Many diabetic patients in the clinic often ask me about diabetic diet, here is a popular concept that I hope will help you with your diet.
The official definition of glycemic index (GI) is the ratio of the area under the blood glucose time curve produced by carbohydrates in a certain food to the area under the blood glucose time produced by a standard substance (usually glucose) in a standard amount (usually 50 grams), which reflects the speed and ability of a certain food to raise blood glucose compared to glucose, and simply reflects the degree to which food causes blood glucose to rise in humans. Simply put, it reflects the degree of blood glucose elevation caused by food.
The glycemic index varies from food to food.
Usually we set the glycemic index of glucose as 100, glycemic index >70 is high glycemic index food, they enter the gastrointestinal digestion fast, high absorption rate, fast conversion into glucose, blood sugar rises rapidly, easy to lead to postprandial hyperglycemia; glycemic index <55 is low glycemic index food, they stay in the gastrointestinal long time, slow release, low absorption rate, slow conversion into glucose, blood sugar rises slowly. The rise is slow, the body has enough time to mobilize the release and synthesis of insulin, causing a small postprandial blood glucose response, so that blood glucose does not spike, can avoid violent fluctuations in blood glucose, and can prevent the occurrence of hyperglycemia and hypoglycemia.
In addition, low glycemic index foods are very easy to produce a sense of satiety, while causing lower insulin levels, and insulin can promote the synthesis of glycogen, fat and protein, so eating low GI foods can generally help the body burn fat, reduce fat storage, to achieve the role of slimming. The opposite is true for foods with a high glycemic index. Therefore, it is recommended for diabetic patients to eat more foods with low glycemic index under the premise of ensuring balanced nutrition. The following are some common foods with glycemic index for patients’ dietary choices.
Low glycemic index foods (GI 55 or less)
Grains: whole egg noodles, soba noodles, vermicelli, black rice, black rice porridge, macaroni, lotus root powder.
Vegetables: konjac, corn, cabbage, cucumber, celery, eggplant, green pepper, kelp, egg, enoki mushroom, shiitake mushroom, spinach, tomato, bean sprouts, asparagus, cauliflower, onion, lettuce.
Legumes: soybeans, browns, chickpeas, tofu, beans, green beans, lentils, string beans.
Fruits: apples, oranges, peaches, raisins, grapefruit, sorbets, carrots, grapefruit, strawberries, cherries, kumquats, grapes.
Milk: milk, low-fat milk, skim milk, low-fat cheese, black tea, yogurt, unsweetened soy milk.
Sugars and sugar alcohols: fructose, lactose, xylitol, esomat, maltitol, sorbitol.
Medium glycemic index foods (GI 56-69)
Grains: red rice, brown rice, sago, udon, wheat bread, cereal.
Vegetables: taro, lotus root, potatoes.
Meat: fish, chicken, duck, pork, lamb, beef, shrimp, crab.
Soy milk: h bean, winter flour, cream, condensed milk, fresh milk extract, yogurt.
Fruits: papaya, raisins, pineapple, bananas, mangoes, cantaloupe, kiwi, willow.
Sugar and sugar alcohols: cane sugar, honey, wine, beer, cola, coffee.
Foods with high glycemic index (GI 70 or above)
Grains: white rice, steamed buns, doughnuts, glutinous rice, white bread, oatmeal, ramen, fried rice, popcorn.
Meat: gongbao, fatty sausage, egg dumplings.
Vegetables: pumpkin, sweet potato.
Fruits: watermelon, lychee, longan, pineapple, dates.
Sugar and sugar alcohols: glucose, granulated sugar, maltose, soda, orange juice, honey.