Glycemic Index And Your Diet

Glycemic Index often referred to as GI, is a way for you to measure how foods that contain carbohydrates affect your blood sugar levels. With the Glycemic Index, each food is ranked in comparison to a base food product, either pure sugar or white bread, and given a score high, medium, or low.

Foods that rank high on the glycemic index will raise blood sugar, while lower levels are safer food choices. However, a food that scores high on the glycemic index can still be consumed; you just need to be eating smaller amounts or eat them in combination with lower ranked foods.

In most cases, your meals will need to be compiled of a balance of high and low Glycemic Index foods. What Determines the Glycemic Index Score? Each food is individually ranked on the Glycemic Index based on the number of carbohydrates found in the food. Ingredients such as fiber can lower the score given.

In most cases, foods that contain a lot of fiber will have a lower Glycemic Index score. When you eat foods high in fiber, the amount of insulin needed to process the sugar you consume will be reduced. Fiber is used and processed by sugar, so the amount left behind after processing will be much lower than food that have no fiber to process.

Some foods, such as fruit, will have a higher GI score based on whether you eat them ripe or cook them. For example, fruit juice will have a higher GI score than fresh fruit. As the fruit is cooked and processed into juice, the sugars will become more complex and have a larger impact on your blood glucose levels.

You may be under the assumption that foods like cookies and pies are the ones with a high Glycemic Index rank. However, many healthy and needed foods have a high Glycemic Index. The Glycemic Index accounts for carbohydrates which can be natural sugars, as well as processed sugars.

You should never confuse the nutritional value of a food with its Glycemic Index ranking. Some nutritious foods actually have a higher Glycemic Index score than foods made with pure sugar. For example, fresh pineapple with a GI rank of 66 is higher than M&M's candy with peanuts, ranking at 33.

Even though the M&M's are lower, this doesn't mean that you should replace the fresh fruits in your diet with candy. You will need to consume all food groups. You just need to eat highly ranked foods in the right combination with other high fiber or low carbohydrate foods. The key to using the GI rankings is eating a healthy balance.

While it would be great if you could simply use only the Glycemic Index rankings to keep your blood sugar under control? Unfortunately, that's not the case. The Glycemic Index does provide an excellent tool in managing your blood sugar, but does not include all the factors you need to consider.

While the Glycemic Index does tell the story of the carbohydrates contained in a food, it provides no information on consumption or portion size. If you are trying to develop a meal plan to manage weight or blood sugar, portion sizes must be considered. The Glycemic Index ranking of a food can change greatly if eaten alone or in large quantities.

While most experts believe that counting carbohydrates is a more effective way to manage blood sugar, using the Glycemic Index can aid in management. The Glycemic Index rankings can show you which foods are best and then you can count carbohydrates for portion control. In reality, there is no simple solution to proper management. It is often best to use a variety of tools to achieve the best results. Each person will respond differently to diets and plans. In most cases, trial and error will be your only solution.

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Glycemic Index And Your Diet

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