I think most people seem to agree that outside of the post workout period, bread and pasta is not so good in terms of GI and II. From what I tell, the concensus on ‘whole’ foods such as oatmeal is that they are fine to eat outside of the p/w window. I came across ‘sprouted grain bread’ the other day, which apparently contains no flour. Would this be an appropriate carb source similar to oatmeal?
“Whole grains” aren’t necessarily low II. It depends on what they are and how they are prepared. I’m unsure about “sprouted whole grains” myself since supposedly the process increases maltose, which has a very high GI.
Note that the Kashi company says it hasn’t submitted its products to GI-testing and stands on the general finding that a diet consisting of whole grains is better for you than one consisting of processed carbs. This seems to indicate to me that they HAVE tested the GI of their products and it didn’t come out good.
So far, the clearest reason that a diet of whole grains may be healthier for you is that it means a diet of moderate carbs as opposed to a diet of high carbs.
Yeah, I’m a little new to the whole topic of ‘sprouted grains’ but this bread has about 5 grams protein, 10 grams starch/4 grams fiber per slice, as opposed 22/1 in most commercial whole grain breads. It would seem to me that the Gi/II can’t be that high with a ratio like that.
Any thoughts?
Amount of carbs doesn’t effect the GI per se. It affects the glycemic load, and consequently, the insulin response. A high ratio of protein to carbs usually means a higher II.
I think it’s best just to keep the carbs below 12 grams in meals with significant fat content, and make sure they are not high GI or II. This means no pretzles, bread or lactose. Under that number, you can of course take a risk with the sprouted grains.