My column at Chaff
May 16th 2008 21:37
Hello, hello! This week I’m am going to talk about grapefruits, the Pill, GI, and a neat website called Active Smart. Enjoy!
What are the benefits of grapefruits? And do grapefruits interfere with the effectiveness of the Pill?
Grapefruit is high in vitamin C, fibre, lycopene (vitamin A) which can help prevent various types of cancer, such as colon cancer. There is some evidence that grapefruit helps lower cholesterol, and therefore helps prevent heart disease. It also has a low GI, which can help you control your blood glucose levels. However, eating grapefruit daily may actually increase the risk of breast cancer in post menopausal women. Additional, grapefruit seed extract may also have anti fungal and anti bacterial properties which is promoted as natural preservative.
Grapefruit contains a chemical which can slow the metabolism of oestrogen (which is one of the hormones that act as a contraceptive at a certain level) if taken with the pill, which means that estrogen may be in the body longer or in a bigger amount. It is thought that it lessens the effectiveness of the Pill, however some sources say that grapefruit juice doesn’t alter the effectiveness of the pill.
What is GI?
GI stands for glycaemic index, which gives an indication of how quickly the carbohydrates in a food and drink are converted into blood glucose compared to pure glucose. The GI of a food can be between 1 and 100 (glucose having the GI of 100). The higher the GI rating, the quicker the carbohydrate in the food or drink is broken down into glucose and released into the blood. High GI foods raise blood glucose levels higher and quicker than lower GI foods. Blood glucose levels also drop quicker too. Where as with low GI foods, glucose is released slowly. GI is useful for planning a diet that will keep you fuller for longer (hunger is stimulated when the glucose levels drop) and to help stabilize your blood glucose levels, this is particularly useful if you are an endurance athlete or a diabetic. It is encouraged to eat low GI foods, but they are not necessarily the healthier options. For example, a food rich in saturated or trans fats and high in sodium, can have a very low GI, but I would not recommend eating foods like that on a regular basis. Saturated fat, trans fat and sodium is typically linked to poor heart health. We can eat a little and be healthy, but too much can be unhealthy
Standard GI Ranking
GI Ranking GI Range
Low Less than 55
Medium 56-69
High 70-100
Source: Really Long Link
And now for something a little off the topic. While I was researching for another article, I found this: Active Smart - http://www.activesmart.co.nz. Active Smart is a neat little website, which provides website members with a free tailored, expert designed fitness and nutrition plan. It also sends you an email reminder when you start your plan and it has tips on boosting fitness levels and improving nutrition.
If you have any questions, no matter how silly, then feel free to give me an email at nutrition.advice@gmail.com. You can also have a look my website Really Long Link for more nutritional information.
What are the benefits of grapefruits? And do grapefruits interfere with the effectiveness of the Pill?
Grapefruit is high in vitamin C, fibre, lycopene (vitamin A) which can help prevent various types of cancer, such as colon cancer. There is some evidence that grapefruit helps lower cholesterol, and therefore helps prevent heart disease. It also has a low GI, which can help you control your blood glucose levels. However, eating grapefruit daily may actually increase the risk of breast cancer in post menopausal women. Additional, grapefruit seed extract may also have anti fungal and anti bacterial properties which is promoted as natural preservative.
Grapefruit contains a chemical which can slow the metabolism of oestrogen (which is one of the hormones that act as a contraceptive at a certain level) if taken with the pill, which means that estrogen may be in the body longer or in a bigger amount. It is thought that it lessens the effectiveness of the Pill, however some sources say that grapefruit juice doesn’t alter the effectiveness of the pill.
What is GI?
GI stands for glycaemic index, which gives an indication of how quickly the carbohydrates in a food and drink are converted into blood glucose compared to pure glucose. The GI of a food can be between 1 and 100 (glucose having the GI of 100). The higher the GI rating, the quicker the carbohydrate in the food or drink is broken down into glucose and released into the blood. High GI foods raise blood glucose levels higher and quicker than lower GI foods. Blood glucose levels also drop quicker too. Where as with low GI foods, glucose is released slowly. GI is useful for planning a diet that will keep you fuller for longer (hunger is stimulated when the glucose levels drop) and to help stabilize your blood glucose levels, this is particularly useful if you are an endurance athlete or a diabetic. It is encouraged to eat low GI foods, but they are not necessarily the healthier options. For example, a food rich in saturated or trans fats and high in sodium, can have a very low GI, but I would not recommend eating foods like that on a regular basis. Saturated fat, trans fat and sodium is typically linked to poor heart health. We can eat a little and be healthy, but too much can be unhealthy
Standard GI Ranking
GI Ranking GI Range
Low Less than 55
Medium 56-69
High 70-100
Source: Really Long Link
And now for something a little off the topic. While I was researching for another article, I found this: Active Smart - http://www.activesmart.co.nz. Active Smart is a neat little website, which provides website members with a free tailored, expert designed fitness and nutrition plan. It also sends you an email reminder when you start your plan and it has tips on boosting fitness levels and improving nutrition.
If you have any questions, no matter how silly, then feel free to give me an email at nutrition.advice@gmail.com. You can also have a look my website Really Long Link for more nutritional information.
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