Show HN: Glycemic load calculator
assafmo.github.io
assafmo.github.io
Glucose levels are increased by digestion/conversion of CHO, and decreased by the effect of insulin. Different types of CHO digest slower(fiber), get into the blood stream faster (glucose) or release more insulin (fructose). A low glycemic load could mean either that all the sugar was immediately deposited in fat cells and now you’re hungry again because it’s dropping and your ghrehlin is spiking, or that your food is still digesting slowly.
Do not be deceived by the low GI/GL. Fructose goes right into your fat cells and makes you hungry by spiking insulin.
Seriously. Ignore GI/GL.
On a more anecdotal level, I don't find that eating apples makes me hungry shortly afterwards.
The defence proffered by faculty (who had a vested interest in promoting it) was weak in our eyes and has only grown weaker over time
I was underweight my whole life. Girls can get away with it but as a male, it’s really not that great. My social life was depressing. I was not happy being underweight. I’d work out but that didn’t do much for the body weight. Obviously I wasn’t eating enough. But the thing is, I thought I was. I’d eat “a lot” and feel full when in reality my concept of how much was “a lot” was drastically incorrect. And I definitely wasn’t getting enough protein. Which is essential. It wasn’t until I started actually tracking my macros and sticking to specific measurable goals that I went from 108 to 170 over a few years (and 138 to 170 in one year). Talk about stretch marks. Since then I’ve skimmed down a little to 155 at 15% body fat.
I am genuinely happier now. My quality of life is better. I look better, feel better, and people treat me better. I feel “normal” finally. And tracking what I ate was the keystone habit that made all the difference. Much like making your bed in the morning can influence the whole day.
It’s really not a dark art. The body is a physical system just like anything else in this world. There is no magic, just physiology. There are a number of factors, which can all be hard to account for, but if you focus on the major factors then the smaller ones will likely be met in the process. For example there are very specific and reliable formulas for the amount of protein, carbs, fats, water, and fiber you should have for your specific weight, goals, and activity level. Exercise and proper diet. Stick to an exercise program that utilizes progressive overload (doesn’t matter which one just follow it faithfully), and reach your macro goals with whole foods and you’re golden.
And as far as working out, blood sugar plays a big role there. So what you have in your body before going to the gym (and how many minutes it’s been in your body for it to be digested depending on what it is) makes a big difference to how productive your gym session can be.
With the apps and accurate food databases nowadays it takes a few seconds to track what I’ve eaten and being in that mentality keeps my diet where it needs to be. over time you can stop tracking once you get used to really knowing first-hand how much you need and eating that much (and this is for weight gain and weight loss). But initially it’s a mental problem. One solution that leads to a happer life, is tracking what is consumed. It takes a few seconds, and gives you peace of mind knowing that you’re on track.. instead of winging it and being stressed out and not seeing progress.
> Glycemic load (GL) > Glycemic Load takes into account a foods GI value and a standardized 100g portion size and is calculated as GL = GI x available CHO in a 100g serving / 100. Therefore the GL takes into account the amount of carbohydrate consumed and is a more accurate measure of the impact of a food on blood sugars. As a general rule foods that have a low GL usually have a low GI and those with a medium to high GL value almost always have a very high GI value.
I like bagels - this tool reports a GI / GL of 72 / 42 for 100g. I like peanut butter - 27 and 2.7 for 100g of creamy unsalted.
What is the GI / GL of a peanut-buttered bagel? Is it an average? Can I calculate it?
I don't see much advice around working toward an average glycemic load for a meal versus avoiding specific evils. Is that line of thought flawed?
I dont have much knowledge about this kind of stuff; i "researched" what GI and GL actually means and pasted it for others also curious.
With that out of the way, of course it depends which things you eat together. Potatoes are high on the index but if you combine them with cheese (mmmm cheese) it will slow down digestion and thus lower the glycemic load. Similarly, bread has a high load. But add peanut butter and you slow it down.
As a general rule: Yes, add fat to slow digestion. There may be methods to calculate the load of a compund meal but don't count too much on them. The glycemic index is an average of how people react to foods. It's already impractical to study all the meals in that fashion and still you wouldn't know how you individually reacted to them.
Edit: If you want to watch how your body reacts, you can get a set of Freestyle Libre sensors from Abott which allows you to monitor your blood glucose levels. They're not super accurate, but they easily allow you to track up/down movements which is enough to see how long it takes you to digest a meal.
I have found that the secret to sustaining a vegan diet is beans (resistant starch). They release sugar into your blood over many hours, blunting the blood sugar roller coaster that would otherwise be caused by eating a lot of fruits and vegetables without a lot of meats and fat.
I have done a version of the above proposed experiment with a foot long Subway sandwich, veggies only (no meat, no cheese, no mayo). I feel like I am starving in 3 hours. Add hummus, I feel fine for 6 hours. I know it adds some calories, but I'm convinced it is more about the resistant starch. According to this video https://nutritionfacts.org/video/beans-and-the-second-meal-e... eating beans in one meal even reduces the blood sugar spike in later meals!
Another interesting thing. There is a Ted Talk about how glycemic response varies by individual due to different makeup of gut bacteria. I think it is this one: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0z03xkwFbw4. The guy claims he can analyze your gut bacteria and tell you which foods will spike your blood sugar. Subway might be bad for me but fine for you!
I’ve taken to calling insulin the fat storage hormone. Surprisingly glycemic index doesn’t always correspond to insulin level rise.
Sorry, I don't have a link. I've been meaning to look into it but haven't had the time.
It displays 7 main protein content and lets to compare if you wanna build whole picture.
It's super alpha and barely works (Chrome desktop only, loads entire ~40mb SQLite-webassembly database...)
Realizing this helped me adjust all my meals to include some kind of appetizer. Now I eat more healthy food and it isnt as much of a mental struggle.
Hope this realization helps someone else too..
If I strain I can understand your comment to say that appetizers allow us to eat the healthier food that follows. This would require the second course to be more healthy than the first. In my experience this is a rare occurrence.
No other internet forum on the world is as full of people who hate eating as HN and thinspo-gram.
PS. If anyone has a serious nutrition background and wants to develop algorithms for dietary value prediction based on customized meals and disparate data sources, we are hiring.
I have been taking a cup of Metamucil after I have a dessert with that same theory in mind. Maybe it’s been helping.
Thanks for your feedback.
Right now it's pretty jumpy even on high-end hardware. I need to fix this.