You wrote:
>Carbohydrate content of commercial fruit and veg- USDA Agricultural
>Handbook #8.

Great post! However, the amount of carbohydrate in the fruits and
vegetables does not always give a clear picture of the absorption rate
into the blood. According to the glycemic index, fruits like apples,
peaches, melons, apricots, plums, oranges, grapes, cherries and pears
(even bananas and raisins) all enter the blood slower than the
following cooked foods: corn, carrots, potatoes, parsnips and
beets,(beets and raisins have the same rating) and even buckwheat,
millet, and brown rice. One factor that determines the rating is the
amount and type of fiber in the food, which is one reason why
processed, refined or cooked foods like chips, breads, baked potatoes,
corn on the cob, carrot juice, bagels and pasta often have a higher
glycemic rating than many fruits and will be more destabilizing to the
blood sugar. Even in their uncooked and natural state these foods will
probably hit the blood more rapidly than the fruits mentioned above,
because they contain more glucose. The fructose in the fruit has to be
first converted into glucose before entering the blood, which
automatically slows down its rate of absorption, whereas the glucose
needs no conversion and is absorbed a lot quicker. A lot of these
contentions are from "The Glycemic Index" at
URL:http://www.cruzio.com/~mendosa/gi.html and from "The Zone" by Barry
Sears.

                            Best regards, Peter Brandt
                                         [log in to unmask]