16 Replies to “Running the Numbers: When to Eat High and Low on the Glycemic Index”

  1. Oh man, this post made me realize I know nothing of food and proper nutrition. I eat anything and everything all the time. I do try to eat lots of fruit and veggies, and I try to stock up on protein after workouts but mostly I just eat sweets all the time 😛

    • i love biker/eating stories! one of my best buds is a hard core biker and the other day he called me up, “out on a ride, started bonking, passed a grocery store offering ribs in the parking lot, grabbed a few and ate ’em while i rode.” i was floored…i mean, ribs?!?! i’d never have the coordination!

  2. Ooh I read your article in running times. I wanted to turn to the people on the ellipticals next to me and be like “SHE’S AWESOME!” – anyway, before a race I like to munch on sugary cereal (finally an excuse to eat it!) or crackers because they sit well with me and are good for munching on when I’m nervous! Afterwards I pound the calories with froyo or ice cream or any cold and creamy treat I can get!

  3. Great article again Cait! I discuss high and low GI carbohydrates with my diabetes patients a lot – although none of them are runners so we try to avoid most of the high GI carbohydrates 🙂
    The other thing to remember is that when you combine a high GI food with a low GI food it lowers the GI of the meal over all, so when eaten in combination with low GI, high GI carbohydrates can be incorporated into a meal quite healthfully.
    I try to stick to low GI carbohydrates, mainly brown rice (which is actually medium GI), spelt grains, fresh vegetables and fibrous fruits (apples with skin etc) and dairy products. When I want a high GI post run treat it’s got to be chocolate all the way.
    Eating to fuel my workout has taken some experimentation over the years. Nothing too liquid and no hot meals before I workout. Pre-race usually corn thins with peanut butter or some porridge and then wait about 1.5 hours. Post race or training run – it’s gotta be yoghurt and muesli or banana bread!
    Oh, now I’m hungry….

    • Thanks for the props!!! i’ll bet u could school me in GI foods and i should wrangle u in for a guest post! i think it is important to note that u can lower the GI according to food combo’s, so thanks so much for bringing it up…and like i said, YOU know more than me here! 🙂

      i’m with u, if i eat before i like to stick with oatmeal and nothing too liquidy. and ya, now i need a snack!

  4. Great post!!! I cut out that article you had in RT to save in my “running files” for future reference lol. low/high GI foods is something I do tend to get confused about! Basically all of my friends and family never go anywhere near the high-GI stuff, so for a long time I saw it as “bad”. But, I don’t eat to live, and I don’t live to eat – I eat to run! So you’re right, the high GI stuff has its place for sure. Immediately following a race, I will probably shove whatever’s at the finish line into my mouth – usually a banana, one time I had some mini muffins, pretzels and gatorade, that kinda thing. My fave go-to pre-race breakfast is just a white english muffin with some jam! And yeah, I do love my bagels and my pasta even when I’m not doing a long run or race….and I love that being an athlete gives me more “license” to eat that stuff when I want haha.

    • SCORE!! i made it to the running files!! 🙂 thanks! ya, there are not ‘good’ and ‘bad’ foods, just moderation people, and for runners our moderation maaaay just look like buffet style…but that’s just how we roll! 😉

  5. I try to think about high vs. low GI foods, but sometimes I just want CARBS. I usually drink OJ and try and eat some nut butter of some sort after a long run. Pre-run I’m all about granola bars because they sit well with me.

    • thanks for stopping by!! yea, i’ve have good experience with granola bars too! and i’m with ya…when the Carb monster hits i don’t care what it is, just get that doughy goodness in my belly! 🙂

  6. i totally needed this info! i hear about the GI often but am never really sure what it means…this was a great and informational post for me as always 🙂 hope you are doing well friend!

  7. Pingback: How Runners Can Stuff Their Face At Restaurants But Still Perform At Their Best |

  8. Hey Cait, real good article!! You have very clearly explained the facts about GI and carbs, which seems quite daunting despite being simple. The highlight of the article is the ‘times to eat’ tag; very useful for quick reference for a novice runner. And with all the stuff flowing in on the net about GI, carbs, protein and any nutrition you can imagine, this seems to be clear the air. Good one.

    • Thanks, Logan! I know there IS so much stuff out there on the web, sometimes it can confuse runners further. 😛 Glad my post helped clear things up. 🙂

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