Originally Posted by srrs
It sounds like the fruit is second-best, in that it does not spike the insulin like other sugars do, but is quickly absorbed. But it also seems that in order to best regulate my energy levels I need to add some whole wheat pasta. However, it also sounds like the difference between these foods is basically in the absorption rates, so it seems like if I ate one bowl of brown rice I could approximate the effect by eating three apples over a few hours. Is that correct?
Sounds good. Overall calorie-intake would be about the same over that time-period.
However, one must be careful of the differences between fructose and glucose. GI only accounts for glucose and only partially models what happens in the body. Fructose goes in passively and doesn't trigger the insulin response, yet that fructose is still converted to glucose before being used for ATP-production. Excess amounts are still converted to fat later.
The problem with HFCS-high fructose corn syrup used in sodas and just about every other food-product out there like salad-dressings, ketsup, jams/jellies, etc. is that the higher-percentage of fructose throws off the usefulness of GI. Your insulin-response reacts as if you've eaten 400-calories, but in reality, you've actually eaten 700-calories with the extra fructose sneaking by unnoticed. The problem with this is that the resultant lower increase in insulin and leptin levels doesn't satiate your hunger, you still feel hungry and want to eat more. That's one of the problems with drinking sodas with HFCS, you can take in all these calories, but your body reacts as if you'd done nothing and you're still hungry.
So counting total-calories along with monitoring GI gives you a more comprehensive picture of what you're eating.