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Why is it important to know Glycemic Index of food you consume?
Let’s understand what makes Glycemic Index an important subject to be familiar with especially in present times where diabetes is on rise year on year among greater population across the globe mostly due to sedentary lifestyle (little to or no physical activity and exercise) and regular consumption of foods rich in refined carbohydrates.
Refined carbohydrates: Not all carbohydrates are the same. Most of the whole foods that are high in carbohydrates and whose nutrients and fiber are intact are incredibly healthy; whereas foods with refined carbohydrates have had most of the nutrients and fiber removed.
Eating foods rich in refined carbohydrates is linked to drastically increased risk of many diseases, including obesity, heart disease and type-2 diabetes. Sadly, even now they are the main source of dietary carbohydrates in many countries.
The main dietary sources of refined carbohydrates are white flour (refined wheat flour/ maida), white bread, white rice, pastries, sodas, snacks, pasta, sweets, breakfast cereals and added sugars.
Since refined carbohydrates have been stripped of almost all fiber, vitamins and minerals, they can be considered as “empty” calories. They are also digested quickly, and have a high glycemic index. This means that they lead to rapid spikes in blood sugar and insulin levels after meals.
What is Glycemic Index?
The glycemic index (or GI) is a value used to measure the extent to which specific foods can raise the blood sugar (glucose) levels after consuming them.
Foods are classified as low, medium, or high glycemic foods and ranked on a scale of 0–100.
Low GI Foods: 55 or less
Medium GI Foods: 56–69
High GI Foods: 70 or above
High GI foods are those which are quickly digested, absorbed & metabolized and result in greater fluctuations in blood sugar (glucose) levels. Low GI foods, on the other hand, are those which are slowly digested, absorbed, & metabolized and result in sustained energy release as well as lesser fluctuations in blood glucose levels.
Foods high in refined carbohydrates and sugar are digested more quickly and often have a high GI, while foods high in protein, fat, or fiber typically have a low GI.
The lower the GI of a specific food, the less it may affect your blood sugar levels. Many studies have found that following a low GI diet may reduce blood sugar levels and improve blood sugar management in people with type-2 diabetes.
Here are some of the low, medium and high GI rated foods:
Low GI Foods (55 or less) | Medium GI Foods (56-69) | High GI Foods (70 or more) |
|---|---|---|
Pearl Millet Barnyard Millet Little Millet Barley Buckwheat Quinoa Chickpeas Soya Beans Kidney Beans Carrots Beans Lentils Most Fruits | Brown Rice Njavara/Navara Rice Foxtail Millet Kodo Millet Jowar/Sorghum Wheat Roti Basmati Rice Popcorn Muesli Honey Table Sugar Sweet potatoes (boiled) | Polished White Rice White Bread Whole Wheat Bread Instant Noodles & Pasta Finger Millet/Ragi Potato Chips Cakes & Cookies Watermelons Pineapples |
In conclusion, prefer to consume more of low GI rated foods, moderately medium GI rated foods (choose foods with low GI in this category) and rarely high GI foods.
Read more about GI and search for values of different products here.
Read more about low GI diet here.
Comparatively, most millet varieties have low GI values than white rice and white flour/maida. Replace your white rice or maida based products with millet based foods and other low GI foods and stay healthy!!
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Source Credits: Literature on Internet
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