If you have diabetes, you might have heard about the glycemic index. If you don’t quite know what it is, we’ll shed some light on it and help you understand how it can help control your blood sugar.
The glycemic index focuses on carbohydrates, a nutrient found in most every food we eat. Some foods have more carbs than others, and not all carbs are alike. Some carbohydrates are digested by your body faster and can raise your blood sugar levels quickly while others are absorbed more slowly and have a more moderate effect on blood glucose. Proteins and fats don’t have as much effect on blood sugars as do carbs.
Therefore, the glycemic index ranks foods based on their carbohydrate content and their effect on blood sugar levels two to three hours after a meal. The glycemic index gives glucose a value of 100 (as a carb that raises blood sugar the fastest) and other carbs are ranked relative to glucose. Foods with higher numbers are likely to raise your blood sugar faster than foods with lower values.
Foods that have higher glycemic values include sweeter foods such as:
- Baked goods
- Processed foods
- White rice
- White bread
- Crackers and cereals
Foods that have lower glycemic values include those with more fiber and nutrients such as:
- Fruits
- Vegetables
- Beans
- Whole grains
How is the Glycemic Index Helpful to Me?
The glycemic index can help you plan meals according to your activity levels. For instance, if you have a sedentary office job, you might want to eat foods with a lower glycemic value for breakfast and lunch to keep your blood sugars from dropping rapidly throughout the day. After work, you go to gym to exercise and your blood glucose drops quickly. Now you might want to eat a food with a high glycemic value to raise your blood sugar level quickly.
It is a good idea to eat carbohydrates with low glycemic values when you will be relatively inactive, at night before going to bed, or if you will be exercising moderately for long periods of time.
On the other hand, foods with high glycemic values can raise low blood sugar levels quickly and are ideal for shorter, more intense workouts or those with physically demanding jobs.
Other Factors to Consider
If you have diabetes, the glycemic index can be a useful tool to help you plan meals, but there are other factors that can change a food’s effect on blood sugar, such as
- How the food is cooked and for how long
- Protein, fat and fiber content of the food
- Other foods eaten at the same time
- Time of day the food is eaten
- Recent activity and blood glucose levels
If you want to make changes to your diet, talk to your doctor and diabetes educator first. Together they can recommend a plan that is best for you and easiest to follow.
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