Yes, lets continue the discussion.

I feel that this consideration of all these factors "raises the intellectual bar" so to speak on low carb eating. We're talking about more than how many carbs did you eat today and can I have peanuts or not now...we're talking how food works in our digestion, why and the physiological impact of consumption altogether.
Now I believe that if you were previously a junk-food-junkie (and we all know what that is) or existed on primary boxes or bags or processed carbs/foods before starting low carbing, then yes, almost any positive change to eating lower (not even low) carb foods, adding healthy fats and consuming no refined sugars will definately improve your health and without a doubt lower your weight (less calories possibly, but definately controlled insulin levels) and this is why low carbing gives great success to some very overweight people. Maybe the first taste of any real success they've ever had - and this is wonderful.
Then there's us. Perhaps we were very overweight or perhaps just a few pounds to lose, and we did Atkins and we lost our weight or some of it. Then comes the tweaking and research and fasination of how this really worked and what will keep it working, maybe even better for us once we have long long stopped even thinking of eating high carb foods and are in this "okay there's more to it" phase.
Fasinating. We keep reading and learning and more research continues. I believe that lowering carbs is step one. It's the first thing and easiest part to understand in the beginning when it all seems relatively new and overwhelming. Then we start looking at all the individual components of WHY this is working - usually starts at our first major stall and we start asking lots of questions. Unfortunately alot of the answers are YMMV and that can be frustrating. Then off the stall we feel a surge of success and are motivated to learn even more.

It's wonderful. I'm on this trip with you. It all matters. But together, not separately. Certain foods effect the results of other foods in combination, it all depends on how YOUR body processes certain foods (metabolism, allergy, sensitivities) and
the conditions of the foods themselves, meaning the manner in which it was cooked, processed or not and finally the component of environmental factors (like exercise, stress and lifestyle)....
...so it all matters. And to be able to conceptualize it all at once is for most (for me!) impossible. I just take one decision at a time, try to be as healthy as I can be and make MY OWN RULES - what works for me may not work for others and vice versa.

I predict there will be a GREAT DEAL about glycemic load/index/lowcarbing - a huge boom in research. I think low carbing is just about to explode mainstream...perhaps the major food producers in the country are discussing their own low carb versions of current products as we speak - wouldn't that be wonderful?

Yes, in my world maltodextrin is a no no food. Maltodextrin is high in glycemic index and well, that's what I believe. I became accustomed to using liquid sweetnlow for years now and it's fine with me. No carbs, but I know most people just hate the stuff and you can't cook with it.

Peace.