Customer Reviews

The Glucose Revolution: The Authoritative Guide to the Glycemic Index-The Groundbreaking Medical Discovery

5 star:		(19)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(8)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

The information contained in this book can give you the will power to stay on your current diet, by eliminating between meal hunger. A great companion book to weight watchers 1-2-3 program or for those who think they are addicted to carbohydrates. After reading this book, you'll find that it isn't carbohydrates that are causing you to over-eat, but rather the type of carbohydrate you are choosing. By choosing foods with a low glycemic instead of those that are high, your blood sugar remains stable. For example, grapes have a G.I. index of 46 where, cantalope has a G.I. index of 65. By eating the grapes instead of the cantalope, you're stomach empties slower... your blood sugar level remains stable... and you last longer without needing food. After adding the information I learned in this book to my weight watchers program, I've lost more weight in the past six months than I did in the prior two years on the program. It feels more natural, I don't feel deprived and I don't struggle between meals. The information in "The Glucose Revolution" virtually eliminated my hunger pains.I highly recommend this book!

In January 2000 I was diagnosed with Diabetes. I had the good fortune(?) of having friends who have experience with diabetes. They told me about this book (1996 edition). The information contained in this book is absolutely brilliant. The scientific research and proof about what your body does with different types of carbohydrates and the dispelling of the old myths is fascinating reading. All foods should come out with a GI factor listed on them now. Recipe books are finally starting to come out with GI listing for meals. One of those NEW books is called the ENJOY COOKBOOK, written by Sally James (ISBN 187662406X) which rates a meal by the GI factor of the ingredients. At least it would take the guess work out of knowing what's good and what isn't. Every home should have The Glucose Revolution : The Authoritative Guide to the Glycemic Index.

Having dealt with diabetes for years, I learned about the glycemic index and insulin long ago. There is one other condition called Syndrome X which is when someone is insulin resistant. The body makes too much insulin but the person isn't diabetic. The over supply of insulin causes water retention, high blood pressure and heart disease. The one piece to add to this information is that when you DO eat high glycemic food, always ADD some added fat (butter or olive oil) or protein to the meal. That will prevent the sugar spiking which causes insulin levels to also rise. The stomach will empty slower and the sugar level will stay more constant. You'll also feel full longer.

Diets incorporating the glycemic index have experienced rising popularity as of late. Simply put, the idea of such diets is to eat foods which rank low on the glycemic index, as these foods (theoretically) are the most conducive to losing weight and keeping it off. There is some substance to these diets, as clinical trials have shown the glycemic index to be a valuable dietary tool. _The Glucose Revolution_ offers an above average introduction to the glycemic index and low glycemic diets.

This book is by no means an exhaustive reference for those interested in creating low glycemic diets. However, it is still an excellent resource, as most of us simply want enough knowledge to put together a diet, and do not desire to become an authoritative figure on the glyceic index. For many people it will be the only book they ever need to read on the glycemic index, for others it will provide an excellent starting point for further research.

If you desire knowledge and not exhaustive authority, _The Glucose Revolution_ can provide a valuable explanation of the glycemic index and why it is a useful diet tool. Plausible meal plans and diet tips heighten this books usefulness. While there is the drawback that some of these meals follow the glycemic index diet more faithfully than others, one reading of the book will give you enough information so that you can determine for yourself which of the provided meals are better.

Another slight drawback is that the book can be a little overbearing at times. The tendency seems to be to force the reader to eliminate any and all high glycemic foods from the diet. Such strict adherence is not necessary, and should not be desirable, as eating should be about enjoyment as well as nutritional value. In short, while the information is useful, the reader is forewarned to take some of the more extraordinary dietary restrictions with a grain of salt; one can quite easily reap the benefits from low a glycemic diet while eating high glycemic foods from time to time.

Do not regard _The Glucose Revolution_ as the last book you will ever need to read on nutrition. As it focuses on the glycemic index, _The Glucose Revolution_ leaves several new developments in nutrition--like the research regarding which fats are healthier than others and new discoveries regarding protein--completely unexamined. However, this is not a flaw, as this book never sets out to exhaustively survey every part of the diet. Just be forewarned that if you want to have a more complete understanding of nutrition you will need to understand more than just the glycemic index.

With that said, _The Glucose Revolution_ is an excellent addition to anyone's nutritional library. The prose, while not exceptional, is easy to read and quite accessable. Examples illustrate the more important features of the glycemic index, and the prepared meals will get you started on the glycemic index diet quickly and efficiently. Once you have finished the book, of course, you should stray from the pre-planned meals and create some of your own, but the meals provide a great starting point. Even if you do not want to lose weight, the information regarding the glycemic index will prove useful and interesting, as everyone can benefit from the introduction of at least some low glycemic foods into their diet.

I found this to be an excellent, well-written book that explains the very sensible notion of the glycmic index (GI) -- a measure how much sugar a given food adds to your blood in a gievn time. By knowing the GIs of the foods you eat, you can gain better control over your desire for food and have better control over your appetite and energy level. The concept is very well explained in the book and there is lots of information in the book (including recipes) of how to specific foods that will have a low (and healthy) GI index.

A good thing about this book is that it is easy to understand and does not take a lot of effort to implement. It is easy to identify what types of food are better than others (e.g., most vegeatbles rather than bread) and the only effort is to include more of these foods in your diet. If weight loss (and maintenance) is your goal, then lower fat foods should be included in your diet. A good thing aboue this approach is that you don't need to give up "bad" foods, just combine them in moderation with other foods to average things out.

In summary, the book is a very good reference for understanding the concept of GI and making permanant changes in diet. A definite buy!

I found this book very disappointing in that it was rehash of the old high carb low fat low protein diet, with a new emphasis on the glycemic index of carbs. It tells you to avoid fat without reference to new found research on the benefit of omega-3 fatty acids and monounsaturated fats. Some fats are good for you!

Also, it tells you to eat little protein, when new research shows the powerful health benefits of adequate protein intake. What was even more maddening was when it seemed to contradict itself over and over with menu suggestions that were clearly high glycemic on their own GI chart. It recommended Basmati rice so much that one would think the authors got kickbacks from the rice growers.

Most of the meals suggested had a combined glycemic index over 50 on the glucose scale (white bread is 70)--okay if you're trying to maintain your weight, but go lower if you want to lose.

If you are looking for a diet book based on the glycemic index, I recommend Bob Arnot's book, or Michel Montignac's book. Much more sound scientifically.

The book explains the scientific basis for the Glycemic Index (the rate at which the body digest carbohydrates) and why it is important. The information is based on many years of research and endorsed some leaders in the field of nutrition.

The bottom line is that a person can reduce his insulin response and rate of carbohydrate digestion by applying the GI concept and that doing so is important for health and hunger prevention.

For those of us already familiar with the overall concept, there is lots of new information. For example.....

That acids such as lemon and vinegar significantly slow carbohydrate digestion

Why some types of bread and rice have low GIs

Why table sugar is in the moderate GI range

That you can accurately predict the overall GI of a meal by knowing the GI of its individual foods.

And much more.......

The discussion is interesting although I'm suspicious of the repeated low fat advice, but am not really qualified to comment on it.

However, I think the emphasis throughout most of the book on glycemic index rather than the glycemic load (the index adjusted for the amount of carbs in a portion) is extremely misleading.

The authors mention this issue in some areas, but most of the book justs talks about the index without regard to portion size. They even recognize the issue with their discussion on carrots, but don't notice that their recommendations on pasta have exactly the same issue, but in the opposite direction. Spaghetti has a GI of 41, not too bad, but is very high in carbs, so it ranks in the 83rd percentile of all their listed food for total load. This is much higher than most potato dishes and breads for example.

If the whole idea of glycemic effects means anything at all it has to take into account portion size.

Having some knowledge of the Glycemic Index and its application prior to purchasing this book, I expected this book to provide in depth information not only about the theory behind the Glycemic Index, but also as to its applicability. What the book is, however, is an attempt to fit the Glycemic Index into current standard nutritional theories, rather than allowing the Glycemic Index information to be the guide as to food choices. Many of the recipes include very high-glycemic incredients such as white flour and potatoes.

The book purports to be "revolutionary", but there is nothing here that will enable a person to achieve revolutionary changes in his or her health, particularly if the person using the information has Type II Diabetes or Hyperinsulinemia.

There are two books available through Amazon that have recommendations that are far more beneficial than the wishy-washy recommendations made in The Glycemic Revolution. Namely, Dr. Bernstein's Diabetes Solution and The Schwarzbein Principle. I strongly suggest these two books.

I agree the glycemic index is a useful tool, but the attiudethat low fat diets are best remain in this book which I do not whollyagree with. [The book discusses] the media driven view that all dietary fats are harmful to health. This is not true. Some are (excess saturated fats, trans/hydrogenated fats.) but the health benefits of the good fats/essential fatty acids are not mentioned. I suggest picking up Udo Eramus' book "Fat's that Heal, Fat's that kill" and put the two books together to complete the picture between carbs. and fats. Eskimo's get 50-60% of their calories from fats (rich in omega 3/6) oils and don't get heart disease. The view [of this book] is still too skewed for me to justify this book.