fact sheet five - glycaemic index

Diabetes is a common condition in which the blood sugar levels, or more accurately the blood glucose levels, rise above a healthy level in the blood. It is estimated that 900,000 thousand people in Australia have diabetes, with the majority having type II diabetes.
The dietary advice for people with diabetes is to eat mainly least processed foods, such as fruits, vegetables, lean meats, low fat dairy, nuts and whole grain cereal foods. Those foods that are least processed generally have the least effect on blood glucose levels.

You may have heard of the Glycaemic Index (GI), which is the measure of the effect a carbohydrate-containing food has on your blood glucose (sugar) levels. The effect is an indication of the speed at which the carbohydrate in food is digested and absorbed into the blood. A rapid rise shows that the food has been digested and absorbed into the blood quickly.

Mushrooms are low in carbohydrate, with a carbohydrate content similar to zucchini and tomatoes. As the carbohydrate content of mushrooms is so low, the mushroom has a GI close to zero. In other words, eating mushrooms has no real effect on blood glucose levels.

Researchers at the University of Western Sydney found that mushrooms helped lower blood cholesterol and blood glucose in laboratory animals, possibly due to the fibre in mushrooms (Jeong 2010).

Mushrooms provide other very useful health benefits to anybody with diabetes. For example, they are cholesterol free and are virtually fat free and, with abundant antioxidants that may help to lower your risk of heart disease, which is more prevalent in people with diabetes.

Being a source of potassium and virtually salt-free, mushrooms help keep your blood pressure healthy. As they are low kilojoule they will never end up on your waist. Key aspects of weight control are the total number of kilojoules consumed and the energy density of the foods eaten (see fact sheet 4). The mushroom is ideally suited for weight control because it is low in fat, low in kilojoules and low in energy density.

Add to that all the essential vitamins and minerals in mushrooms and you have one super food!

Reference:

Sang-Chul Jeong, Byung-Keun Yang, Yong-Tae Jeong, Rezuanul Islam, Sundar Rao Koyyalamudi, Gerald Pang, Kai Yip Cho, Chi-Hyun Song. White button mushroom (Agaricus bisporus) intake alters blood glucose and cholesterol levels in diabetic and hyperlipidemic rats. Nutrition Research. 2010; 30(1):49-56

Nutrient per 100g serve

Nutrient	Mushrooms
Protein (g)	3.3
Carbohydrate (g)	0.3
Fat (g)	0.3
Cholesterol (mg)	0
Fibre (g)	1.5
Energy kcal	25
kJ	103

Mushroom & chicken burger
Serves 4

2 tbs olive oil
350g cup mushrooms, thinly sliced
400g chicken breast mince
4 green shallots, thinly sliced
1 egg, whisked
1 cup fresh breadcrumbs
1/4 cup finely chopped parsley
salt and ground black pepper
wholemeal bun, shredded lettuce, sliced tomato, sliced cucumber, to serve

1. Heat 1 tbs oil in a large frying pan over high heat. Add the mushrooms and cook, stirring occasionally, for 8 minutes or until all the moisture evaporates. Cool 10 minutes.
2. Combine the mushrooms, mince, shallots, egg, breadcrumbs, parsley and salt and pepper in a large bowl, mix well to combine.
3. Shape evenly into 8 patties about 7cm in diameter and 2cm thick. Heat the remaining oil in a large non-stick frying pan over medium heat. Add the patties and cook for 4 minutes each side or until golden and cooked through. Serve on toasted wholemeal bun topped with lettuce, tomato and cucumber.

Nutritional information:
Mushroom & chicken burger

Protein	34g
Fat	19g
Sat Fat	3.5g
Carb	32g
kJ	1840
Fibre	7g