IAP, we must first take a look at the usefulness of stomach acid.
Stomach acid is required to fully and properly digest the foods that you eat. When stomach acid production is reduced or eliminated completely (exactly what antacids do), partially digested foods will remain in the stomach. This means that essential proteins are left undigested and may enter your bloodstream. This is not suppose to happen so your immune system will send in the troops to attack the foreign invaders. This is what is known as an autoimmune disorder: your immune system is attacking your body. Not good!
Making matters worse is the fact that inadequate stomach acid will also prevent the absorption of key vitamins and minerals such as B12, calcium, folic acid, iron, and zinc. This could very well lead to malnourishment.
The stomach of a healthy individual should have a pH between 1 and 3. This makes it a highly acidic environment. Most bacteria will die in less than 15 minutes under such conditions.
On the flip side, without an adequate amount of stomach acid, the pH may get as high as 6 or 7, which is neutral. Under these conditions, an explosion of bacterial overgrowth will occur. Amongst the bacteria may be nasties such as H. pylori, E. coli, and salmonella.
The good news for this bacteria is that the undigested carbohydrates sitting in your stomach are their favorite source of energy. When the bacteria feeds on the undigested carbohydrates, hydrogen gas is given off. In fact, it only takes 30 grams of unabsorbed carbs to produce more than 10 liters of hydrogen gas.
The type of carbohydrate matters too as malabsorption occurs more quickly with fructose while fiber escapes absorption altogether. It is also worth mentioning lactose, the carbohydrate in milk, because it has been shown to directly relax the LEV.
You can now see where the increased IAP, and thus GERD, comes from. It isn't an issue of too much stomach acid, but rather too little stomach acid. Taking antacid medication to deal with the symptoms of GERD is only going to exacerbate the actual problem and develop a lifelong dependency for something that is ruining the delicate balance in your stomach.
Current research also shows that it isn't the stomach acid itself that damages the esophagus of GERD sufferers. Instead, the presence of stomach acid in the esophagus triggers an autoimmune response. This means that your body will mistakenly attack the lining of your esophagus. Similar autoimmune responses have been associated with the eating of grains, dairy, legumes, and nightshades.
What does all of this mean? It means that GERD is not caused by too much stomach acid, but rather too little stomach acid. It also means that if you are suffering from GERD, you should give the following an honest shot:
Completely avoid grains, legumes, dairy (milk and cheese), and nightshades to avoid the autoimmune response.
Reduce your overall carbohydrate intake to starve the bacterial overgrowth.
Take a high quality probiotic to restore proper stomach bacteria.
Minimize the amount of liquid you drink at a meal being it dilutes your stomach acid.
Supplement with a digestive enzyme such as NOW Super Enzymes at every meal.
Making the above changes will free you from your antacid dependency and more importantly, cure your GERD. Indulgences such as wine, chocolate, and spicy food will become irrelevant as there will no longer be a problem for them to exacerbate.
That's right, we too have a problem. A BIG problem!
You see, I wasn't expecting anyone to enjoy any of my 3 blog posts while Jennie is away. To my surprise though, some of you were actually amused by yesterday's offering. This means that the bar has most definitely been raised and now I have expectation to live up to. If it was up to me, I would end on a high note, riding off into the sunset while you are left wanting more. I've been told by the powers to be that that isn't an option though. Instead, I have to post again and risk going out like Brett Favre:
Making all of this increasingly more difficult is the fact that I don't like taking pictures while I coach.
That's also how some of you felt when you arrived at the Fort yesterday and read the WOD on the whiteboard. I know for a fact that I heard at least 6 different people ask in disbelief, "Does that really say 80?"
The idea behind the prescribed weights yesterday wasn't to discourage any of you, but rather to push you to go heavy. And heavy you all went! Remember, it is a good thing to leave your comfort zone and to get uncomfortable during the WOD. The resulting adaptations will be to your liking.
I would also like to commend all of you on your math skills. Between the fractional plates, WODs with built in rest, and scoring your workout while still breathing heavy, we definitely keep you all thinking. Not only are we building stronger bodies at the Fort, but we are also improving everyone's basic arithmetic skills
Let's take a ride in my time machine now and head back to this past Saturday.
For some odd reason, Team Saturday was a lot lighter than usual this week . I wish I could say it was because you were all competing in the Windy City CrossFit Winter Weightlifting Meet, but sadly that wasn't the case. Those who did show up though were split into teams of 3 (and 1 team of 2) and had to tackle box jumps, knees to elbows, and rowing.
Believe it or not, Jamie (founder of CrossFitCheaters.com) was unable to make it a 3-peat this week. Instead, the team consisting of "2010 Fittest Firefighter" and "Tranimal" proved to be too much for her cheating ways and they won the belt by a convincing margin.
Some of you stuck around after class and tested your max height box jump. Congrats to Carrie Z for making the women's record board at over 36". On the men's side, Just Pete (formerly New Pete) showed off his ability to levitate, knocking Clark from the top spot with an amazing 52.5" box jump. Way to go you two!
Finally, I would like to congratulate K-Tuck, RTLH, and Jennie for representing CrossFit Fire at the 2nd annual Windy City CrossFit Winter Weightlifting Meet this past Saturday. K-Tuck PR'd on her Clean & Jerk en route to defending her 1st place medal. Jennie also PR'd her Clean & Jerk, finishing 4th in her weight class. She would have taken 1st if it wasn't for Bill's baby weighing her down Unfortunately, a PR wasn't in the cards for RTLH at his first weightlifting meet, but he definitely showed some serious heart and will be a force to reckon with as he becomes more comfortable with the movements and settles in at his new body weight. Again, a HEYUGE congrats and thank you to all 3 of you.
For those of you who don't know, that is a picture of Jennie....poolside!
Yes, the rumors are true. She packed her bags and has abandoned us (and the cold) for sunny Phoenix. Don't let the MacBook fool you though. It is merely there so she can Facebook and watch silly YouTube videos such as this:
If you haven't connected the dots yet, this means that Zach and I will be driving this ship until Jennie returns.
Unfortunately for me, Zach has a potty mouth and previously had his blogging privileges revoked. So, if you are here for your daily dose of inspiration, sarcasm, wit, or profanity, I am sorry to disappoint. Authoring a technical piece wouldn't be a problem, but I haven't had much practice with creative writing since grade school. Therefore, I plan to use as many pictures as possible, in hopes that the visual stimulation will distract you from realizing how boring this truly is. If it doesn't work, you'll just have to bear with me.
If you came to the Fort yesterday, you had the privilege of completing Jackie, but with an added twist. No, I'm not talking about our extra credit stairs, but rather the fumes from the adjacent unit behind us.
Rowing upstairs wasn't too bad during the morning classes, but by the time the evening classes rolled around, the fumes were quite intense. If you were at the 4pm class, you saw Jessica's discomfort. If she could do it over again, I would be willing to bet that she would have preferred to have completed the WOD in a costume like Hero Mike's:
The good news is, the fumes are far less intense today and should only continue to dissipate further. I was told that the individual who purchased the unit behind us is in the process of moving in and installed some cabinets. They assured us though that they are done with the varnish so this shouldn't be an issue any longer. Phew!
Even with those fumes, we saw a LOT of very impressive PRs! You guys did everything from setting 1000m row records to improving previous Jackie times by 4 or 5 minutes to doing the full workout as Rx'd for the first time. The record boards have been completely reshuffled....again! 2 thumbs up to all of you.
Unfortunately, a PR wasn't in the cards for RTLH at his first weightlifting meet, but he definitely showed some serious heart and will be a force to reckon with as he becomes more comfortable with the movements and settles in at his new body weight. Again, a HEYUGE congrats and thank you to all 3 of you.
