The Importance of GI to an Athlete

The Importance of GI:


An athlete should quickly replace glycogen stores after intense exercise. The speed at which the stores are replenished is where the GI of the food being eaten comes into the picture. Rapid replenishment of glycogen is a must for athletes who have to perform repetitively after small time intervals (e.g. during heats in sprinting). Such athletes do not have much time before the next event and must eat foods that immediately shoot up their blood glucose levels (high GI foods). Consuming high GI carbohydrates (approx. 1 gram per kg of body weight) within 2 hours of the exercise speeds up glycogen replenishment and recovery. In sports that require performance for long durations (over 1 hour), it is wise to keep the athlete replenished with glycogen consistently throughout the day. This can be done by eating low GI foods 2 hours before the exercise or competition. The food will slowly supply blood glucose and shore up the stores of glycogen and keep the athlete full of energy for longer. It is always a good idea to keep eating carbohydrates throughout a competition to keep the glycogen and blood sugar levels high and constant.

The GI of some common foods (The GI of glucose which is always used as the reference food is 100): GI is measured on a scale where the GI of glucose is 100. Foods have been categorized as low, medium and high GI foods.

Low GI = 55 or less,

Medium GI = 56 - 69,

High GI = 70 or more

Breakfast Cereals

Oatmeal 49
Shredded Wheat 67
Quaker Puffed Wheat 67

Grains

Brown Rice 55
Long Grain White Rice 56
Short Grain White Rice 72
Noodles (instant) 46

GI of Fruit

Apple 38 Banana 55
Grapes 46
Papaya 58
Pear 38
Pineapple 66
Plum 39
Watermelon 103

GI of Vegetables

Broccoli 10
Cabbage 10
Carrots 49
Corn 55
Green Peas 48
Lettuce 10
Mushrooms 10
Onions 10
Potato (baked) 93
Potato (mashed, instant) 86
Parsnips 97
Sweet Potato 54

GI of Legumes/Beans

Baked Beans 48
Broad Beans 79
Lentils 30
Red Kidney Beans 27
Soy Beans 18

GI of Breads, Muffins & Cakes

Bagel 72
Blueberry Muffin 59
Croissant 67
Donut 76
White Bread 70
Whole Wheat Bread 69

GI of Pasta

Spaghetti 43
Ravoli (meat) 39
Macaroni 47
Rice Vermicelli 58

GI of Dairy Foods

Milk (whole) 22
Milk (skimmed) 32
Ice Cream (whole) 61
Yoghurt (low-fat) 33

GI of Snack Foods

Cashews 22
Chocolate Bar 49
Corn Chips 72
Jelly Beans 80
Peanuts 14
Popcorn 55
Potato Chips 55