Glycemic Index… What Is It & Why It’s Important In Managing Diabetes / Your Blood Sugar

Maybe you’ve heard of it, maybe you haven’t… but if you are someone who needs to manage your blood sugar levels, the glycemic index is incredibly useful. Why? The Glycemic Index is a tool that helps you know how quickly a food with carbohydrates raises your blood sugar, so you can learn which foods raise your blood sugar more slowly, and focus on eating those.

Here are the important “To Knows” about the glycemic index:

1. Foods that raise blood sugar slowly have a low glycemic index. If you are managing your blood sugar, most of the carbohydrate-rich foods that you eat should be low or medium on the glycemic index.

2. People respond differently to the glycemic content of foods. And because many things affect the glycemic index, the only way to know for sure how a food affects your blood sugar is to check your blood sugar before and after you eat that food.

3. Eating low glycemic foods is a tool to be used in conjunction with your lower carbohydrate eating plan. Most diabetes eating plans stress lower carbohydrates, as the body breaks down simple and complex carbs into glucose. Overall, The amount of carbohydrates you eat is more important than the glycemic index of foods in helping you control your blood sugar. Remember: the glycemic index is a tool in your tool belt to manage your health.

4. If you are eating a high-glycemic food, pair it with a low-glycemic food to keep your blood sugar from rising quickly.

5. The glycemic index of a food can change depending on:

   1. The Type of Food: Example- red potato has a lower index than white potato

   2. The Ripeness of Food: Riper fruits have a higher glycemic index

   3. How Food Is Prepared: Example- chopped potato has a lower index than mashed potato

   4. How Food is Cooked: The more cooked a food is, the higher it’s glycemic index is

6. Look at the whole picture of your nutrition. Just because it’s a low-glycemic food (like ice cream) doesn’t mean you should eat it all the time.

🧐 How do you best follow a low-glycemic eating plan?

It’s all about balance! Having the knowledge of what’s low-glycemic will help you plan your meals. It doesn’t mean you have to NEVER eat a high-glycemic food. Just have the awareness of pairing it with a low one. It can be very helpful to write down what you eat, or log it on a food app, like MyFitnessPal.

Foods in the index are given a number from 0 to 100. The higher the number, the higher the glycemic index.

• Foods that raise blood sugar quickly are high.

• Foods that raise blood sugar moderately are medium.

• Foods that raise blood sugar slowly are low.

Curious about some numbers?

Low index: Apples, Oranges, Peanuts, Beans, White Rice, White Bread

High Index: Watermelon, Potato, Pumpkin, Instant Oatmeal, Cornflakes, Whole-Grain Bread

(You can get more information from the American Diabetes Association at www.diabetes.org)

Some Tips To Remember:

1. Eat unprocessed food as often as you can. Whole, unprocessed food usually has a lower glycemic index than the same food when it's processed.

2. Measure portions. You can still eat food with a high glycemic index. Many of these foods have nutrients that you need. But try to eat small portions and measure them out.

3. Choose fiber-rich foods. Most food that is high in fiber takes longer to digest and raises blood sugar slowly.

4. Remember to pair low-glycemic with high-glycemic foods. The low-glycemic food will help counter the effect of the high-glycemic food, so your blood sugar may rise more slowly.

5. Choose whole grains. Always over white bread options!

Overall, remember: for a diet with a lower glycemic index, eat: More whole grains, nuts, legumes, fruits, vegetables without starch, and less: potatoes, white rice, and white bread.

Questions? Let me know!