Training & Nutrition - Insulin Spike - Bad or Who Cares?

I've been reading some info on cptips.com, and there was some info about low and high glygemic foods as related to recovery drinks.

I used to think that low glycemic index foods were bad because they disolved too fast into the blood and caused an insulin spike that in turn caused an unnecessarily high proportion of ingested calories into fat. But during and immediately after vigorous exercise that blood sugar gets sent directly to the muscles for energy, so sugary food is good to eat at these times. Is that right?

I've been reading some info on cptips.com, and there was some info about low and high glygemic foods as related to recovery drinks.

I used to think that low glycemic index foods were bad because they disolved too fast into the blood and caused an insulin spike that in turn caused an unnecessarily high proportion of ingested calories into fat. But during and immediately after vigorous exercise that blood sugar gets sent directly to the muscles for energy, so sugary food is good to eat at these times. Is that right?

You mean *high* glycaemic! Yes, high glycaemic (not necessarily "sugary") food and drinks are important at this time (as the insulin response is blunted during exercise).

ric

Man, you just opened up a huge can of worms with this post. I'll give you the readers digest version and then back it up w/ some links and additional reading if you want to get into it.

You want your insulin level to remain as low and level as possible throughout the day. Everyone has different levels of insulin sensitivity. The exception to this is immediately before and particularily following a weight training workout. During that time (after the workout) your muscles are depleted of glycogen stores. Your goal during that time should be to immediately ingest a high gi post workout drink. I use optimum nutrition whey and maltodextrin. Maltodextrin is an extremely high gi carb. Then within one hour of the workout you want to eat some protein and some additional carbs which are a medium level gi carb. Whole wheat bread, ww pasta works well during this time, but there are many things that would fit the bill.

This type of eating has been labeled "Clean eating"

As a general rule, avoid anything white except cauliflower. No white bread, no white rice (except basamati rice), white potatoes (except new potatoes), etc.

John Berrardi is one of the biggest experts on nutrition and fitness. His website has some outstanding articles on this stuff. I usually have to read them a few times before they start making sense. He tends to get into the technical side a bit more than I am interested in but at least he supports his position.

http://www.johnberardi.com/articles/index.htm

Clean eating article:
http://forums.menshealth.com/thread.jspa?threadID=66900&forumID=5

Glycemic index:
http://www.fatfreekitchen.com/glycemic-index-values.html
http://www.diet-i.com/glycemic-index-rice-potatoes-bread.htm

Another good article:
http://www.wannabebig.com/article.php?articleid=145
Here is an excerpt from it:
"Insulin Management - One of the major goals of this nutrition program is to regulate insulin levels outside of the workout and post-workout period.In other words, reserve high insulin levels for during and shortly after the workout. Performance nutritionist John Berardi is one of the most vociferous proponent of utilizing a drink of simple carbs and protein during the post workout period to maximize gains and recovery. That means sipping on a mixture of protein and simple carbs during the workout and immediately afterwards, and eating a 'real' meal high in CHO's and protein about an hour after the workout. At all other times, carbs are eaten, but only from whole food sources with a low GI and lots of fiber (e.g., legumes, whole veggies, a piece of fruit).

The end result is that simple carbs are restricted to the period within and just after the workout, when they serve to rapidly replenish low glycogen stores, decrease muscle protein breakdown, and increase muscle protein synthesis (4, 5). I have found that while cutting, a during- and post-workout shake composed of 1 gram of simple CHO's per 5 pounds of LBM serves all of these objectives, without risking being shuttled to the adipose tissue. This works out to 35 grams of maltodextrin, together with 20 grams of whey protein, in my PWO shake.An hour after the PWO shake it is recommended to eat a 'real' meal with upwards of 100 grams of carbs from sources like split peas (high fiber, low GI), mixed veggies, and an additional piece of fruit (e.g., apple). The rest of the day, eat a few smaller meals with meat, carbohydrates from veggies and fruit (not grains), and healthy fats."

I would google the "harris benedict formula" It is a way of determining how many calories per day you want to take in. To lose weight, a ratio of 40/30/30 (p/c/f) is a great starting point. www.fitday.com is a great place to keep track of what you eat. It gives you the ability to easily see how many calories you have taken in and to see what your ratio's were. I use it every day.

Probably a bit more info than you wanted but I'm at work and have some free time so... lol

Insulin spikes are followed by insulin crash, orDaBonk.

The key may be maintaining a fairly high insulin level for the correct predetermined period of time.

Fat is not all bad, it is required, in small amounts.

I'm hardly a medical expert, but my understanding is that the insulin response is suppressed during and after rides of any significant intensity. Your muscles need that sugar and your body is smart enough to let them have it.

Oops, I guess Ric already said that


So, during rides foods with high glycemic-indices are okay. If you're diabetic or pre-diabetic, there may be other considerations, I dunno.

Insulin is a dirty word in the realm of couch potatos. Insulin is what recharges your muscles and liver with glycogen. That's a very good thing in the realm of athletes. There are times when you should avoid high GI foods. There are other times when they're fine. In other words, I pretty much agree with the excerpted quote in bmexline's post.