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Glucose, starches, glycemic index

Different carbohydrates, when ingested, result in different blood glucose increase. The glycemic index classification was proposed to indicate the rates at which different starchy foods were digested. It was hoped that selection of foods with lower glycemic indices would contribute to prolonging the absorption of nutrients, and so improve the glycemic profile.

Glucose and sugars including glucose as a building block are important, though not exclusive, fuel for the body. They are also structural components of plants and this is an important fact to remember for better understanding of what the glycemic index is. Surprisingly enough, amount and ratios of the sugars are not yet available for most foods.

However, the chemical structures and dietary properties are relatively well known. What are these sugars?

First of all, glucose itself.

The word glucose is from the Greek gleucos, which means sweet wine.

Glucose can be found in fruit and vegetables and is responsible (together with fructose and sucrose) for their sweet taste. With the exception of banana, seeds, grain, legumes, and tubers, which contain mostly starch, foods containing glucose, fructose and sucrose in various ratios are the major dietary carbohydrate sources.

Glucose is easily soluble in water and is present in the diet as part of the disaccharides sucrose (glucose and fructose) and lactose (glucose and galactose).

In healthy humans, after overnight fasting, blood glucose levels lie between range 3.5 to 5.5 mmol/1iter. They rise after breakfast meal to almost 10 mmol/liter. Blood glucose level over 7.8 mmol /liter measured 2 hours after a drink containing 75 g glucose is a diagnostic criterion for diabetes.

Glucose is stored by the body as glycogen (animal starch) mostly in the liver and muscles. A 70-kg man may store around 500 grams of glycogen. Glucose can also be synthesized from certain ("gluconeogenic") amino acids in process of so-called de novo gluconeogenesis.

Oligosaccharides

Oligosaccharides, from Greek oligo (fewÇ) are polymers or molecules usually containing 2 to 9 building blocks, sometimes up to 19.

The 2-unit, 3--unit and 4-unit forms (so-called dimers, trimers and tetramers) in which glucose molecules are joined in chains are called maltose, maltotriose and maltotetrose. These sugars are the products of starch digestion in the malting process.

Starches

Starches are yet larger molecules. Most starches are composed as mixtures of differently configured chains of simple sugars. Some of branched starches are more readily digested than others, which is also an important fact to remember. The major sources of dietary starch are cereals, grains, legumes, and tubers.

Resistant starch

Resistant starches got their name due to their resistance to digestion. They are divided into three classes: RS1, RS2 and RS3.

* RS1 resists digestion due to large particle size or compact nature of food, or starch entrapment by dietary fiber.

* RS2 resist digestion because of more crystalline structure

* RS3 resist digestion because after cooking they form compact structure in which water is lost.

Resistant starches are rather seldom in Western diets. Coarser milling or increasing particle size of cereal grains such as whole-grain bread or bulgur wheat (RS1) may achieve increased starch resistance. RS2 are found in green banana, corn and legumes (peas, beans and lentils). RS3 are components of common foods such as potato, rice and bread. Resistant starches in this category are produced commercially from cornstarch by enzymatic treatment.

Cellulose

Cellulose is also a glucose polymer, but it may consist of as many as 10 000 glucose building blocks. Cellulose is both resistant to digestion and insoluble in cold or hot water, acids and alkali. It can be however digested by intestinal friendly bacteria. This intestinal microflora is able to manage the cellulose from vegetables much better than cellulose from grains.

Cellulose is a structural component of plant cell walls. In human nutrition, it forms an important part of the insoluble fiber component.

Beta-glucans

Unlike cellulose, they are readily soluble in water, making a highly viscous substance. The bigger and heavier the molecule, the greater the viscosity. Thus reduction of molecular weight by acid or enzymatic hydrolysis, which may also occur during food processing, may greatly reduce viscosity. The glucans are resistant to digestion by enzymes. However unlike cellulose glucans can be completely fermented by intestinal bacteria.

Beta-glucans are found in oats and barley, with only very small amounts in wheat. In oats, the beta-glucan is concentrated in the outer bran layer and may comprise 50% of the dietary fiber. In barley, the beta-glucan is less easy to achieve.

Hemicellulose

Hemicellulose shows some similarity with cellulose not because of similarities of the chemical structures but because hemicellulose is also insoluble in hot or cold water or hot acid. It is, however, soluble in alkali. Hemicellulose is found in cereals.

Glucose pathways in the body

Glucose is treated in the stomach by the gastric juices and passes into the duodenum where it is absorbed. The absorbed glucose goes into the bloodstream. The major part of the absorbed glucose is up-taken by muscle and fat tissue with the help of insulin.

Sucrose and lactose are split and then are treated by the enzymes sucrase-isomaltase and lactase. Sucrose intolerance is a very rare health condition, but lactose intolerance (hypolactasia) is common around the world with the exception of northern European nations. Thus, lactose malabsorption in the small intestine occurs and large amounts of lactose enter the colon resulting in gas production, and sometimes diarrhea.

Purified starch enters into digestion in the mouth under the action of salivary amylase.

The digestion stops due to the stomach's acidic environment but resumes in the duodenum under the action of pancreatic amylase resulting in the production of free glucose, maltose, and maltotriose. The absorption in the small intestine is theoretically considered to be complete.

Tanya Zilberter, PhD

Low sugar peanut-butter chocolate fudge

From Mike Geary
Certified Nutrition Specialist
Certified Personal Trainer
Truth about abs


It's my own special version of a healthy peanut-butter-fudge! If you don't like nuts or peanut butter, you can simply leave out those ingredients and make a chocolate-only version. Pay attention, because there are specific ingredients that make this a LOT healthier for you than typical fudge.

I will say that this dessert / snack is not low-calorie per se, but it is loaded with quality healthy fats, some protein, LOTS of antioxidants, and is relatively low in sugar, while also containing a decent dose of fiber. Overall, it's a great snack that helps curb your appetite, fuel your muscles, loads you up on protective antioxidants, and quells that sweet tooth that often makes you overeat on refined sweets.

Geary's Lean-Body Chocolate Peanut Butter Fudge Recipe:

• 3/4 cup organic coconut milk (not the watered down "light" version which just replaces some of the healthy coconut fat with water)
• 1 bar (3-5 oz. bar works well) of quality extra dark chocolate (look for at least 70-75% cocoa content on the label)
• 4-5 tablespoons of peanut butter or your favorite nut butter (almond butter, cashew butter, macadamia butter, etc)
• 3/4 cup raisins or dried cranberries (optional)
• 1/2 cup whole almonds (optional)
• 2 Tbsp raw wheat germ
• 2 Tbsp rice bran (usually only available at health food stores)
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• A little stevia powder to sweeten

Start by adding the coconut milk (cans of organic coconut milk are available at most health food stores and possibly even your grocery store) and vanilla extract to a small saucepan on very low heat. Break up the extra dark chocolate bar into chunks and add into pot. Add the nut butter and the stevia, and continuously stir until it all melts together into a smooth mixture.

Then add the raisins, almonds, wheat germ, and rice bran and stir until fully blended. Spoon/pour the fudge mixture onto some waxed paper in a dish and place in the fridge until it cools and solidifies together. Place in a closed container or cover with foil in fridge to prevent it from drying out.

Enjoy small squares for dessert and for small snacks throughout the day. This is about as good as it gets for a healthy yet delicious treat! Even though this is a healthier dessert idea, keep in mind that it is still calorie dense, so keep your portions reasonable.

Do protein foods slow insulin level's rise?

Brad Pilon (Eat Stop Eat) wrote in his newsletter: "From the research conducted on sports supplements we know for sure that a protein/carb meal can have just as big an effect on insulin as a carb only meal. And, that as long as you are eating your insulin levels are going to spike up and then slowly go down..."

Brad explains it in his excellent mini-lecture:

For the Eat Stop Eat solution, visit Brad's site

How many calries should we eat to get all vital nutrients?

by Tanya Zilberter, PhD

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This article is sponsored by Burn the Fat

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A human being has a basic biological nature, but it's the only biological species to radically evolve and advance without changing its basic body structure. As a result, our bodies need the same nourishment that was good for our predecessors tens of thousands of years ago, but our current lifestyle doesn't give us a chance to get it. Yet, if you eat right and exercise right, you're healthy and no need to worry about, right?

Let's see. The Wellness Letter Berkeley from University of California-Berkeley, published a book of recipes for healthy foods with tables of vitamins, minerals, microelements, proteins, fats, carbohydrates and calories per serving.

I calculated the calorie intake from a diet based on these recipes and the Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA) values for 50 essential nutrients. The result was incredible: from 4,000 to 10,000 calories! That's a lot! Is there anybody who could burn them all?

This amount was about the same that was needed by our cave dwelling ancestors simply to survival. Theirs was a life spent on their feet; hunting prey; escaping predators; spending enormous amounts of energy to stay warm during winter or to cool during hot weather; fighting infections and parasites; losing blood; healing wounds; gathering edible plants; and women being either pregnant or nursing.

To gain some fat for the rainy days was bliss. Those 4,000 to 10,000 calories were spent as almost as soon as were gained. Since our ancestors most likely created so-called omnivorousness, or eating anything they could stomach, it mattered little where the calories were coming from: prey, plants or wild honey. Some people were lucky to have mostly prey, others could get more leaves or tubers, and very few could get honey in amounts that would lead us to believe there was any high-carbohydrate diet available.

Some cultures still live on mono diets. Take the Nordic population: its rations are mostly animal fat and protein. As long as they don't mess with "white deaths" (sugar and refined flour) and "fire water" (alcohol) they're caloric intake is irrelevant.

To Eat or Not To Eat?

As for the rest of us: rarely does anyone burn more than 2,500 calories. In fact, the average calorie intake for Americans is 2,000 to 2,500, and that is overeating for most people. We are faced with options:

Choice 1: If we eat enough to get all the necessary nutrients, we consume too many calories and become overweight.

Choice 2: If we limit our calorie intake to maintain the proper weight, we do no have enough nutrients to maintain good health.

Choice 3: We can limit calorie intake and substitute for the missing nutrients with supplements.

Choice 3 was the cause of the rise of multibillion-dollar supplement industry. Yet, Americans are getting bigger. So, as you can see, there's actually no choice but to do something radical. Here comes the general idea to eat not all you please, but only certain food while avoiding other foods.

What To Eat? What To Avoid?

Again, we are faced with basically three choices:

Choice 1: Reduce calories.
Choice 2: Reduce fat.
Choice 3: Reduce carbohydrates.

Any one of them can be good for someone, and worthless or bad for someone else. Lets look at the each choice a little more closely.

What if I reduce calories?

You'll be hungry. And hunger signals your body to get those calories as soon as it suspects you are starving.

Further, any low-calorie diet burns not only fat, but also muscle. Reduced muscle mass causes your metabolism to slow down and the calorie reduction escalates, leading to malnutrition or to regaining all the lost weight plus some.

What if I reduce fats?

Fat reduction can help if you don't have too many pounds to lose. The glitch is, while any low-fat diet prevents fat depositing, it also makes fat burning impossible.

I'd also like to mention here that there was a trend of using low-fat diets to improve blood cholesterol and decrease the risk of cardio-vascular diseases, but recent clinical data questioned this approach.

What if I reduce carbs?

This is my personal choice. This is why I believe that this is the best option for those who failed many times before.

First and most important is that low-carb diets preserve muscle while burning the body's fat for fuel. Second, low-carb diets don't make you hungry. There actually are many more benefits, and this entire site is about these benefits.

Chances are great that you'll like low-carbing so much, it will become part of your lifestyle. Add exercise, and there will be no problem with keeping the weight off for the rest of your life.

How to avoid Holiday cheating

The 6 things you need to succeed on a low carb diet

From Jim Stone
Stop Cheating on
Your Low Carb Diet


The warning about other low carb diet books.

You will not have a complete low carb solution until you have these six things. Most low carb diet books give you a good treatment of only the first two things.

1. You must understand how to do a low carb diet, and have some recipes to get you started.

2. You must understand how a low carb diet works in your body.

3. You must know how stress leads to carbohydrate cravings.

4. You must learn to develop an acute sensitivity to your own cheating behavior, and have the skills to analyze your behavior in a way that will lead to successful counter-measures. This is rarely given the attention it deserves in most low carb diet books.

5. You must understand the social dimension of your life, and how it affects what you eat. It is quite rare to see this in a low carb diet book.

6. You must have a solid understanding of human motivation. No other low carb diet book will give you this!


Chances are you already own a book that explains how to do a low carb diet -- complete with recipes. That's a good start. If you don't have one of those books, you should go get one. You won't find that information in Stop Cheating On Your Low Carb Diet!.

But clearly what those books cover is not enough to ensure success.


Do bit think about buying this book if you are looking for one of the following things:

If you are looking for yet another low carb diet plan with just a slightly new "tweak" on every other low carb diet plan, this book is not for you.

If you are looking for yet another low carb diet book that consists of 30% information and 70% recipes, this book is not for you.

Everyone should have a low carb diet book that has a diet plan.

For the record, my favorite low carb diet plan books are these:

• Dr. Wolfgang Lutz's Life Without Bread
• Dr. Loren Cordain's The Paleo Diet
• and Dr. Gregory Ellis's Ultimate Diet Secrets

I have benefited greatly from these books, and recommend them highly. These books serve quite well for a FIRST book on low carb dieting -- as would these books:

• Dr. Atkins New Diet Revolution
• The South Beach Diet
• The Zone
• Sugar Busters
• The Carbohydrate Addicts Diet
• Some of Suzanne Sommers' books
• Neanderthin
• The Fat Flush Plan
• Protein Power
• And Many Others

However,

If you already have one of THOSE books, ...

...but you find yourself struggling to stay on your diet...

...and you want to own a manual that helps you understand yourself, and what motivates you...

...a manual dedicated to human motivation, and how it affects your attempts to stay on your low carb diet...

...and you are looking for a book that will finally help you stick to your low carb diet...

... this book is exactly what you need.

Carb Rotation Q & A

Read more:
LOW-FAT to LOW-CARB Rotation

Q. Will the Carb Rotation really help remove stubborn fat? I mean seriously, can it really help me lose up to 15 pounds in just 30 days, or is this just a bunch of hype?

A. Yes, it will. In fact, I've heard from many personal fitness trainers all over the world - thanks to the Internet - his program has helped their clients lose the stubborn body fat that just wouldn't seem to come off.

The secret is in the Carb Rotation cycle that he has perfected. In other words, eating the right amount of carbs on the right days creates an incredible fat blasting response by your body.

Q. Are those testimonials on his site real?

A. Absolutely. It's 100% against the law to make testimonials up out of thin air. He wouldn't think of doing it. And when you realize he has a wife and baby girl to support I think that will put your mind at ease even more. He's not going to do anything to get into trouble when I have so much going for him ;-)

Again, they are real. Men and women just like you are seeing extraordinary results and loving every minute of it because his program is so easy-to-follow.

Q. Do I really need to follow the exercise program that comes with his (your afffiliate link here) plan?

A. Well, if you want to see optimal results, yes. If you're serious about zapping unwanted fat from your hips, butt, thighs or belly you sure do. When you add the fitness component to his Carb Rotation principals you truly can shed up to 15 pounds of fat in just 30 days!

But here's the thing:

The exercise program isn't a slow, boring cardio routine you're probably used to. It's high-energy resistance training that gets you in and out FAST. Plus, they really sculpt and shape your body to give you that lean, sexy look most people are after.

Q. What makes his program different from all the other diets out there?

A. As I mentioned earlier, Jayson has perfected a method for tweaking your carbohydrate intake which stimulates your body to melt fat almost instantly.

And even more important is the fact you will FEEL full and satisfied. You will NOT be hungry all the time. And you'll have BOUNDLESS energy!

Lastly, his Carb Rotation plan teaches you how to KEEP the weight off. And isn't what you really want PERMANENT results?

Remember, Jayson is a Registered Dietitian. Not some muscle-bound personal trainer with a weekend certification. He went to a real school and got a real degree so he could teach people how to make lifestyle changes which would result in a lifetime of weight loss and health.

Q. Is the money back guarantee for real?

A. Sure is. But I promise you, if you follow his program and put your heart and soul into getting results you wouldn't think of asking for a refund. You are going to be astonished by the results you see.

Q. What if I purchase his program and after reading it still have more questions?

Look at it this way: Your success is his success. He wants nothing more than to know his program has worked for you just like it has for countless others who have struggled to lose weight permanently. He let me know if you have questions you can email them to him at any time.

Q. I'm really excited to get started, but I'm not sure how. What's the first thing I need to do?

A. Jayson has laid out every step you need to take in the Carb Rotation plan

Seriously, the entire blueprint is laid out for you in his program. Simply follow it to the letter and watch the fat melt off your body!

Q. Am I going to be miserable and feeling hungry all the time?

A. NO, you will not. In fact, just the opposite is true. You're going to always feel full AND you're going to be stunned by how great you feel and how much energy you have.

Q. Why should I trust him?

Q. As I wrote earlier, I've discovered he's real guy with a real family. This program is how he supports them. I know all too well there are a lot of scam artists on the Internet. It's a shame because it makes it harder for guys like Jayson who truly want to see you succeed.

He's a Registered Dietitian and fitness expert with over ten years of experience. He's helped hundreds and hundreds of men and women just like you remove stubborn fat from their body.

I'd love to see you added to the list of his success stories.

The Goldbert-O'Mara Diet

The GO-diet
by Tanya Zilberter, PhD

"The Goldbert-O'Mara Diet" by Jack Goldberg and Karen O'Mara is not just one of the books, it has the advantage of a research investigation conducted not after but before the book has been published.

Related articles:
GO-diet I The PRE-biotic Inulin I Functional Foods I Probiotics

The authors of the book participated in a 12 weeks study conducted by a major Chicago hospital. These are some of the results they received. The study results have been accepted for publication in a peer reviewed journal and abstract on the diabetic study was submitted for presentation the coming summer.

The average weight loss was 20 pounds or 10% of participants' initial body weight . There was also an average of 5 inches lost in the waist. There was also a 50% decrease in triglycerides and the LDL cholesterol. The HDL did not change.

The Go-Diet is a very moderate low-carb diet with practically no restriction of calories (usually the calorie intake was up to 2,500.) Dieters can have 75 grams of carbohydrate a day and no more than 12 grams of carbs at any single meal. They're supposed to eat a lot of yogurt, kefir, or buttermilk. They were instructed not to be worried about the carb content in the label.

One of important points is fiber content: no less than 25 grams of fiber every day, mostly it comes with plenty of raw vegetables: 5 servings of leafy and cruciferous veggies.

The diet is high in calcium, magnesium and all other minerals. It contains vitamins A, B, C, D, E and K and requires practically no supplements.

The research results are consistent with another low-carb diets studies like these:

"Compared with the low carbohydrate diet, the high carbohydrate diet caused a 27.5% increase in plasma triglycerides and a similar increase in LDL-cholesterol levels; it also reduced levels of HDL cholesterol by 11%." (Diabetes. 41(10):1278-85, 1992)

In the article "Treatment of obesity with low carbohydrate diets," the authors concluded: "Concentrations of plasma triglycerides and cholesterol turned to normal during therapy. There were no side effects on the gastro-intestinal tract." (Medizinische Klinik. 70(15):653-7,1975)

"Serum triglycerides decreased more after the high fat diet (52 mg/dl) than after high protein diet (67 mg/dl)." (Journal of the American College of Nutrition. 4(4):451-9, 1985)

Related articles:
GO-diet I The PRE-biotic Inulin I Functional Foods I Probiotics