Know The Glycemic Index Of Your Food

By: arpita

• Nutrients

July 9, 2009

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Carbohydrates, present in the food that we eat, are broken down to form glucose. Insulin secreted by the pancreas helps our body to absorb the glucose. Not all forms of carbohydrates work in the same way in our body.

Carbohydrates can be either good or bad. To help us understand the benefits of the carbohydrates present in foods, glycemic index (GI) is used for ranking foods.

Glycemic Index ranking

Following the glycemic index, foods are ranked on a scale from zero to 100. The rank is determined according to the ability of a particular food to raise the blood sugar level after eating. Foods that have high glycemic index are speedily digested and absorbed by our body. They are responsible for rapid fluctuations in the blood sugar level. On the other hand, foods with low glycemic index are slowly digested and absorbed by the body. A low glycemic index food would gradually raise the blood sugar level.

Benefits of low glycemic index foods

Foods that have low glycemic index are beneficial for our health. The slow pace of digestion of low GI foods, keeps our stomach full for a long time. By delaying hunger, low glycemic index foods are ideal for losing weight.

Since the rate of digestion and absorption of carbohydrates is low in foods with low glycemic index, they aid in better utilization of insulin. This is especially beneficial for type 2 diabetes patients. In type 2 diabetes, the pancreas for various reasons produces insufficient insulin.

Insulin resistance is least in low glycemic index foods. Food with glycemic index less than 55 are low glycemic foods. Moderate GI foods are those with glycemic index between 55 and 70. Foods with glycemic index above 70 are high GI foods.

Low glycemic index diet

Compared to cooked vegetables raw vegetables have low glycemic index. Higher the amount of dietary fiber in a food, lower will by its GI. However, sometimes while dealing with healthy foods, you might find, that glycemic index are quite confusing.

Sometimes you might find foods, such as ice creams or butter, have low glycemic index. In fact, protein rich foods contain very little carbohydrates, but presence of unhealthy fats makes them worse than several high glycemic index foods. Therefore, while choosing your food according to glycemic index, you should choose low carbohydrate foods, instead of low carbohydrate foods.

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