Wes,

> I see that the numbers I cited are different than those Jean-Louis
> cited. Seems there must be a different system of measurement between the
> two. I see bananas have a higher GI on his list than sucrose, whereas
> the info I have lists bananas as having a lower GI than sucrose...

First, some lists are based on glucose=100, whereas others on white
bread=100. Normally, the ratio between the numbers should be about
1.38 (if my memory serves me right).

Then, you mest be careful that the GI depends on the degree of
ripeness (especially important with bananas, since a green banana is
mostly starch, and a ripe one mostly sugars), and there is a lot of
individual variability.

> I don't have the GI for raw potatoes or millet, but I'm sure it's a
> dramatic contrast... That study I cited earlier regarding effect of
> cooked vs. raw starch on blood sugar demonstrates the contrast...And I
> feel the difference myself.

Of course the GI of raw potatoes would be very low... if it could be
measured at all, because by definition, the GI of a given food is
proportional to the area between the blood glucose curve and
normoglycemia (1 gram/liter) after ingestion of 50 grams of
CARBOHYDRATE from that food. That corresponds to 280 grams (=10 oz) of
potatoes. Few people are willing/able to have a monomeal of 280 grams
potatoes.

> Aren't you concerned about the apparent hazards of microwaved food?

First, I don't overheat my food in the microwave (I don't use maximum
power; for one potato, I use 350-400 watts, depending on its
size). That's still gentle cooking. And I don't do it very often anyway.

> Have you read about this? I had read a study on this...blood warmed to
> 98.6 in the microwave was fatal when administered...

That's perhaps because a few cells were overheated. Depending on the
geometry of the oven and of the position of the cell in the test tube,
incident energy can vary. There is nothing to worry about that, since
I am not microwaving my own blood...

> also saw info on a
> study showing that microwaved veggies adversely affected the immune
> system vs. regular cooked ones when ingested...

Could you supply the reference (which study? Authors, title, journal,
volume, page numbers)? I am very interested in any study comparing
normal cooking and microwaving.


--Jean-Louis Tu <[log in to unmask]>