Monday, June 25, 2007

What I've learned about the Glycemic Index

I've been doing a little studying about the glycemic index (GI) recently. This was originally prompted by my doctor who told me that I should start "eating lower" on the glycemic index. Here is what I've learned so far. If anyone finds anything in error, I'd like to hear comments. Basically the glycemic index is a measurement that tells how fast a body absorbs the sugar contained in foods. Oddly enough some foods high in sugar can have a low glycemic index and visa versa. It is not the amount of sugar in food. It represents our bodies absorbtion of the sugar. A glycemic index of 50 represents a mid point. Anything greater than 50 is considered high. Anything less than 50 is considered low. Melons typically have high glycemic index. Berries are low. If crave something sweet but do not want to raise your blood sugar, stick with berries and you will be fine. Breads are generally high but varies depending on the refinement process. Generally foods that are highly processed rate high on the glycemic index. Also the way food is cooked can determine the GI. For instance a baked potato is high and a boiled potato is low, probably because the baked potato ends up with a higher sugar concentrate. Mixing foods can lower the overall GI. Generally if you add some protien with your carbs, the GI will go down. There are resources on-line you can go to to look up the GI. There are also downloadable files. The GI is not always intuitive so look it up if you are watching your blood sugar.