Glycemic Index Help
I was just told to go on a Low glycemic index diet?
Can anyone help me, please tell me what I can have on that diet?
Public Comments
- low glycemic are slower burning carbs - i.e. more complex sugar. Good sources are sweet potatoes, brown rice. medium glycemic would be processed white rice. High glycemic are sodas, candy, processed fruit juice (things with high fructose corn syrup). The index is based on glucose, which is given the index of 100, and everything else is compared to that. The following is copied from the source listed below: The Glycemic Effect Bottom line: insulin is triggered by the consumption of simple carbohydrates. Except when you want to intentionally spike your insulin levels, you should choose carbohydrates that trigger a minimal release of insulin. These are called low-glycemic carbohydrates. Low glycemic carbs are generally ones that are digested slowly. Think "unprocessed". Carbs that are detached from fiber are digested much more rapidly and cause that spike in blood glucose. Lack of fiber is also by far the most common cause of irregularity. Here are a few examples of low & high glycemic foods: Low glycemic: apples, oranges, pears, plums, grapes, bananas (firm), grapefruit and other whole, low-sugar fresh fruits, oatmeal, brown rice, "Converted" rice, spaghetti and egg fettuccine (surprisingly), whole-wheat pasta, bran cereal, barley, bulgur, basmati, Kashi and other whole grains, beans, peas (esp. chick and black-eyed), lentils, whole corn, sweet potato, yams, milk (preferably low-fat), partial-protein carbohydrates such as yogurt and soy, and even "sugar" in the form of fructose (found in fruits) or lactose (found in dairy products), but not as glucose or maltose. High glycemic: fruit juice, white bread, most "wheat" bread (which is usually just white bread with a little fiber added), white rice, baked white potato, bagels, croissants, pretzels, graham crackers, vanilla wafers, waffles, corn chips, cornflakes, cake, jelly beans, sugary drinks, Gatorade, beer. Note that high glycemic foods are often either white or highly processed. IMPORTANT : When you eat a portion of carbohydrates, the overall glycemic effect depends on how much of that food you eat. Rutabaga has twice the glycemic index of apples, for example. But you're still better off eating 10 grams of carbohydrate as Rutabaga than eating 30 grams of carbohydrate as apples. Always remember that portion size matters as much as the glycemic index does. As another example, I encourage people to eat carrots, even though carrots have a high glycemic index. You'd simply have to eat a bunch of carrots just to have the same glycemic impact as a single piece of white bread. So remember - portion size matters. If you let your portions get out of control, nothing will help you.
