My mother, although an accountant, I have discovered is more “in the know” about the latest in nutritional research, than even I am. Over winter break, we had a whole dinner conversation regarding the glycemic index. She proceeded to tell me that she had listened to a podcast saying that the glycemic index might not be cracked up to what we all think it is. I mistakenly brushed this off. Different foods contain different amounts of sugars, which impact our blood glucose, in different ways… right?
Well let me tell you, you should always listen to your mother. After reading “Time to ditch the Glycemic Index” by Donna P. Feldman, I can say I have started to side with my mother. Ms. Feldman addresses her audience in a formal, scientific manner. As she is a Registered Dietician, she provides information on both sides of the research, offering her opinion, but without preventing readers from forming their own views.
For instance, Ms. Feldman breaks down the process of how the glycemic index of a food is determined. On the other hand, she presents the negatives of the situation, stating that, “the glycemic index of a single food has nothing to do with how people actually eat.” She goes on to explain that eating a combination of foods, which most people do, affects the body differently than eating one single food.
I believe that the information Ms. Feldman uses is accurate. She tackles many different angles on the glycemic index, while still providing facts to support her overarching goal– aiming to explain that the glycemic index should ultimately be laid to rest. But what I find intriguing, is that her article isn’t written from the foundations of her opinion, and her opinion only.
Ms. Feldman quotes Dr. Robert Eckel MD, of the University of Colorado. Dr. Eckel wrote an editorial suggesting that the concept of glycemic index may be “less important than previously thought,” after doing a research study on four different glycemic index/carbohydrate diets. Each of these diets uses different combinations of GI and carbohydrate level to test how one’s blood glucose reacts.
That being said, Ms. Feldman also gives readers the chance to check out the research for themselves. She provides a link to the accompanying editorial of Dr. Eckel, as well as a link to a long list of glycemic index scores.
Ms. Feldman engages readers by questioning them. She asks readers, “Are potato chips are ‘healthier’ than plain potatoes? Is high fat premium ice cream ‘healthier’ than rice cakes? Is a Snickers bar ‘healthier’ than fresh watermelon?” She let’s the reader decide, but in doing so, she makes the reader question their own opinion.
If there was one thing I would like to take away from Ms. Feldman’s blog, I would say it would be her evidenced based approach. She supports all of her beliefs, in a logical manner, easy enough for all types of readers to grasp. Some blogs and articles sound so scientific, that the information is indecipherable and readers feel forced to accept the information as the truth. Ms. Feldman enables her readers to choose. I hope that I can present my ideas in a similar way to Ms. Feldman. I found her blog very intriguing. Not only in the information itself, but the way it was portrayed to me.