For people who are suffering from or at risk of developing diabetes, the glycemic index can help you choose the right food that will not make your blood sugar shoot up right away. Diabetics need to manage their blood sugar and making the right food choice can help you achieve this goal. The glycemic index lists down the desirable and undesirable foods. Visit the site for more information about the glycemic index.
The Glycemix Index
The glycemic index uses a scale of 1 – 100 to rank carbohydrate-ri8ch foods according to how much they raise blood glucose levels. Some carbs can be easily digested while others slowly. The ranking is based on how the carbohydrate food is digested compared to the standard food, which is either white bread or pure glucose. Both food have a rank of 100 on the glycemic index because they can increase the level of blood glucose quicker than any other food.
Health Benefits of Low GI Foods
If you are suffering from or at risk of diabetes, choose foods that are ranked low on the GI scale (Visit the site). They offer the following health benefits:
- They slowly raise the level of blood glucose which can boost your blood glucose level after a meal
- They are often high in fiber. These foods can make you feel full which is important in weight loss or maintenance.
- They can help boost blood cholesterol levels which is beneficial for the prevention of heart disease.
Studies have revealed that easting high GI foods can increase the risk of type 2 diabetes. So for diabetes prevention, choose lower GI foods .
Getting Started with Healthy Eating
The rank of your food on the GI scale will be affected by the way you cook them. The amount of fat or acid and the processing of the food can all affect the GI rank of the food you are cooking. Here are some tips on healthy eating and keep your blood glucose at a minimal level.
- To get a balanced meal, add proteins and some healthy fats to your carbohydrate. This will add nutritional value and reduce the total GI of your meal.
- Consider meat alternatives such as legumes. They have a low GI, rich in fiber, and contains less fat.
- Pastas have low or medium GI unless they are overcooked. For more nutritional value, add whole grain or whole wheat types.
- For diabetics, check your blood glucose level a couple of hours after eating a low GI food. See the difference between that reading and that of the reading after a similar high GI food.
