VIEWPOINTS FROM THE CHARLES PERKINS CENTRE, SYDNEY UNIVERSITY

NEW GI VALUES FROM SUGiRS

Table of new GI values

 Teff is a tiny, gluten-free grain, rich in carbohydrate, fibre and some essential minerals. It can be cooked as a porridge, added to soups and sauces, sprinkled on salads and baked in breads. To cook: Add to saucepan with boiling water. Cook on low heat (lid on) for 15 minutes. Stir occasionally during cooking. Drain and serve.

Study: Teff: nutrient composition and health benefits

Mckenzie’s SuperBlend Fibre combines greenwheat freekeh, lentils and beans. A 50g serve provides 8g dietary fibre. To cook: Add to saucepan with boiling water. Cook on medium heat (lid on) for 15 minutes. Stir occasionally during cooking. Drain and serve. Can be used in salads, soups, casseroles or as a grain/legume side dish. SuperBlend Fibre and Protein can be found in the supermarket’s soup aisle.

McKenzie’s SuperBlend Protein combines lentils, quinoa and beans. A 50g serve provides 7.7g dietary fibre. To cook: Add to saucepan with boiling water. Cook on medium heat (lid on) for 15 minutes. Stir occasionally during cooking. Drain and serve. Can be used in salads, soups, casseroles or as a grain/legume side dish.

GI testing The Sydney University GI Research Service (SUGiRS) was established in 1995 to provide a reliable commercial GI testing laboratory. Following the international standard method, the GI value of a food is determined by feeding 10 or more healthy people a portion of the food containing 50 grams of digestible (available) carbohydrate and then measuring the effect on their blood glucose levels over the next two hours. For each person, the area under their two-hour blood glucose response (glucose AUC) for this food is then measured. On another occasion, the same 10 people consume an equal-carbohydrate portion of the sugar glucose (the reference food) and their two-hour blood glucose response is also measured. A GI value for the test food is then calculated for each person by dividing their glucose AUC for the test food by their glucose AUC for the reference food. The final GI value for the test food is the average GI value for the 10 people.
GI graph

Contact: For information about GI testing at the University of Sydney, email: Fiona Atkinson, sugirs.manager@sydney.edu.au

Website (GI Database and glycemic index FAQs): www.glycemicindex.com