Consuming some foods, like refined sugars and carbohydrates like bread, can cause a spike in blood sugar. This is because they are more easily converted into glucose, which is used to replenish the body’s energy, rather than slowly digested carbohydrates like vegetables and whole grains. Eating a lot of these easily ingested carbohydrates makes it difficult to control blood sugar, even with insulin and diabetes medications.
The glycemic index provides a way for people with diabetes to identify the “good carbs” that are slow to convert from the “bad carbs” that are fast to convert. It can be used to fine-tune the carbohydrate index and help keep blood sugar stable.
What is the glycemic index?
What is the glycemic index?
The glycemic index is a numerical value.
The glycemic index is a number that helps understand how quickly the body converts carbohydrates in food into glucose. Two foods that have the same amount of carbohydrates may have different glycemic indexes.
The smaller the number, the less effect the food has on your blood sugar.
- Not greater than 55= low (good);
- 56 to 69= moderate;
- Not less than 70= high (poor).
The glycemic index of foods can be viewed on their bags, and lists of common foods can be found on the Internet. Harvard University has a list of over 100 foods with glycemic indexes. You can also ask a dietitian or nutrition counselor.
Primary unprocessed foods found in nature tend to have a lower glycemic index than refined and processed foods.
The glycemic index can change
This number is just a written value. Depending on a few things, the final glycemic index of the food presented will vary.
- Preparation phase. Foods with fat, fiber, and acids (such as lemon juice or vinegar) can lower the glycemic index. When cooking starchy foods (such as pasta), the longer you cook them, the higher the glycemic index.
- Food ripeness. The glycemic index of fruits such as bananas rises with the ripeness of the fruit.
- Eating at the same time as other foods. By combining high glycemic index foods with low glycemic index foods, you can lower the overall glycemic index of your diet.
Age, how physically active you are, and how quickly you digest food can also affect how your body responds to carbohydrates. If you have gastroparesis, a complication of diabetes, it can reduce the rate at which your stomach empties food and your body absorbs food more slowly.
Broad direction: glycemic load and with good meals
The glycemic index should not be the only criterion for choosing foods. In fact, just because a food has a low glycemic index doesn’t mean it’s healthy or that it should be eaten more often. Caloric, vitamin and mineral content are also important.
For example, potato chips have a lower glycemic index than oatmeal and roughly the same as green peas. But oatmeal and green peas are more nutrient dense.
Serving sizes of foods are also important. The more carbohydrates you eat, the greater the effect on your blood sugar. This is the glycemic load, which can be seen in the list along with the glycemic index, which can be thought of as the glycemic index for a specific amount of food.
Glycemic load helps to calculate both the quantity and quality of carbohydrates. Below 10 is low; above 20 is high.
To go on a diet with a lower glycemic load, you can choose:
- Eat more whole grains, nuts, legumes, fruits, starch-free vegetables, and other low-glycemic-index foods;
- Eat fewer foods with a high glycemic index, such as potatoes, white rice, and white bread;
- Reducing the intake of sugary foods, including candy, cookies, cakes, and sweetened beverages.
It’s still possible to eat foods with a high glycemic index, just in small amounts, and then offset them with nutrient-rich, low-glycemic index foods.