The GI Diet Uncovered and How it can Help Your Diabetes Management
Carbohydrates and the Glycemic Index (GI)
Carbohydrates come in different forms and they are digested by the body in different ways. A Low GI food means that it has a lower absorption rate leading to a slower rise in blood glucose levels. A High GI food is quickly absorded and can give a rapid rise in blood glucose levels.
When you are treating a Hypo, you need foods that are High GI like biscuits or glucose tablets. These get absorded by the body quickly and raise your blood sugar level fast, which is what you want when your blood sugars are low. However, when you are eating a normal meal, it is much better to eat food with low GI so they are more slowly absorded and don't lead to a large and quick peak in your blood glucose levels.
Glycemic Index Explained
The Glycemic Index goes from 0 upwards with the sugar absorption rate of white bread given a rating of 100. So if a food is 30% slower to be absorbed than white bread, it would be given a GI rating of 70. If a food is absorbed 50% faster than white bread, it would have GI of 150 and so on.
Unfortunately just knowing the GI of your food may not be enough to know how fast your blood sugar will rise when you have a complete meal. This is because the GI of a food type can be changed if you have it with something else or how you cook it. These facts along with general confusion surrounding GI have led it to be underused by Diabetics and diabetic professionals. However we believe (backed up by scientific research) that avoiding high GI foods and instead using low GI foods in a balanced diet is the right way forward. By following a low GI diet you can:
- Help avoid diabetes developing
- Improve blood glucose control
- Improve digestion (as low GI tends to be higher in Fiber)
- Help weight loss, particularly for Type 2 diabetics
7 Easy Steps to a Lower GI and Healthier Diet
Its easy to make a few simple changes to radically lower your average GI.
- Change to wholegrain bread - not white or wholemeal bread.
- Have biscuits, breakfast cereals and cakes that contain oats and whole grains.
- Do not cook fruit, eat it raw, but not overly ripe.
- Avoid old and instant potatoes - have new potatoes
- Instead of potatoes, have pasta - preferably wholewheat pasta.
- Use Soy as an occasional replacement for foods like Pasta, snack bars and drinks.
- Reduce your fat intake, particularly saturated fats
Some retailers are starting to mark the GI value of foods, one thing to watch out for is apparently low GI foods that are very high in fat, remember to keep the total fat content of your diet to 30% maximum.
Now look at dietary fat. Learn to avoid the really bad fats
More Resources
[ www.lifeclinic.com ]
[ www.mayoclinic.com ]
[ www.webmd.com ]
[ www.ediets.com/diabetes
]
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Pages in this section...
[ Diet ] [ Ideal Weight ] [ Food ] [ Carbohydrate Content ] [ GI explained ] [ Fats ] [ Protein ] [ Vitamins & Minerals ] [ Losing Weight ] [ Summary ]
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