Chinese Proverb

The Glycemic Index

Diets that decrease and in some cases eliminate carbohydrates have become extremely popular in the past couple of years. Just look in the diet section of your local bookstore. It is filled with dozens of books telling you that carbohydrates is the greatest nutrition evil of our time.

Carbohydrates are not evil. They are necessary for energy production and general health. Carbohydrates supply the needed energy to keep your heart, brain and vital organs operating. However, these types of diets do have a basis in fact. Some carbohydrates cause you to store fat.

The reason some carbohydrates make you fat is because when they hit your bloodstream they cause insulin to be dumped into your bloodstream. Insulin is a hormone that has one primary job. That job is to regulate your blood sugar. Too much sugar in your blood can lead to vision loss, kidney disease and heart disease. So don’t listen to anyone that says insulin is a bad thing. Without insulin, we would be in a lot of trouble.

High insulin levels do cause an increase in body fat stores. When you eat a food that is high on the glycemic index, your blood sugar soars. This results in large amounts of insulin being dumped into your blood stream. Remember that the job of insulin is to regulate your blood sugar. It needs to do something with the excess glucose (sugar). The easiest thing for insulin to do with it is to store it in your body as fat. In fact, insulin is 30 times more efficient at storing the excess glucose as fat than sending it to the muscles where it would be burned for energy. You can’t and don’t want to stop this insulin response to stop. So what do you do about it? You need to decrease the need for large insulin dumps.

So how do you do this? You simply stay away from the foods that cause the large increases in insulin. That is where the glycemic index comes in. There are a couple of different indexes available. One uses white bread as a standard, with the white bread rated as 100. The other scale uses glucose at the standard, with glucose rated as 100.

The glycemic index was developed in the early 1980’s to assist diabetics. Eating foods that are low on the glycemic index would help them avoid dangerous increases in blood sugar. This will also help non-diabetics with body fat reduction. Staying away from the foods high on the index will decrease the amount of insulin and as a result will decrease the amount of stored fat.

Eating foods low on the glycemic index will also help increase your energy levels during the day. When you eat a high GI (glycemic index) food, you get an immediate rush of energy because of the high blood sugar levels. The resulting insulin response removes the sugar from your blood, so you now begin to feel fatigued. Eating foods low on the GI will keep you from going through this roller coaster of high and low blood sugar. Your blood sugar levels will remain more level throughout the day, which will give you a feeling of high energy all day long.

The GI of a specific food can vary. Cooking, especially overcooking foods will increase their GI. The GI of bananas will increase as they ripen. The GI of pasta can vary by protein content, size and even shape.

Each individual will also have a slightly different insulin response to each food.

Below is a partial list of the GI of some common foods. This list uses glucose as the standard and has a rating of 100.

Breads

· White bread 96

· Waffle 76

· Donut 76

· Whole wheat bread 75

· Bread stuffing 74

· Kaiser rolls 73

· Bagel, white 72

· Melba toast 70

· Tortilla, corn 70

· Rye bread 65

· Whole wheat pita 58

· Pumpernickel bread 49

Cereals

· Puffed Rice 90

· Rice Chex 89

· Crispix 87

· Corn Flakes 84

· Corn Chex 83

· Rice Krispies 82

· Grapenut Flakes 80

· Cocoapops 77

· Cheerios 74

· Shredded Wheat 69

· Puffed Wheat 67

· Grapenuts 67

· Museli 66

· Life 66

· Cream of Wheat 66

· Bran Chex 58

· Oatmeal 55

· Special K 54

· All Bran 42

Crackers/Cookies

· Vanilla Wafers 77

· Rice Cakes 77

· Water Crackers 72

· Golden Grahams 71

· Stoned Wheat Thins 67

· Shortbread 64

Dairy

· Ice Cream 61

· Pizza cheese 60

· Ice Cream – low fat 50

· Milk – skim 32

· Yogurt – with sugar 33

· Yogurt – no sugar 14

Fruits

· Watermelon 72

· Dried fruit 70

· Pineapple 66

· Cantaloupe 65

· Blueberry 59

· Orange juice 57

· Mango 55

· Fruit cocktail 55

· Banana 53

· Kiwi 52

· Orange 43

· Grapes 43

· Pear 35

· Apple 35

· Strawberry 32

· Grapefruit 25

· Plum 25

· Cherries 23

Grains

· Rice – instant 88

· Millet 71

· Rice – white/not instant 70

· Cornmeal 68

· Rye flour 65

· Couscous 65

· Bran 60

· Buckwheat 54

· Bulgur 48

· Spirali, durum 43

· Barley, pearled 25

Legumes

· Fava beans 80

· Baked beans – canned 68

· Romano beans 46

· Black eyed peas 42

· Chick peas 33

· Split peas 32

· Lima beans – frozen 32

· Butter beans 31

· Black beans 30

· Lentils 29

· Beans – dried 29

· Kidney beans 27

· Soybeans 18

Pasta

· Brown rice pasta 92

· Refined pasta 65

· Gnocchi 65

· Whole grain – thick 45

· Angel hair 45

· Star Pastina 38

· Whole grain spaghetti 37

· Vermicelli 35

Vegetables

· Parsnips 97

· Potato – baked 85

· Potato – instant 83

· Pumpkin 75

· French fries 75

· Potato – fresh – mashed 73

· Rutabaga 72

· Carrot 71

· Beets 64

· New Potato 62

· Sweet corn 55

· Sweet potato 54

· Yam 51

· Tomato 38

· Green vegetables low

· Bean sprouts low

· Cauliflower low

· Eggplant low

· Peppers low

· Squash low

· Onions low

· Water chestnuts low

Miscellaneous

· Tofu frozen dessert 115

· Maltose 105

· Glucose 100

· Rice cake 82

· Jelly beans 80

· Pretzels 80

· Honey 73

· Corn chips 73

· Soft drink 70

· Angel food 67

· Sucrose 65

· Hamburger bun 61

· Sponge cake 54

· Chocolate 49

· Instant noodles 47

· Fructose 23

© 2004 RunningPlanet.com. All rights reserved. E-Business Solutions by E-com Media Group

The results of family and friends...

Gil and Barry are… Ephesians

Chances are you’ve made a couple of whopper
mistakes in your life… cause it’s usually people
like you who really understand their
position in Christ. You know it’s not by might,
nor by power, and certainly not through works,
but only through the blood of Christ. That’s all there
is that’s standing between you and the Father…
and that’s all you need. People find you to
be generally more grace-filled than most.
You are attractive to the faith, and are usually
a bit on the non-traditional side.

Lee and Brad are… Proverbs

You don't speak much. But when you do,
people tend to listen. You are logical and precise,
yet you have a very tender heart that longs for
others to learn both from your experience, and
your personal study. People see you more as a
serious person who is willing to listen completely
before trying to solve their problems. They also trust
you to guide them down the right path.
If you are a man who aspires to such, you would
make a great elder. If not, your spiritual gifting
should at least point you to some form of leadership
role in the Body... wise leaders are always in demand.

Lizzy, Dan, Amaryllis, and Christa are… Romans

You have insight on what
it means to turn your life around
and try to live for God.
You really want people to understand
the deeper things of God,
but have a tendency to come across
as pushy and prideful... and at times,
maybe you are. But you know your
weakness and work hard at trying
to temper it with grace and compassion.

Marian is… Leviticus

I’d wager that you are pretty used to
people saying that you are legalistic.
You like having a list of rules to follow
and view most every issue as either black
or white. Part of you would love to experience
the freedom that others seem to have, but you
fear change as much as you fear breaking a
rule. The faithfulness of grace escapes you.

Which book of the Bible are you?

The results of this quiz were written with sincere Believers in mind.

What is your outlook on life?

So much to say... so little time to say it.
People need a leader... I'm here to lead.
> It's all gonna end soon... better get ready.
It's a song ready to be sung!
Life? It's hard... and the troubles just keep comin'.
There's so much to learn... so much to absorb.
> I am holy and blameless... through no work of my own.

What is your mission?

Sing... sing a song... sing out loud... sing out STRONG!
I don't know... depression overwhelms me to the point of not thinking clearly.
To follow the rules... all of them.
To teach... to encourage... to tell it like it is.
I'm just watchin' the signs, man... watchin' the signs.
> To show others the grace I've been shown by God.
> To listen before I speak.

How do most people feel about you?

They think I'm crazy.
They think I'm rigid... and a little too strict.
They usually think I'm uplifting... and maybe a tad loud.
Some think I talk too much... but that's mostly because they don't like what I have to say.
I'm sure they think I'm a downer most of the time... but they just don't understand what my life is like.
> They usually see me as an encouragement.
They mostly think I'm deep.

What kind of animal do you prefer?

A heifer... well done.
A pack-mule. That's what I feel like anyway. Always doin' people's dirty work... never gettin' a break.
A lion... no, a lamb!
> A bird... flying free in the sky.
Any animal is fine with me... they're all okay to have around.
An owl.
A spotless lamb.

What is your view of God?

I know He's there... but He must not be very pleased with me... otherwise my life might be better.
He is full of grace and mercy.
He is powerful and miraculous... requiring much from those who follow Him.
He is my comfort... my shelter... my tower of refuge and strength.
He's the Alpha and Omega... beginning and the end... who was, who is, and who is to come!
He is the giver of all widsom and understanding.
> His grace is greater than all my sin.

My responses to the above are marked with a “>”.

The Universal Prayer

Attributed to Pope Clement XI (1649-1721)


Lord, I believe in you: increase my faith.
I trust in you: strengthen my trust.
I love you: let me love you more and more.
I am sorry for my sins: deepen my sorrow.

I worship you as my first beginning,
I long for you as my last end.
I praise you as my constant helper,
and call on you as my loving protector.

Guide me by your wisdom,
correct me with your justice,
comfort me with your mercy,
protect me with your power.

I offer you, Lord, my thoughts: to be fixed on you;
my words: to have you for their theme;
my actions: to reflect my love for you;
my sufferings: to be endured for your greater glory.

I want to do what you ask of me: in the way you ask,
for as long as you ask, because you ask it.
Lord, enlighten my understanding, strengthen my will,
purify my heart, and make me holy.

Help me to repent of my past sins
and to resist temptation in the future.
Help me to rise above my human weaknesses
and to grow stronger as a Christian.

Let me love you, my Lord and my god,
and see myself as I really am:
a pilgrim in this world,
a Christian
called to respect and love all whose lives I touch,
those in authority over me
or those under my authority,
my friends and my enemies.

Help me to conquer anger with gentleness,
greed by generosity, apathy by fervor.
Help me to forget myself and reach out toward others.

Make me prudent in planning, courageous in taking risks.
Make me patient in suffering, unassuming in prosperity.
Keep me, Lord, attentive in prayer,
temperate in food and drink,
diligent in my work, firm in my good intentions.

Let my conscience be clear, my conduct without fault,
my speech blameless, my life well-ordered.
Put me on guard against my human weaknesses.
Let me cherish your love for me, keep your law,
and come at last to your salvation.

Teach me to realize that this world is passing,
that my true future is the happiness of heaven,
that life on earth is short,
and the life to come eternal.

Help me to prepare for death
with a proper fear of judgment,
but a greater trust in your goodness.
Lead me safely through death to the endless joy of heaven.

Grant this through Christ our Lord

Amen

Lord's Prayer

The Aramaic Prayer To Our Father
"Lord's Prayer"

This wording and pronunciation is the closest that
we know to the form which Jesus spoke.

aboon dabashmaya
Our father who is in heaven,

nethkadash shamak
holy is his name,

tetha malkoothak
your Kingdom is coming,

newe tzevyanak
your will is being done

aykan dabashmaya af bara
on earth as it is in heaven,

hav lan lakma dsoonkanan yamanawashbook lan
give us our bread day by day

kavine aykana daf hanan shabookan
lhayavine oolow talahn lanesyana
as we forgive those who trespass and sin against us

ela fatsan men beesha
deliver us from evil

http://www.barefootsworld.net/lordpray.html 02/22/2004

Digital Rules

Digital Rules
Rich Karlgaard, 02.16.04, 12:00 AM ET

Purpose Driven

Most business books are big fat bores, except for those that are skinny bores--those trite little tomes involving whales and cheese and lessons learned from kindergarten. Unless I know the author personally, I won't read a business book. If I do know the sucker, I like to drop the book on the pavement--in his presence--and back my car over it. I spent too many years reading such piffle, underlining and highlighting "salient" points, taking notes and promptly forgetting everything I'd read within a week. Lessons from business books never stick.

Much better learning tools are novels, history books and biographies. For me, at least, these can really teach. Why? I suppose it's because when your imagination is engaged, when you dig the lessons out yourself and connect them to your own life, the learning goes much deeper.

With that said, I give you the best book on entrepreneurship, business and investment that I've read in some time. It's not new and it's not a business book. It was written in 1995 and comes from the field of religion. It's titled The Purpose-Driven Church and was penned by Rick Warren.

Warren--in 1980 and from scratch--launched Saddleback Church in Orange County, Calif. Under his leadership, the church has become the fastest-growing one in America. (Saddleback is a Southern Baptist evangelical church, by the way.) Weekends bring in an average of 15,000 worshippers. Saddleback has spawned dozens of so-called daughter churches throughout the country. Were it a business, Saddleback would be compared with Dell, Google or Starbucks.

The Purpose-Driven Church has sold more than 1 million copies. Its sequel, The Purpose-Driven Life, has sold 12 million copies. Whatever you think about Warren or his religious beliefs, he has discerned a consumer need out there.

So let's engage our imaginations, substitute the word "business" for "church" and see what Warren has to tell us.

• Don't try to make your business grow. Instead, work to make your business healthy. Because if it's healthy, it will grow.

• Don't be afraid to make it up as you go along. Warren quotes Mark Twain, who once said: "I knew a man who grabbed a cat by the tail and learned 40% more about cats than the man who didn't." A healthy business is one that tries many things that don't work--and has the scratches and scars to prove it.

• Don't trap yourself in costly infrastructure. To accommodate Saddleback's continual growth, Warren used 79 different facilities for functions in the church's first 15 years--schools, bank buildings, recreation centers, theaters, restaurants, large homes, even a 2,300-seat tent. Only in 1995, when the church had grown to 10,000 worshippers per weekend, did Warren erect Saddleback's own building. "The shoe must never tell the foot how big it can grow," he says.

• Don't compete for market share. Instead, compete with nonconsumption. "The church [business] must offer people something they cannot get anywhere else," Warren says.

• Sell big! "I've discovered that challenging people to a serious commitment actually attracts people rather than repels them," says Warren. "The greater commitment we ask for, the greater response we get."

• Faith and dedication won't overcome lack of skill and technology. Funny words from a preacher, but how true. "One of my favorite verses," Warren says, "is Ecclesiastes 10:10: ‘If the ax is dull and its edge unsharpened, more strength is needed, but skill will bring success.'"

• Borrow from others' successes. "Anytime I see a program working in another church [business], I try to extract the principle behind it and apply it in our church. I'm very grateful for the models that have helped me. I learned a long time ago that I don't have to originate everything for it to work."

• Never enter a new business without first picking someone to lead it. "If no leader emerged, we would wait on God's timing before beginning a ministry," says Warren.

• Purpose not only defines what your business should do, it defines what it shouldn't do. "The secret to effectiveness is to know what really counts. Then do what really counts."

• Nothing should precede the purpose of your business. "Plans, programs and personalities don't last," says Warren. Only purpose lasts. It can heal your business, too. "Nothing will revive a discouraged church [business] faster than rediscovering its purpose."

The Lesson of Dell

A couple of weeks ago I interviewed Michael Dell at an investment banking conference. As terrific as Dell Inc.'s success has been, some think the company's announced goal of $60 billion in sales (now $40 billion) by 2006 is, well, too audacious. To hit its mark, Dell must succeed across a range of new businesses--plasma TVs, printers, MP3 players, high-end servers, even consulting services. Many battles on many fronts--thus the skepticism.

But when I look at Michael Dell, I see a guy who told me in 1992--at age 26--that he was going to become the IBM of the 21st century. (Talk about inviting skepticism!) In Dell I see a company that, despite its size, retains its clear purpose. Carly Fiorina of Hewlett-Packard, a top-class CEO herself, inadvertently got Michael Dell to reveal his purpose when she accused Dell Inc. of being a one-trick pony. "No," Dell shot back. "We're a two-trick pony. We satisfy customers and we make a profit."

Such clarity will propel Dell Inc. to $60 billion by 2006.



Visit Rich Karlgaard's home page at www.forbes.com/karlgaard or email him at publisher@forbes.com.