THIBS QUOTE ON CARBS:
Here is what I consider to be the order of carb sources that are ideal for body comp.
- Fibrous green veggies
- non-green veggies, but no starch (yams, potatoes)
- berries
- fruits with a low glycemic index
- other fruits
- yams or potatoes, but only post-workout
- legumes and beans in moderation
- grains (the most ‘‘natural’’ ones)
- other grains (if you have no choice)
- pasta
- sugar/junk
THIBS QUOTE ABOUT THE GLYCEMIC INDEX AND FOODS:
most of the day (IF you have carbs besides post-workout… which is a BIG if) you should get them from veggies (non-green veggies too) and fruits in the 2 meals post-workout.
Saying that fruits mostly restore liver glycogen shows a real lack of understanding of this process. YES fructose tends to refill only liver glycogen.
HOWEVER it is idiotic and reductive that all fruits are primarily made of fructose. In fact in several fruits fructose is actually only a small portion of the total carbs count.
Apricot, cantaloupe, avocado, banana, grapefruit, lemon, mango, peach, pineapple, orange all have less than 20% of fructose, sometimes less than 10%.
And even if they are ‘‘simple sugar’’ doesn’t mean that they spike insulin more than grains.
Of the fruits mentioned above:
Apricot has a glycemic index of 55 and a glycemic load (the real important thing) of 4.9
Cantaloupe has a GI of 65 and a GL of 3.7
Banana has a GI of 46 to 55 and a GL of 11
Grapefruit has a GI of 25 and a GL of 1.4
Mango has a GI of 41 and a GL of 6.2
Peach (Canadian study) has a GI of 28 and a GL of 2.1
Pineapple has a GI of 51 and a GL of 6.3
Orange has a GI of 31 and a GL of 2.9
Other common fruits…
Apple GI = 28, GL = 4.1
Grapes GI = 43, GL = 7
Kiwi GI = 47, GL = 5
Pear GI = 33, GL = 4
Strawberries GI = 40, GL = 1
Compare that to some grains…
Bagel GI = 72, GL = 25
Rye bread GI = 67, GL = 13
Gluten-free multi-grain bread GI = 79, GL = 10
Gluten-free white bread GI = 80, GL = 12
Oat bread GI = 65, GL = 12
Rice bread GI = 72, GL = 8
White flour bread GI = 71, GL = 10
Wonder bread GI = 77, GL = 13
Whole wheat bread GI = 67, GL = 11
All-bran cereal GI = 51, GL = 9
Muesli GI = 66, GL = 16
Oatmeal GI = 55, GL = 3
Shredded wheat cereal GI = 75, GL = 15
Amaranth grain GI = 97, GL = 23
Buckwheat GI = 54, GL = 16
Sweet corn GI = 60, GL = 20
Couscous GI = 65, GL = 23
Millet GI = 71, GL = 24
White rice GI = 69, GL = 26
Basmati rice GI = 58, GL = 24
Brown rice GI = 66, GL = 21
Etc. As you can see fruits tend to have a much lower glycemic index and especially a much lower glycemic load than grains which means a lesser insulin spike.