'GI Jennie'

Great interview with Prof Jenny Brand-Miller,the Australian research nutritionist who has been to the forefront of research into the glycaemic index of foods for the past 25 years.

The original research was patchy internationally and tables of the G.I. of foods were of questionable use as they listed a value for the food items tested alone; composite meals, cooking time and method and combinations of foods all affect the overall G.I.

Additionally, different methods of assesing G.I. compared foods with either glucose or white bread; it's always preferable to have things measured against the same standard if you are trying to compare them.

There are now updated tables available (Brand-Miller 2003) which makes life much easier for everyone.

There has been an interesting antipathy for years between Brand-Miller in Australia and the Toronto based researcher David Jenkins, who conducted the original studies quantifying the effects of specific foods on blood sugars. Both have made G.I. their life's work and published their own books on the topic including 'the New Glucose Revolution' and 'What Makes my Blood Sugars Go Up and Down?'.

To my mind, it doesn't really matter which of them is more correct in their approach. The fundamental advice using the G.I. principles is a useful basis for a healthy diet. As I said before however, one principle is never the only story when it comes to nutrition.....