On Thu, 24 Jul 1997, Paul Getty wrote:

> Hunter/Gatherers get about 45% of their calories from
> carbohydrates.  The typical modern diet has about 45% of calories from
> carbohydrates.  To the insulin, I'm not so sure there's a big difference in
> where the carbohydrates come from.  Vegetarians say that the complex
> carbohydrates stabilize insulin levels better than the sugars, even from
> fruits.  So why would refraining from wheat and potatoes be good for the
> blood sugar--insulin levels?

Another factor to consider is glycemic index: the rate at which
carbohydrates cause blood glucose levels to rise.  The lower the
glycemic index of a food, the less likely it is to cause a surge
in blood glucose, causing a surge of insulin to control it.
Fructose has a lower glycemic index than sucrose.  Fiber also
lowers the glycemic index by causing to body to take longer to
get to the digestible carbohydrate.

The glycemic index of white bread is about equal to that of table
sugar, although white bread is a complex carbohydrate.  Rice
cakes have an even higher glycemic index.  Potatoes are also
quite high.  Popcorn, even no-fat air-popped stuff, is amazingly
high glycemic.

Whole what products would be preferable to refined, because the
fiber lowers the glycemic index.  Of course the fiber also
interferes with mineral absorption.

Todd Moody
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