Starch

Fresh off my reading of The Glycemic Load Diet, I decided to take some action on the subject.  First, I signed up for an insulin test.  I went through www.directlabs.com, and the test only cost $49.  It's nice to know you can get medical services without going through a doctor (or paying exorbitant prices).  Second, I decided to get rid of the last bit of starch in my diet - the rice I eat with dinner.

I got my insulin test results back the other day: 4.6!  That's very low; anything less than 10 means you are insulin-sensitive (not insulin resistant).  Lower insulin levels are associated with living longer, so that's good news for me.

Getting rid of all starch proved a bit challenging at first.  The first week and a half, I still had cravings.  After that, it pretty much stopped.  I lost three pounds as well, but it was probably water weight. 

One lesson I've learned from this is that starch creates a hunger for more starch.  Hence, given that starch is possibly a semi-addictive substance, a red flag should come up.  Also, the fact that fast food businesses depend heavily on starch in their recipes should raise another red flag.

I also took my first starch-free trip to the grocery store.  It was strange going through the perimter and not going into any of the middle aisles.  You wonder what would happen to grocery stores if everyone gave up starch.

Comments

[jake]

Yeah, but you see what anyone is going to think reading this - you gave up something you seemed to enjoy for no proven benefit (you did not have before & after insulin readings).

Brings up the point on how much of our life we're willing to degrade on a whim of dogma.

jake

[Matt Metzgar]

Good point. See my next post.