CHAPTER ONE: BRIEF OVERVIEW OF GLYCEMIC DENSITY
AWAKENING
What is the secret of healthy weight management? Perhaps you have struggled with this issue as I have. My wake-up call came when I developed diabetes at the age of fifty. Desiring to avoid the possible negative consequences, I became determined to learn all that I could about healthy nutrition and weight management. Controlling diabetes with diet and exercise is the best way of dealing with the disease if a person is able to do so. With this goal in view, I went through a series of steps and missteps involving the diabetic food exchanges, low carbohydrate dieting, and various other approaches. All of this culminated in the discovery of what I call Glycemic Density.
DISCOVERY OF GLYCEMIC DENSITY
Glycemic Density is built upon two foundations which are: (1) The Glycemic index and (2) Energy Density. The glycemic index measures how rapidly carbohydrate foods are digested and metabolized into glucose or blood sugar. A related concept is the glycemic load which applies the glycemic index to specific serving sizes. Energy density or calorie density is a measurement of calories per gram of food. This results in a number ranging from zero to nine. The most calorie dense nutrient is pure fat which has nine calories per gram. Pure carbohydrate or pure protein would have an energy density of four, because there are four calories per gram of carbohydrate or protein. The addition of water and/or fiber will lower the energy density further, due to the fact that they have no caloric value. Energy density allows us to gain the maximum hunger satisfaction with the least amount of calories.
I was thinking about the principle of energy density, when I wondered if there would be any value to a carbohydrate calorie density which would measure carbohydrate calories per gram of food. This would, of course, give a value that ranged from zero to four. Then a thought flashed through my mind. Why not apply the glycemic index to this carbohydrate measurement? This would measure the glycemic impact in a gram of food. Thus was the concept of Glycemic Density born.
Glycemic Density Score (GDS) = (Net-Carbohydrate-Grams * 4 / Total-Grams-in-Serving) * (Glycemic-Index / 100).
Note: Throughout this book the terms Glycemic Density and Glycemic Density Score (GDS) will be used interchangeably.
Glycemic Density is also a number between zero and four. A Glycemic Density of zero would indicate that the food has no measurable glycemic impact. Fish, poultry, meat, cheese and eggs are in this category as well as many low carbohydrate or non-starchy vegetables. Pure glucose would have the top measure of four, because it is 100% sugar and has a glycemic index of 100%. Glycemic Density allows us to get the maximum hunger satisfaction with the least glycemic impact
HOW THIS BOOK IS ORGANIZED
This chapter is meant to be a very brief introduction to the concept of Glycemic Density. Chapter two gives a list of foods divided into very low, low, moderate and high Glycemic Density rankings. Within each ranking, the foods are divided into food groups. Within each group, foods are then listed in Glycemic Density order. This is all the information you may need to know in order to apply this principle.
Scientific explanations are deferred to chapters three, four and five. Chapter three gives a more detailed explanation of the glycemic index. Chapter four does the same for energy density. Finally, chapter five gives a more detailed explanation of Glycemic Density. A separate section is reserved for tables which support the development and use of this principle. Some of these may prove to be very useful.
By applying the ideas discussed in this book, I was able to lose nearly eighty pounds and learn how to control my weight and blood sugar through diet and exercise. There are many men and women who could learn to do the same.
I am not a professional nutritionist. It is my hope that over time, the principle of Glycemic Density will penetrate the scientific and academic world and more accurate information will be forthcoming.
|