09 June, 2009

SOYJOY & Glycemic Index - What Say You?

Dear HFB,

You are a food blogger, but how do you maintain your weight? Is it because of SOYJOY? What exactly is this SOYJOY bar, what does it consist of?

Well, SOYJOY bar is made of high-quality, non-genetically modified whole soybeans. And whole soy contains rich fibre and heart-healthy soy nutrients that is packed full of antioxidant isoflavones, high-quality protein, vitamins, minerals, polyunsaturated fatty acids, fiber, and all nine amino acids essential to human nutrition. Plus, whole soy is low in saturated fat and cholesterol free, i.e. SOYJOY bar is THE choice for your body.

And what’s with all the talk about Glycemic Index (GI)? What exactly is it? And how is it helpful to our bodies?
The Glycemic Index is a numerical index that ranks carbohydrates based on their rate of glycemic response (i.e. their conversion to glucose within the human body). The index uses a scale of 0 to 100, with higher values given to foods that cause the most rapid rise in blood sugar. Pure glucose serves as a reference point, and is given a Glycemic Index (GI) of 100.

Your body performs best when your blood sugar is kept relatively constant. Eating a lot of high GI foods can be detrimental to your health because it pushes your body to extremes. If your blood sugar drops too low, you become lethargic and/or experience increased hunger. And if it goes too high, your brain signals your pancreas to secrete more insulin.

Insulin brings your blood sugar back down, but primarily by converting the excess sugar to stored fat. Also, the greater the rate of increase in your blood sugar, the more chance that your body will release an excess amount of insulin, and drive your blood sugar back down too low.

Therefore, when you eat foods that cause a large and rapid glycemic response, you may feel an initial elevation in energy and mood as your blood sugar rises, but this is followed by a cycle of increased fat storage, lethargy, and more hunger!

So what are some examples of low GI and high GI foods?
Refer to table below:


GL = GI/100 x Net Carbs
(Net Carbs are equal to the Total Carbohydrates minus Dietary Fiber)


Interestingly, nutritionists used to believe that all simple sugars digested quickly and caused a rapid rise in blood sugar, and that the opposite was true for "complex carbohydrates". But that's not always the case. While many sweet and sugary foods do have high GI's, some starchy foods like Potatoes or White Bread score even higher than honey or table sugar (sucrose)!

So what happens if you maintain a low GI diet?
- Low GI diets help people lose and control weight
- Low GI diets increase the body's sensitivity to insulin
- Low GI carbs improve diabetes control
- Low GI carbs reduce the risk of heart disease
- Low GI carbs reduce blood cholesterol levels
- Low GI carbs reduce hunger and keep you fuller for longer
- Low GI carbs prolong physical endurance

Also, switching to eating mainly low GI carbs that slowly trickle glucose into your blood stream keeps your energy levels balanced and means you will feel fuller for longer between meals. So when you are really hungry in the afternoon, eating snacks high in sugar and low in healthful nutrients e.g. chocolate bars can cause an unhealthy spike and then crash in blood sugar. SOYJOY, however, is baked with a delicious combination of whole soy, real fruit and other all-natural ingredients that are converted to energy gradually by the body, making it the perfect afternoon snack!

***CONTEST***

Have a good weight management diet to share with fellow food lovers? All you have to do is to share your tip in the comment box with your name/nick and email address by 14 June (Sunday). Best three tips stand to win attractive prizes!

1st Prize: Autographed copy of Celebrity Chef Bobby Chinn’s Wild, Wild East
2nd Prize: $40 Food Junction voucher
3rd Prize: $20 Food Junction voucher


Disclaimer: Only one unique answer is allowed per user. Answer entered after 14 June 2359hrs, will not be entitled to the prizes. Winners will be notified by email. All decisions made by the publisher are final.

You might also be interested in these posts:

37 comments:

kYM said...

Well written & informative!

kalyn05 said...

Great info on GI!!!
let me work on my GI diet now... :P

Janer Sim said...

Nice, thanks for the tip

wayangtimes said...

hey HFB, this is very informative! :)

Anonymous_X said...

So much effort to present such a comprehensive information...to win what, one autographed copy of Celebrity Chef Bobby Chinn’s Wild, Wild East? Hmm...

a_x

Steve said...

You are a walking encyclopaedia HFB!

Hmmmm... weight management diet, eh? You are so asking the wrong person... I have been led astray by all the amazing food here in Singapore. I need to get back to my salads!

His Food Blog said...

@kYM, kalyn05, Janer Sim & wayangtimes: Thank you all. Hope the information has been helpful.

@A_X: Ha ha... You do not have to post such a long post to win the prizes! Just a simple tip will do, like eat fruits everyday! Or drink 8 glasses of water - however, will tips like these be good enough to claim the prizes?

@Steve: Oh no! You better watch your health mate. And yes, I will consider eating salad as one of a weight management tip! Heh.

Eminence Priestley said...

I like the detailed information here and its new to me! Means my previous diet plans sucks... lol! Good job Rayner! :D

Kuek said...

wah...can prolong physical endurance... that's gotta be good.... hahahaha..

Sharon C said...

Cool, thanks for the info! I'll have to try one of these as a mid-afternoon snack soon. :)

Carol K said...

will go get one and try it out! thanks :)

Jeri said...

i like soyjoy~~ woohooo~

Mich Yang said...

I am going to replace the cookies and chocolate in my pantry with this!
Thanks for sharing :)

minicloud said...

awesome.

Unknown said...

weight management tip: having only two meals a day is a way to loosing weight. Especially having only snacks during lunch and a full meal during dinner. no breakfast, just a chocolate drink. Why not have a soyjoy for lunch? ;-)

Unknown said...

Hey Rayner, I got to know this promotion from class 95. Soy Joy did the right thing. You are doing Singaporean proud! I saw the commerical on TV and I initially thought it was such a joke. Great write up! Now I am hungry!

Tammi said...

If I can offer one weight management tip it's to Always eat your breakfast. With a good breakfast you will have less craving for a big and sinful lunch. To keep full for the whole morning I usually take wholemeal cereal.
And yeah, tried Soyjoy cacao orange, keeps me from feeling hungry during our weekly 10km run and it doesn't stick to the teeth like some other energy bars.

xue said...

little effort! =) thanks!

malcolm said...

All these talk about food is making me hungry!

His Food Blog said...

Hello peeps,

Thanks for all the comments. Keep it coming!!

Anonymous said...

YOU ARE MAKING ME HUNGRY!!! GIME ALL THE FLAVOURS NOW~~~

Ryan said...

Hi, i think its a very good topic you'v blogged.

Cuixia said...

Interesting!
Increases my knowledge in just 10minutes!

Keep up the good work!!

Guowei said...

Hey!

Thanks for the infor!


Didnt know about Soyjoy at all..Happen to chance upon ur blog & i tink i will eat Soyjoy once every day now!!

DC said...

hmmm.. not too bad at all

raz said...

Its best that u break your fast with nutrition n low fat breakfast. no you tiao, no nasi lemak, no deep fried food. no high carbo food. eat just nice for lunch but if are an office worker, eat small portions and little for dinner. make sure u exercise at least 3 time a week and at least 30mins per session. that should help =]

Anonymous said...

Really? I'll replace my lunch with this from tomorrow!!

ashley said...

how to diet? stop eating farm animals and then yes rayner this is ash for u i disabled my browser block grrrrrrrr, anyway this soyjoy thing taste like fruit cake lol

His Food Blog said...

@Anon 12:09: Woah! I see a loyal SOYJOY fan in the making.

@Ryan & CuiXia: Thank you. I hope it has been helpful!

@Guowei: Now you know! :)

@Inix: What is not bad? SOYJOY bars or my post, Heh!

@raz: WOoo.. good tip! I see a winner in the making! Although I have to admit it will be hard for me to follow - I am a big carb eater in the morning!

@Anon05:29: Wait a min - SOYJOY bars are meant to be a snack replacement, NOT a meal replacement!!!!

@ashley: Finally!!!! What took you so long. Heh!

Ben sir said...

nice food

nadnut said...

Diet tip: Try to have your last meal at 8pm if possible! :)

The Net said...

Remember to credit websites you referred from ^^

dayanmei said...

When you are really hungry, start with a big glass of water, also eat slowly at mealtimes. Place your fork down between bites and learn to appreciate your food.

sarah | luvx3 said...

Wow.. thanks for the informative post. Will go grab a couple of soyjoy to stuff me pantry.

sarah | luvx3 said...

Weight management tip:
Always drink fluid before indulging in the main meal. Be it soups or beverage. That way, there's no way you'll over-eat. A few small meals is always better than a heavy one.

Noob Cook said...

really informative! :)

James said...

Protein is a great way to reduce your intake of carbohydrates. Besides, do you know that even fats can help you to reduce weight? Yes, you heard it right! Fat can also help to reduce weight when use it the correct way.

Glycemic Index Diet

Post a Comment

His Food Blog Popular Posts

His Food Blog Food Cloud