On the other hand, there are the guys out there that are like some of the women that date much older men, who sometimes get the nickname 'gold-diggers'. These guys may see an older woman as a meal ticket, a way to get money or holidays paid for. They provide a ‘service’ and the women thank them by showering them with gifts.
What’s the deal with GI?
It’s become increasingly fashionable in nutrition circles to talk about a low Glycemic Index (GI) approach to eating. I had alluded to this concept in earlier articles as well. For the benefit of those who may not be familiar with this concept, here is a brief overview.
GI is a measure of how quickly a food raises the blood glucose level after eating it when compared to eating a same amount of a reference food (usually white bread). GI only applies to foods which are a significant source of carbohydrates – namely grains, fruits, starchy vegetables, legumes and dairy products.
High GI foods have a value of 70 and over, low GI foods are 55 and under, and medium GI foods are classified 56-69. Low GI foods are more slowly digested and absorbed by our bodies than high GI foods, and hence avoids big fluctuations in blood glucose and insulin, the hormone secreted by our bodies to control blood sugar levels.
This has implications for better blood sugar control in diabetes, weight and hunger/appetite management, reducing cardiovascular disease risk by lowering blood cholesterol levels, improving mental concentration, enhancing endurance sports performance and other health benefits.
The GI of a food is influenced by many factors including type of starch, sugar or fibre present, the physical barriers to digestion, extent and method of processing and cooking, and the presence of acid, protein and fat. Essentially, GI is a measure of the quality, rather than the quantity of a carbohydrate containing food. However, the amount of carbohydrate in a serving of food is still important as it also influences the body’s blood glucose response to the food. As such, researchers have developed a related concept called Glycemic Load (GL) which takes into account both the quality and quantity of carbohydrate by multiplying the GI value by the amount of carbohydrate in grams in a given serving. For more information on GI and GL, please refer to www.glycemicindex.com.