The New Glucose Revolution What Makes My Blood Glucose Go Up . . . and Down? 101 Frequently Asked Questions About Your Blood Glucose Levels

by Brand-Miller, Dr. Jennie; Mendosa, David; Foster-Powell, Kaye

• ISBN13: 9781569243022
• ISBN10: 1569243026
• Edition: 2nd
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2006-06-22
• Publisher: Balance

Summary

Dr. Jennie Brand-Miller and Kaye Foster-Powell — authors of the New York Times best-seller The New Glucose Revolution,— and David Mendosa, a leading diabetes journalist, answer the most frequently asked questions about blood glucose levels. They address a wide range of concerns, correct common misconceptions, and educate how best to monitor and control glucose levels. Among the questions addressed are: • What is a normal blood glucose level? • What can I do to bring down my blood glucose levels when they’re high? • Can being stressed really have something to do with my high blood glucose? • Which carbohydrates will raise my blood glucose the least? • What is the glycemic index? • When I crave something sweet, what should I have? This book is for everyone with type 1 or type 2 diabetes, prediabetes, those who experience blood sugar lows (or highs) during the course of a day, people clinically diagnosed with hypoglycemia or hyperglycemia, those with the metabolic syndrome or Syndrome X, and everyone interested in taking preventative measures to preserve good health. An indispensable guide, this book is for those who want clear, scientifically-based information about the connection between food, exercise, weight, and blood glucose levels.

Author Biography

JENNIE BRAND-MILLER, PHD, one of the world’s foremost authorities on carbohydrates and the glycemic index, has championed the GI approach to nutrition for more than 20 years. Professor of Nutrition at the University of Sydney and the President of the Nutrition Society of Australia, in 2004 Brand-Miller was awarded Australia’s prestigious ATSE Clunies Ross Award for her commitment to advancing science and technology. She is one of the world’s most in-demand speakers on the GI and her laboratory at the University of Sydney is the world’s foremost GI-testing center.

KAYE FOSTER-POWELL, M NUTR & DIET, an accredited dietitian-nutritionist with extensive experience in diabetes management, is the co-author, with Dr. Brand-Miller, of the authoritative tables of GI and glycemic load values published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

DAVID MENDOSA is a freelance journalist and consultant specializing in diabetes whose diabetes Web pages receive millions of hits each year. His articles and columns have appeared in many of the major diabetes magazines and Web sites. His own Web site, David Mendosa’s Diabetes Directory, www.mendosa.com/diabetes.htm, was one of the first and is now one of the largest with that focus.

Table of Contents

Introduction	1	(8)
PART ONE: YOUR BLOOD GLUCOSE LEVELS
1. What is a normal blood glucose level?	9	(3)
2. What's wrong with a high blood glucose level?	12	(2)
3. What's wrong with a low blood glucose level?	14	(2)
4. How long does it take for my blood glucose to go up after I eat?	16	(1)
5. What is the best time to test my blood glucose?	17	(1)
6. Why has my doctor asked me to test before meals?	18	(1)
7. I don't have diabetes. Do I still need to watch my blood glucose levels?	19	(2)
8. I have terrible mood swings. Could that have anything to do with my blood glucose level?	21	(1)
9. What are the factors that affect my blood glucose level?	22	(2)
10. What effect do medications have on blood glucose levels?	24	(1)
11. What's the difference between complex carbohydrates and simple carbohydrates?	25	(2)
12. How much carbohydrate should a person eat at one sitting?	27	(2)
13. How can I find the carbohydrate content of a food that doesn't have a nutrition label?	29	(2)
14. What is the glycemic index?	31	(1)
15. How do scientists measure the glycemic index values of foods?	32	(2)
16. Can I measure the GI value of a food myself?	34	(1)
17. Can you tell me what the range is for low, medium, and high on the GI scale?	35	(3)
18. Are foods with lower GI values better than those with higher ones?	38	(1)
19. What do you mean by "available" carbohydrate?	39	(1)
20. If testing continued for long enough, wouldn't I end up with the same amount of glucose in my blood, even for very high-GI and very low-GI foods?	40	(2)
21. What size portion does the GI value of a food relate to? Say the GI value for bananas is 55—does this value correspond to one banana? If so, what is the size of the banana, big or small?	42	(2)
22. If the glycemic index of a food is the same no matter how much I eat, does it matter if I eat more or less? If I eat twice as much, will my blood glucose level double?	44	(1)
23. How can I find out what a food's GI value is?	45	(1)
24. Berries—specifically, blueberries, blackberries, and raspberries—are among my favorite fruits. How do they affect my blood glucose level?	46	(1)
25. Does cooking a food change its effect on my blood glucose? Would it be better to eat everything raw?	47	(2)
26. Does the carbohydrate content noted on a food's nutrition label have any relationship to its blood glucose—raising capacity?	49	(1)
27. What if I can't find a particular food in the glycemic index lists? I can't find tuna, eggs, chicken, avocado, quinoa, kamut, Jerusalem artichoke, jicama, macadamia nuts, spelt, textured vegetable protein, or triticale. Can I use the value given for a similar food?	50	(3)
28. There are many products on the market that have not been tested for their GI values. Is there some way I can estimate a food's glycemic effect by looking at the ingredients or the nutrition panel?	53	(2)
29. What is the glycemic load?	55	(1)
30. How do I calculate the glycemic load of a food?	56	(2)
31. In blood glucose terms, how do I compare a small banana with a large apple, or a plate of pasta with a serving of rice?	58	(2)
32. To calculate the glycemic load, should I use total carbohydrate or available carbohydrate?	60	(1)
33. What do you consider to be a high glycemic load and a low glycemic load? In other words, what cutoffs can be used to classify foods as high, intermediate, or low glycemic load (GL)?	61	(1)
34. Wouldn't it be better to consider a food's glycemic load instead of its glycemic index value when comparing foods? In other words, what's more important—a food's GI value or its GL value?	62	(2)
35. Is the glycemic load as scientific and objective as the glycemic index?	64	(1)
36. Is there evidence that a healthy individual with no indications or risk factors suggesting susceptibility to diabetes will benefit from a low-GI diet?	65	(4)
PART TWO: WHAT MAKES MY BLOOD GLUCOSE GO UP?
A. Food Factors That Increase My Blood Glucose Levels
37. What are the worst foods for raising blood glucose levels?	69	(2)
38. Why do small new potatoes affect blood glucose levels less than bigger potatoes?	71	(2)
39. Do I have to avoid eating potatoes and bread because they have high GI values?	73	(1)
40. Does bread made from sprouted grains have less blood glucose-raising potential than bread made from flour?	74	(1)
41. Rice appears to vary in its blood glucose-raising ability. Is there a way I can tell the difference?	75	(2)
42. Does brown rice have a lower effect on blood glucose levels than white rice?	77	(1)
43. Flow is it that some foods can have GI values of over 100?	78	(1)
44. I am currently using a protein bar that contains maltodextrin. I've noticed that many sports drinks list both maltodextrins and dextrose. What's the difference between the two? Is one better than the other?	79	(2)
45. Why are people with diabetes now allowed to eat sugar?	81	(2)
46. From the perspective of blood sugar, is honey better than sugar?	83	(1)
47. Do you know of any comparisons between molasses and ordinary white table sugar? What about cane sugar?	84	(1)
48. How much sugar is okay?	85	(2)
49. Should I avoid high-fructose corn syrup?	87	(1)
50. There are times when I crave something sweet. What should I have?	88	(2)
51. Is there a difference between "natural" sugars in foods and added sugars?	90	(2)
52. Are sweet potatoes a good substitute for regular potatoes, even though they are sweet? Are sweet potatoes and yams the same thing?	92	(2)
53. Are rolled oats good for blood glucose levels? Does it matter which type?	94	(1)
54. I have a habit of popping a four-quart pot full of popcorn two or three times per week, and I eat all of it watching a movie. Is that a bad thing?	95	(3)
B. Non-Food Factors That Increase Blood Glucose Levels
55. Did gaining weight as I got older give me the high blood glucose levels I have now?	98	(2)
56. Why is it that when I gain even a few pounds my blood glucose levels go up?	100	(1)
57. Why does my blood glucose go up when I'm sick?	101	(1)
58. Can being stressed out really have something to do with my high blood sugars?	102	(1)
59. Can certain drugs increase my blood glucose levels?	103	(1)
60. Can you tell me why my morning blood glucose reading is often higher than it was when I went to bed?	104	(5)
PART THREE: WHAT MAKES MY BLOOD GLUCOSE GO DOWN?
A. Food Factors That Lower My Blood Glucose Levels
61. What factors in foods can make my blood glucose levels go down?	109	(1)
62. What effect does fat have on my blood glucose levels?	110	(2)
63. What do protein foods do to my blood glucose levels?	112	(1)
64. What happens if I eat some extra protein or fat with my carbohydrate?	113	(2)
65. What about milk and other dairy products (like cheese and yogurt), all of which have some carbohydrates?	115	(2)
66. But what about the long-term effect of protein and fat?	117	(2)
67. If protein and fat don't raise blood glucose levels, shouldn't I base my diet on them?	119	(2)
68. What's wrong with low-carbohydrate diets?	121	(1)
69. Will fish oil or flaxseed oil capsules increase my blood glucose levels or make me put on weight?	122	(1)
70. What effect does fiber have on my blood glucose levels? Is soluble or insoluble fiber better for me?	123	(2)
71. Can the GI values of foods predict the effect of a "mixed meal" containing lots of different foods?	125	(2)
72. How much water should I drink?	127	(1)
73. Does coffee or tea affect my blood glucose?	128	(1)
74. What effect will diet beverages have on my blood glucose?	129	(1)
75. Is it safe for me to use non caloric sweeteners such as sucralose, stevia, and aspartame?	130	(1)
76. What does alcohol do to my blood glucose levels? Does different alcohol—beer, wine, liquor—have different effects?	131	(2)
77. Since food makes my blood glucose levels go up, wouldn't fasting be the best way to bring it down?	133	(2)
78. Which carbohydrates will raise my blood glucose the least?	135	(2)
79. Should we avoid foods, like soybeans, that are high in anti-nutrients even if they have positive effects on blood glucose?	137	(1)
80. I thought that carrots had a big effect on blood glucose. Why are they now considered okay?	138	(1)
81. Will a big salad have a marked effect on my blood glucose levels?	139	(2)
82. What are the advantages of eating vinegar, lemon juice, and sourdough bread?	141	(2)
83. I heard that cooked cactus pads are a good diabetic food item. Is that right?	143	(1)
84. Why are there so few vegetables on the lists of GI values?	144	(2)
85. What about spices—can they affect blood glucose levels? I've heard that cinnamon helps lower blood glucose while black pepper raises it. Is that correct?	146	(2)
86. Is it true that pineapple juice has less effect on blood glucose levels than pineapple?	148	(1)
87. I've heard that it's better for me to eat dried apricots than fresh apricots. Is that true? It doesn't make sense to me, because dried apricots are more concentrated.	149	(1)
88. How can some fruit, like dates, raise my blood glucose dramatically, while others, like cherries, have hardly any effect?	150	(1)
89. Some people tell me that watermelon sends blood glucose levels soaring, but others say that's wrong. What's the truth?	151	(1)
90. What can I snack on? What snacks won't adversely affect my blood glucose level?	152	(1)
91. What are the "sinful snacks" that won't raise my blood glucose too much?	153	(2)
92. Can I eat nuts and seeds in moderation?	155	(3)
B. Non-Food Factors That Lower Blood Glucose Levels
93. What can I do to bring down my blood glucose levels when they're high?	158	(2)
94. How much exercise should a person with diabetes do?	160	(1)
95. Will exercise always lower my blood glucose level?	161	(1)
96. How do the pills that lower my blood glucose work?	162	(2)
97. How can I avoid ever needing insulin?	164	(2)
98. Are there any forms of alternative medicine that can lower my blood glucose?	166	(2)
99. I heard about a study of people with diabetes in China who benefited from taking large amounts of chromium. Would that help me?	168	(2)
100. Is vanadium safe for people with diabetes to take as a blood glucose control?	170	(1)
101. Will ginseng reduce my blood glucose levels? I've heard some varieties do but not others.	171	(2)
The Glycemic Index and Glycemic Load Tables	173	(10)
Glossary	183	(8)
Acknowledgments	191	(2)
Index	193