Skip to main content

Food Trends: The Glycemic Index

Glycemic Index (GI) measures how much a fifty gram portion of carbohydrate raises a person’s blood sugar level compared to a control. In 1981 it was originally developed as a tool to help Diabetics help manage blood sugar control.  Now more people are familiar with the GI as it is cited in popular ‘fad’ diets such as the South Beach Diet. 

The GI ranges from 0-100.  An index less than 55 symbolizes a low GI food, 56-69 is a moderate GI food and any food that has a GI score greater than 70 is considered a high GI food.  The lower the GI the better as it is suggested that the rate of absorption and digestion is slower, therefore allowing an individual to feel fuller longer.  Higher GI foods tend to rapidly release into the bloodstream and are broken down quickly, leaving one feeling hungry shortly after consumption.

It is thought that low GI foods can control appetite and weight and also be useful for Pre-Diabetes and Diabetes.  Research is being conducted as we speak on whether the glycemic index is a more appropriate technique than carbohydrate counting for Pre Diabetes and Diabetes.

As a reference, low GI foods tend to be foods that are higher in fiber and nutrient dense such as your raw fruits and vegetables and whole wheat products.  Take a look at the table below to distinguish your high verse low GI foods.

Low GI Foods
High GI Foods
Lentils
Soybeans
Spaghetti
Baked beans
All Bran
Apple
Orange
Peach
Milk
Yogurt
Pumpernickel bread
Sweet Potato
Peanuts
Cornflakes
Cheerios
Watermelon
Gatorade
White Bread
White Rice
Jasmine Rice
Popcorn
Baked Potato
Ice Cream


To find out the glycemic index of foods you routinely consume utilize the GI Database at http://www.glycemicindex.com/.  You can also go to www.glycemicgourmet.com for low GI recipes.  Are you someone who eats higher GI foods?  Try to substitute with low GI foods and let me know if you feel a difference.  Good luck and be well!
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Make it Happen

Parents, I see you. I see you putting everyone else's needs in front of yours. I see your dark circles under your eyes, your gray hair, that your wasting away, or that you've collectively gained weight over the years. It's time to put yourselves first because if you don't take care of yourself you won't be around to keep taking care of everyone else. So often friends, acquaintances, or clients say to me, "I don't know how you find the time to exercise." "How can you take the time away from everything else and get away to exercise?" "I wish I could actually focus on myself and exercise." Exercise to me is self care. It produces endorphins faster than any other activity I engage in. It  reduces my stress, keeps me healthy, increases flexibility, and gives me more energy to be on point with my busy kids and my demanding job. My exercise isn't extravagant and it doesn't take too much time. Here's my secret. I always
Post a Comment
Read more

Why this Dietitian Cares more about your PREbiotics than your PRObiotic Pill

Clients ask me all the time what I think of their brand of probiotic or which one they should start taking.  Studies have shown that probiotic supplements definitely have their place in certain circumstances (that’s a whole other blog for another time), but my bigger concern is... what are you feeding the ones you have already? “Probiotics” is just a fancy word for helpful bacteria.  Even if you don’t take a pill, you have these little guys in your digestive track.  The problem right now is that current probiotic supplements can only include the bacteria that scientists have been able to 1) identify and 2) put in a pill without them dying right away.   However, we (probiotic and non-probiotic users alike) have so many different strains of bacteria (somewhere in the neighborhood of billions) who do so much good for us such as make vitamins and help battle bad bacteria.  BUT - just like us - they need to eat!  A recent study showed that a diet high in protein is not in their
Post a Comment
Read more

To The Bones- A review from a dietitian

Friday July 14th, Netflix premiered the movie To The Bone.  Prior to the premier many had opinions of the movie. Some were fearful that it would glorify an Eating Disorder, some felt the movie would put too much focus on extremely thin patients with Eating Disorders neglecting those that are within normal weight but still extremely sick, and many had a lot of opinions about the lead actress who lost a significant amount of weight for the role disclosing she is in recovery for an Eating Disorder. My colleagues and I discussed the pretense of the movie, I communicated to families that the movie was coming out in case their daughters and sons watched the movie, and Friday I went home from work and viewed the movie. Although Hollywood has a way of sensationalizing everything there was a lot that the movie got right. The opening scene where Ellen counts the calories as soon as she sees the food is a good depiction of how someone with an Eating Disorder thinks. Food is not sensual it i
Post a Comment
Read more