The World Health Organization has listed diabetes as one of the three most difficult diseases, which affects people’s health and life expectancy like an “invisible killer”. 114 million people have diabetes in China in 2015, equivalent to 1 in 14 people, and 500 million adults are in pre-diabetes. Diabetes and its complications can be effectively prevented if blood glucose is detected and controlled in a timely manner when abnormalities occur. Diet can directly affect blood sugar levels, of which the glycemic index (GI) of foods is an important measure. Today we will take a look at what is glycemic index. 1. What is the glycemic index? It is the ratio of the area under the blood glucose time curve of a food containing 50 grams of carbohydrates that causes a rise in blood glucose to the area under the blood glucose time of an equivalent amount of glucose, and it reflects the speed and ability of a food to raise blood glucose compared to glucose. It is an index reflecting the degree of blood glucose rise in human body caused by eating, and has a guiding role in diabetic patients’ diet reference. 2.What is the significance of glycemic index? Different foods have different glycemic indexes, and the glycemic index of glucose is usually set at 100. glycemic index >70 is high glycemic index food, and food with high glycemic index is fast digested and high absorption rate after entering the stomach and intestines, and glucose is released quickly, thus causing blood sugar to reach the peak sooner; glycemic index ≤55 is low glycemic index food, and food with low glycemic index stays longer after entering the stomach and intestines. After entering the gastrointestinal tract, the food with low glycemic index stays for a long time and the glucose is released slowly, which makes the postprandial blood glucose peak lower, causing less postprandial blood glucose reaction and requiring less insulin, avoiding the violent fluctuation of blood glucose and enabling effective control of blood glucose. 3. What is the glycemic index of different foods (1) High glycemic foods Grains: rice, steamed buns, doughnuts, noodles. Meat: gongbao, fatty sausage, egg dumplings. Vegetables: sweet potato, pumpkin, potato. Fruits: watermelon, lychee, longan, dates, pineapple. Sugar and sugar alcohols: glucose, granulated sugar, maltose, soft drinks, honey. (2) Low glycemic foods: Grains: quinoa, buckwheat noodles, vermicelli, black rice, corn, lotus root powder. Vegetables: All green vegetables with low sugar content. Legumes: almost all legumes. Fruits: prunes, apples, pears, oranges, peaches, grapes, grapefruit, grapefruit, strawberries, cherries, kumquats, grapes, papaya. Beverages: skim milk, low-fat cheese, black tea, yogurt, sugar-free soy milk. Sugar and sugar alcohols: lactose, xylitol, maltitol, sorbitol. 4.How to look at the glycemic index (1) The first thing to control is the total calories. Even foods with low glycemic index should not be eaten more. So first of all, regardless of whether the glycemic index is high or low, you need to control the total intake. Secondly, on the basis of total energy control, choosing foods with a low glycemic index is more conducive to controlling blood sugar levels. (2) The glycemic index is not equal to the sugar content The glycemic index and the sugar content of food are completely different concepts, the glycemic index refers to the ability of food containing the same carbohydrate to raise blood sugar per unit time after use. (3) Pay attention to the cooking method The glycemic index is not only determined by the nature of the food itself, but sometimes it is also related to the cooking method. The longer the food processing time and the higher the temperature, the higher the glycemic index, and vice versa, the lower the glycemic index. Rice that is steamed and cooked more poorly has a significantly higher glycemic level 0.5-1.0 hours after a meal than dry rice or overnight rice. Longer cooking time or adding alkali to porridge increases the glycemic index while increasing the viscosity. Therefore, to prevent a rapid rise in blood glucose, diabetic patients should not drink refined white rice porridge with a longer boiling time. In fact, some cooking methods, even if they do not affect the glycemic index of food, diabetic patients should not choose, such as frying, baking, etc., will invariably increase the intake of fat, very affect the health of sugar lovers. (4) Balanced nutrition is crucial The impact of different foods on blood sugar is different when mixed, and the data listed in the glycemic index does not reflect the results of various food combinations. Therefore, when choosing different kinds of food to arrange the diet, if you especially like to eat some high index food, you can eat low index food together, so as to achieve the purpose of food diversification, but also effective control of blood sugar. Excessive intake of high glycemic foods will cause a dramatic increase in blood sugar and also raise insulin levels, which will lead to obesity in the long run. Therefore, you should choose the correct food ratio in your daily diet so as to effectively control blood sugar and maintain a reasonable weight.