high GI foods such as dates

[natasha83]

Does anyone else find high GI foods such as dates really affect them??

A few months ago I made this gorgeous raw vegan chocolate mousse - it included quite a lot of dates. It was delicious. I have a sweet tooth so I ate heaps LOL. BUT I noticed it really affected me! My mood especially. I went high as a kite and felt happy and giddy then came crashing down and felt moody and irritable! :(

Some time after that, I saw a video on youtube of Paul Nisson saying that dates are high GI and while they are healthy for you - being a fruit - they can really spike your sugar levels.

It's funny isn't it that certain foods can be healthy for you but also have other aspects that aren't so good for you - at the same time!?!!

Do you avoid high GI foods like dates?

I think I would like to go vegan in the new year and raw to a degree but I think to keep my hypoglycemia under control I will try to avoid high GI foods.

What other high GI foods are there? Is it mainly just fruit/dried fruit?

[DeniseM]

I've never been a big fan of dates. Maybe that's why I'm single. (Ha ha ha.)

Joking aside, the body's ability to handle high-sugar fruits depends a lot on how active you are. If you eat dates (or other high GI foods) right after a long or intense exercise session, the sugar will refill your depleted glycogen stores instead of spiking your blood sugar. If your glycogen stores are already full (which would be the case if you'd been sedentary most of the day), then the sugar has nowhere to go except your blood stream -- in which case, wham: sugar high. And soon after, sugar low.

If dates give you trouble but you want to keep eating them, try reserving them for after exercise (or mid-workout fuel if you're doing something like hiking).

I think dates have the highest GI rating of any fruit, but you're right -- dried fruit is also pretty high. Bananas and mangoes are moderate/borderline high. You can lower the glycemic load of any fruit by eating it with some greens. :)

[chilove]

Hi there

It could have been the cacao rather than the dates. Cacao makes me higher than a kite, it is seriously like crack to me, so is maca. The thing to do would be to try each on its own and see how each affects you.

Dates and other high GI fruits don't bother me at all. I LOVE them and they love me. Fat and citrus is what bothers me the most. Everyone is different though.

Have a lovely day!

Audrey

[Revvell]

I agree with Chilove ~ could be the chocolate, could be the dates, could be a combination of both. Personally, I stay away from chocolate ~ highly processed and who knows what they've done to it? Plus, I don't feel good after eating it. Dates? Yum! I eat one or two occasionally as a sweet treat.

[RawKnitster]

I don't avoid any raw foods. I do avoid shows by Paul Nisson. :p

You might have to try it again without the cacao and see if the chocolate is the problem. It may be you are fine with both, only not in large quantities.

I do find cacao uplifting. After having a cacao drink (like Ginger's Best Coffee) I find myself smiling for no reason. (Just writing about it now I'm smiling. :)) I have never had any ill effects afterwards.

Every body is different. And what works or doesn't work for us can and does change along the way.