The glycemic index is a measure of the effect of carbohydrates on blood sugar. So-called “good” carbohydrates, from bran cereals to many fruits and vegetables, are lower on the glycemic index, and are central to this dietary approach to losing weight and improving blood sugar control and heart health.
Good carbohydrates are digested slowly, so you feel fuller for longer, and your blood sugar and metabolism don’t get out of control. Conversely, “bad” carbohydrates, such as bread and instant mashed potatoes, are digested quickly and released into the bloodstream, raising your blood sugar and making you feel hungrier than before. Explanation of the glycemic index and its variations
Contents
- Explanation of the glycemic index and its variations
- The glycemic index of foods: classification
- Low glycemic index foods
- Processed foods tend to have a high glycemic index
- The glycemic index also depends on the size and portions of food
- Glycemic index versus glycemic load
- Glycemic index and diet: explanations
What might seem complex and difficult, is actually very simple: all you need to know is the 0 to 100 glycemic index of some foods.
– Fill up on low glycemic index carbohydrates (55 and less);
-Eat small amounts of medium glycemic index carbohydrates (56 to 69);
-And mostly munch on carbohydrates with a high glycemic index (70+).
Carbohydrate lists in each category are available online.
For those who just want to avoid carbohydrates and do not suffer from diabetes, in addition to referring to these lists according to their needs, they could create a personal menu. Usually only foods that contain carbohydrates are classified, and those that do not contain carbohydrates are not mentioned, so meat, fish and poultry, for example, have no references.
For breakfast, choose cereals based on oats, barley or bran; for lunch, choose a wholemeal pasta; and for dinner, make a salad instead of a potato puree. The glycemic index of foods: classification
Low GI diets can be linked to fast weight loss, but not much more than other diets do. And the claim that eating low-glycemic carbohydrates is the key to weight loss is still controversial. Surely, a low glycemic index diet allows you to get better and prevent certain diseases such as diabetes and heart disease.
Studies, including a recent 2012 one published in the Journal of the American Medical Association showed that low-GI diets help you lose and maintain a healthy weight compared to other diets that speed metabolism but increase the risk of developing disease.
A 2011 review of 23 clinical studies on low-glycemic diets showed that this type of diet is superior to others when it comes to weight loss.
Ultimately, however, the researchers concluded that low glycemic index diets are no more or less effective than others for stimulating weight loss. Low Glycemic Index Foods
Fruits and vegetables are low glycemic index foods.
Pure glucose has a GI of 100. Low GI foods have a GI of 55 or less and include most fruits and vegetables, beans and lentils, tofu, nuts and seeds, fatty fish, sweet potatoes, wholemeal bread, oat bran, granola and oatmeal.
Medium GI foods have a GI value of 56-69 and include wholemeal bread, rye and pita bread, quick-cooking oats, couscous, and basmati, wholemeal and wild rice.
High GI foods have a GI of 70 or higher and include white bread, white rice, potatoes, rice cakes, cantaloupe, pineapple, and squash. Processed Foods Tend to Have a High Glycemic Index
Not surprisingly, processed foods tend to have a higher GI value, for example white bread has a higher GI than wholemeal. However, the GI value of a food can change depending on how it is prepared, whether it is cooked, or even if and how ripe it is.
For example, a raw carrot has a GI value of 16, but this can rise to 49 once it has been peeled, diced and boiled.
Fat and fiber slow down the rate at which food is digested, decreasing its GI value. This means that fatty foods like a slice of chocolate cake and a handful of chips can have relatively low GI values. However, nutritionists caution against using this conclusion as an excuse to indulge those cravings for junk food, advising that low GI foods aren’t necessarily a “healthy” choice, while high GI foods aren’t. they are necessarily unhealthy.
If you are at risk of low blood sugar levels due to diabetes or some other disease, you should always have any food with you that can quickly raise your blood sugar level. Eating a food with sugars allows glucose to be sent into the bloodstream in about 5 minutes. Glucose or sucrose is the best choice.
Choose foods that contain around 15 grams of fast-acting carbohydrates. The glycemic index also depends on the size and portions of food
To complicate matters further, our glycemic response to a given food varies with the size of the portion and depends on the foods we eat at the same time.
To find the glycemic load (GL) of a food, which can provide a more precise indication of our glycemic response than the GI alone, its GI value must be multiplied by the grams of carbohydrates present in a single serving. The result is then divided by 100.
Watermelon, for example, has a relatively high GI (72), but has so few carbohydrates per serving that its glycemic load is only 4.
One serving of oatmeal, however, has an average GL of 13, despite its relatively low GI (55).
Pairing a high GI food with protein or high-fat foods reduces its glycemic load by slowing the rate at which it is digested and buffering its impact on blood sugar levels. Glycemic index versus glycemic load
The glycemic index (GI) is a scale (0-100), which quantifies how quickly food turns into sugar in the body.
The glycemic load (GL) is a number (on a scale from 0 to 100) that results from multiplying the glycemic index of the food by the amount of carbohydrates per serving, then dividing this number by 100.
The lower the GL, the higher and stability within the body, ie balanced blood sugar and insulin levels. For those living with chronic blood sugar and insulin imbalances such as diabetes, it is imperative to maintain a low GL diet. Glycemic index and diet: explanations
A low glycemic diet is based on choosing low glycemic index (GI) foods. Incorporating more of these low-glycemic index foods is invaluable for those who need to constantly monitor their blood sugars.
When paired with adequate proteins, there is a favorable link between the glycemic index and weight loss.
But the glycemic index is not the only parameter to keep an eye on regarding the impact on general health; certainly, keeping an eye on this parameter will help you to have a better health condition.
