Glycemic Index Overview, What Is The Glycemic Index?

One of the best ways to control diabetes is to use the glycemic index which ranks carbohydrates based upon how they effect the glucose levels in the blood. With diabetes reaching epidemic levels in the modern world, the glycemic index has become an essential tool that diabetics can use to empower themselves and learn which foods they need to avoid.

People with diabetes have a difficult time breaking down certain foods, particularly those high in carbohydrates. Because their digestion is slow it allows sugars and starches to be absorbed into the bloodstream which causes excess glucose in the blood. This is why diabetics are often told to limit their carbohydrate intake.


The problem is that it can be difficult for diabetics to eliminate carbohydrates from their diet which is one of the reasons why many people take no action. Because the symptoms of diabetes can be very mild or even non existent with some diabetics, particularly those with type two diabetes, many people refuse to modify their diet and continue to eat foods that are high in sugar and starch. Refusing to take action will increase the risk of developing problems later on in life.

But for those diabetics who want to take action and change their diet, the glycemic index can be very useful as it clearly ranks foods by how they effect the glucose levels in the blood. Foods that digest rapidly cause less harm and therefore have a low glycemic index rating. Foods that take longer to digest cause more harm and therefore have a high glycemic index rating.

Each food on the glycemic index is given a rating from 1 to 100. Foods that are low risk which cause less harm are given a rating of below 55 and these include fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and pastas. Foods that are medium risk which cause some harm fall between the 56 to 69 range and these include candy bars, croissants, and brown rice. Foods that are high risk which cause more harm are given a rating of above 70 and these include corn flakes, white rice, white bread, and baked potatoes.

Its essential for diabetics to understand which foods have the most impact on glucose levels in the blood if they want to control the disease and live a long and productive life. The glycemic index has many different substitutes for foods that have a high rating so diabetics can still enjoy their diet while ensuring that they are less at risk of developing problems in the future.

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by: healthar Total views: 16 Word Count: 430 Date: Sat, 16 Feb 2008 Time: 1:58 PM 0 comments