Should I care that fruit has a high GI? I am training solely for athletics using Coach Davies Renegade Program. My goal is to stay lean. I try to incorporate a lot of fruit in my diet (Apples, Oranges, Bananas, Strawberries), In John Berardi’s “Lean Eatin’” article he says:
"The bottom line here is that when all else is equal, a diet containing mostly low-GI carbohydrates is superior to a high-GI diet for losing fat, preserving metabolic rate, and maintaining healthy insulin sensitivity and glucose tolerance."
fruit in general does NOT have a very high glycemic index. sugar != high glycemic index
the real culprit is insulin index. glycemic index is simply a predictor (which is sometimes wrong) about concomitant insulin raise in response to ingestion of food. insulin index is (obviously) a better predictor.
fructose is an isomer (different shape) of glucose. i don’t think fructose is converted to glucose, as such, as it is composed of the same elements. i think it’s handled via some other physiological route, if memory serves. i know it winds up replenishing glycogen stores…shrugs
Most fruits are made of fructose so you can eat them… Fructose bypasses insulin… However fruits like banana’s, GRAPES, raisins, and most melons (Including water melon) are made from fructose AND Dextrose, Dextrose raises insulin… so have as much fruit as you wish… But in my opinion be careful of banana’s, grapes, raisin and a few others
John B also said (In His Winning Formula Article Part 2) that it’s OK to eat low-glycemic fruits. So I’d go ahead and eat fruits. Besides, if I must give up all candies, chocolates, etc., I want at least fruits to satisfy my sweet tooth.
Stella who loves fruits...can eat nothing but fruits all day long.... :)
The glycemic index is great isn’t it? Fruits to have are oranges, apples, dried apricots, cherries, and grapefruit. I live everyday eating low glycemic foods, and it makes a huge difference. I BOX, so maintaining weight is my life. The index helps, but don’t live in it, live with it. meaning, pre workout have a little sugar (10-15g) and remember that some sugar with added fat or protein lowers the insulin response of sugars compared to sugars digested alone. So if you love watermelon have it with a beef patty or steak. Enjoy your lifestyle. A treat for me for example is chocolate chip whole wheat pancakes (half whole wheat pancake mix, half protein powder, chocolate chips)! If you have further questions let us know…
Careful of dried apricots d00d, one of the highest GI levels of anything I know… haha… I might be mistaken, but I remember when i was shopping for fruit for after a workout, that was one of them…
The Glycemic index for a dried apricot in a 13g serving(enough to snack on) is only 31!!! that’s lower than what people should even look for! anything below 55 or even better 50, is perfect. 31 is wow low!!!
