Glycemic Index? Not So Fast

By Dr. Jonny Bowden
If you’re a regular reader, you already know how important the glycemic index is to make sure you’re eating well. But there’s a big problem with using the glycemic index as a guide to eating: It doesn’t take into account portion size. Glycemic load - a far more useful number – does.

The glycemic index measures your blood sugar response to a “standard” serving of 50 grams of digestible (non-fiber) carbohydrate. Great. But the real world of actual portions presents a much different picture. Some carbohydrate foods have way less than 50 grams in a serving, while many typically have a lot more.

Enter the glycemic load, a formula that multiplies the glycemic index by the number of grams of carbs in a typical portion (and then divides the result by 100, in case you’d like to do the actual math). Because the formula for glycemic load takes into account real-life portion sizes, it gives you a much better idea of what a food is doing to your blood sugar.

Take spaghetti and carrots, for example. The glycemic index of 50 grams of spaghetti is only “moderate,” but you’d be hard-pressed to find someone who eats just 50 grams of spaghetti. The glycemic load of spaghetti is humongous. And while the glycemic index of 50 grams of carrots is “high,” you probably wouldn’t eat 50 grams of carrots. (There are only three grams of carbohydrate in a single carrot.) Carrots have a high glycemic index- but a very low glycemic load.

Using the glycemic index is a great start in learning about the impact of food on your blood sugar. But glycemic load is even better, because it takes into account what you’re actually likely to eat.

It’s easier to find the glycemic index of a food than the glycemic load, but you can find both at mendosa.com/gilists.htm. Alternately, you could ignore the entire glycemic numbers game and just follow this simple rule: When it comes to sugar, less is more, zero is better.

[Ed. Note: Dr. Jonny Bowden is a nationally known expert on weight loss, nutrition, and health. He’s a board certified nutritionist with a master’s degree in psychology, and the author of the best-selling book, The 150 Healthiest Foods on Earth.]

Never Work a Day in Your Life Again

By Paul Lawrence

The title of this essay – “Never Work a Day in Your Life Again” – might make you think about being retired. About winning the lottery or finding out you had a rich uncle who left you a fortune. But you don’t have play games of chance or wait for a relative to die to stop “working.”

For one thing, the prospect of winning the lottery or having a massive inheritance is unlikely for most of us. Besides, if you suddenly had a huge fortune, you’d still need to do something with your life – something that would give you pleasure.

Simply having money doesn’t automatically make you happy. All you need to do is read the latest news story about a filthy rich movie star who’s gotten arrested for drunk driving or gone back to rehab for the umpteenth time to know that’s true.

Having said that, I’m not going to tell you that having money won’t help you feel happy. I know I’m a lot happier now that I drive a new car and can afford to take trips to foreign countries like Peru (which is where I am right now [in August 2007]). Nevertheless, many people who make great incomes are miserable… because they hate their work.

Then there are people like me. Even though I generally work about 14 hours a day, six or seven days a week, it feels to me like I don’t work at all. That’s because I love what I do. For example, when my wife and I were on the plane to Peru and I announced that I was going to pull out my computer and write for a while, she moaned that I should learn to enjoy myself.

“That’s what I’m trying to do,” I explained. “I’m really excited about this new sitcom I’m writing, and this will be fun for me.”

Although she dropped the subject, I’m not sure if she really believed me. But what I said was absolutely true.

It’s my contention – and it’s backed up by many people who are successful in fields they love – that you will not only be happier by doing work you love, but you’ll have a better chance of economic success. You’ll have more passion for your work and you’ll have the endurance you need to pursue difficult goals.

Take it from a guy who used to repossess people’s TVs and refrigerators for a paycheck. Life is so much sweeter when you’re earning a living by doing something you love. The question is: How do you go about finding that something?

Here’s how to get started:

1. Ask yourself what you would do if you didn’t need to make money to live.

Be creative here. Reach for the stars. Think about what would be your ultimate dream job. I love movies and television, so I made a decision to pursue a career in that field.

2. Create a plan that will give you the chance to make money in your dream job.

Now, there may be some limitations to your dream. If you would like to be a rock star, but you can’t sing and have no musical talent, it’s pretty unlikely that you’ll be able to turn yourself into a Grammy winner. But you could still do something in the music industry. You could start a record company, be a talent manager, or promote concerts.

Don’t be afraid to think big, but do be practical.

3. Formulate a strategy with practical steps that will make your plan happen.

In my case, I decided that since writing is one of my strengths, my best chance of breaking into the entertainment business would be to pursue screenwriting. My strategy included learning the craft of screenwriting, actually writing screenplays, and then making real efforts to sell my work.

4. Actually execute the steps.

No plan – no matter how good it is – will work if you don’t take action to make it happen. Let’s say your goal is to get into the music industry, you plan to do that by becoming a manager for rock bands, and your strategy to implement your plan is to find local talent by going to clubs that feature local bands. Well, you couldn’t be successful if all you did was watch the bands play. You’d need to actually go over and talk to them. Tell them that you’re looking for clients and give them your card. And then follow up with them.

As I said, happiness in life is not only based on economic success. You’ll spend a large percentage of your life working – so, it only makes sense that you’ll be much happier with an occupation you love. Do what you love… and the money will be there too.

[Ed. Note: Paul Lawrence is a produced screenwriter, direct-mail copywriter, and business author.]
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These articles appear courtesy of Early to Rise [Issue #2128, 08-23-07], the Internet's most popular health, wealth, and success e-zine. For a complimentary subscription, visit http://www.earlytorise.com/.