The Importance of the Glycemic Index

You might have heard the words “glycemic index” being thrown around, but wasn’t sure what the whole thing was about. The glycemic index (GI) is a number that is associated with different foods and shows what their effect on the glucose levels in the blood (also known as “blood sugar”). The number represents the total rise in glucose level after eating that food.

How the GI is determined: The level of “sweetness” of a food doesn’t necessarily make it low/high glycemic - Foods with simple carbohydrates break down faster in the stomach, releasing glucose into the blood more rapidly and therefor have a higher GI value. Foods with complex carbohydrates, which break down slower, will have a lower GI value. Other factors that affect GI levels: Dietary fiber, fat, protein, vinegar and amylose starch will lower the GI levels in food. Research shows that consuming a small amount of alcohol shortly before a meal will reduce the GI level of the meal by 15%. GI classification:

Classification GI range Examples Low GI 55 or less beans (white, black, pink, kidney, lentil, soy, almond, peanut, walnut, chickpea); small seeds (sunflower, flax, pumpkin, poppy, sesame); most whole intact grains (durum/spelt/kamut wheat, millet, oat, rye, rice, barley); most vegetables, most sweet fruits (peaches, strawberries, mangos); fructose; mushrooms; chilis Medium GI 56-69 not intact whole wheat or enriched wheat, pita bread, basmati rice, unpeeled boiled potato, grape juice, raisins, prunes, pumpernickel bread, cranberry juice, regular ice cream, sucrose, banana High GI 70 or higher white bread (only wheat endosperm), most white rice (only rice endosperm), corn flakes, extruded breakfast cereals, glucose, maltose, maltodextrins, potato, pretzels, bagels Source: Wikipedia.org

Why do we need to know the GI of food? Diabetics need to know what their glucose levels are, as changes in these levels can have serious effects on their physical and mental state and may even be detrimental to their health. Non-diabetics can use the GI to better regulate their energy levels and improve results when working out. Some people with a thyroid condition need to control their blood glucose levels in order to lose or maintain weight. High glycemic foods break down fast, providing a quick energy boost, especially after a workout. Low glycemic foods take more time to break down, making them a great fuel before a workout, as they release energy into the body steadily. These factors can help you prevent hypoglycemia symptoms. A 1999 research discovered that people who follow a low GI diet over a prolonged period of time reduce the risk of developing coronary heart disease, type 2 diabetes and even age-related muscular degeneration. Things to be aware of: The GI index is not perfect – there are many foods that are low-glycemic which are unhealthy (Chocolate cake – GI 31, ice cream – GI 37) and ones that are high-glycemic that are good for you (Potato/rice – 100 GI). Remember to practice moderation.

The amount of carbohydrates in food can have more of an impact than GI on the glucose levels in your blood. Losing weight and consuming less carbs will also lower blood glucose levels.

The Rise of Blood Sugar Levels After a Meal Source: Wikipedia.org

The Harvard Medical School recently published a glycemic index of common foods: FOOD GI (glucose = 100) Serving size (grams) Glycemic load per serving BAKERY PRODUCTS AND BREADS       Banana cake, made with sugar 47 60 14 Banana cake, made without sugar 55 60 12 Sponge cake, plain 46 63 17 Vanilla cake made from packet mix with vanilla frosting (Betty Crocker) 42 111 24 Apple, made with sugar 44 60 13 Apple, made without sugar 48 60 9 Waffles, Aunt Jemima (Quaker Oats) 76 35 10 Bagel, white, frozen 72 70 25 Baguette, white, plain 95 30 15 Coarse barley bread, 75-80% kernels 34 30 7 Hamburger bun 61 30 9 Kaiser roll 73 30 12 Pumpernickel bread 56 30 7 50% cracked wheat kernel bread 58 30 12 White wheat flour bread 71 30 10 Wonder™ bread 73 30 10 Whole wheat bread 71 30 9 100% Whole Grain™ bread (Natural Ovens) 51 30 7 Pita bread, white 68 30 10 Corn tortilla 52 50 12 Wheat tortilla 30 50 8 BEVERAGES       Coca Cola® 63 250 mL 16 Fanta®, orange soft drink 68 250 mL 23 Lucozade®, original (sparkling glucose drink) 95±10 250 mL 40 Apple juice, unsweetened 44 250 mL 30 Cranberry juice cocktail (Ocean Spray®) 68 250 mL 24 Gatorade 78 250 mL 12 Orange juice, unsweetened 50 250 mL 12 Tomato juice, canned 38 250 mL 4 BREAKFAST CEREALS AND RELATED PRODUCTS     All-Bran™ 55 30 12 Coco Pops™ 77 30 20 Cornflakes™ 93 30 23 Cream of Wheat™ (Nabisco) 66 250 17 Cream of Wheat™, Instant (Nabisco) 74 250 22 Grapenuts™ 75 30 16 Muesli 66 30 16 Oatmeal 55 250 13 Instant oatmeal 83 250 30 Puffed wheat 80 30 17 Raisin Bran™ (Kellogg's) 61 30 12 Special K™ (Kellogg's) 69 30 14 GRAINS       Pearled barley 28 150 12 Sweet corn on the cob 60 150 20 Couscous 65 150 9 Quinoa 53 150 13 White rice 89 150 43 Quick cooking white basmati 67 150 28 Brown rice 50 150 16 Converted, white rice (Uncle Ben's®) 38 150 14 Whole wheat kernels 30 50 11 Bulgur 48 150 12 COOKIES AND CRACKERS     Graham crackers 74 25 14 Vanilla wafers 77 25 14 Shortbread 64 25 10 Rice cakes 82 25 17 Rye crisps 64 25 11 Soda crackers 74 25 12 DAIRY PRODUCTS AND ALTERNATIVES     Ice cream, regular 57 50 6 Ice cream, premium 38 50 3 Milk, full fat 41 250mL 5 Milk, skim 32 250 mL 4 Reduced-fat yogurt with fruit 33 200 11 FRUITS       Apple 39 120 6 Banana, ripe 62 120 16 Dates, dried 42 60 18 Grapefruit 25 120 3 Grapes 59 120 11 Orange 40 120 4 Peach 42 120 5 Peach, canned in light syrup 40 120 5 Pear 38 120 4 Pear, canned in pear juice 43 120 5 Prunes, pitted 29 60 10 Raisins 64 60 28 Watermelon 72 120 4 BEANS AND NUTS     Baked beans 40 150 6 Blackeye peas 33 150 10 Black beans 30 150 7 Chickpeas 10 150 3 Chickpeas, canned in brine 38 150 9 Navy beans 31 150 9 Kidney beans 29 150 7 Lentils 29 150 5 Soy beans 15 150 1 Cashews, salted 27 50 3 Peanuts 7 50 0 PASTA and NOODLES     Fettucini 32 180 15 Macaroni 47 180 23 Macaroni and Cheese (Kraft) 64 180 32 Spaghetti, white, boiled 46 180 22 Spaghetti, white, boiled 20 min 58 180 26 Spaghetti, wholemeal, boiled 42 180 17 SNACK FOODS     Corn chips, plain, salted 42 50 11 Fruit Roll-Ups® 99 30 24 M & M's®, peanut 33 30 6 Microwave popcorn, plain 55 20 6 Potato chips 51 50 12 Pretzels, oven-baked 83 30 16 Snickers Bar® 51 60 18 VEGETABLES       Green peas 51 80 4 Carrots 35 80 2 Parsnips 52 80 4 Baked russet potato 111 150 33 Boiled white potato 82 150 21 Instant mashed potato 87 150 17 Sweet potato 70 150 22 Yam 54 150 20 MISCELLANEOUS       Hummus (chickpea salad dip) 6 30 0 Chicken nuggets (frozen) 46 100 7 Pizza (plain baked dough, parmesan cheese and tomato sauce) 80 100 22 Pizza, Super Supreme (Pizza Hut) 36 100 9 Honey 61 25 12                                           THIS IS ONLY FOR INFORMATION, ALWAYS CONSULT YOU PHYSICIAN BEFORE HAVING ANY PARTICULAR FOOD/ MEDICATION/EXERCISE/OTHER REMEDIES. PS- THOSE INTERESTED IN RECIPES ARE FREE TO VIEW MY BLOG- HTTP:GSEASYRECIPES.BLOGSPOT.COM/   FOR INFO ABOUT KNEE REPLACEMENT, YOU CAN VIEW MY BLOG- HTTP://KNEE REPLACEMENT-STICK CLUB.BLOGSPOT.COM/ FOR CROCHET DESIGNS HTTP://MY CROCHET CREATIONS.BLOGSPOT.COM