Glycemic Index: A Helpful for Diabetics
The glycaemic index (GI) tells us whether a carbohydrate-containing food raises blood glucose levels quickly, moderately or slowly. This means it can be useful to help you manage your diabetes.
The Glycemic Index(GI) is a number or value that tells about the rise in blood glucose level after eating a specific food. Different foods have different Glycemic Index Values. Foods are classified into three categories based on their GI values and ranked on a scale of 0-100.
Here are the three GI ratings:
Low: 55 or less
Medium: 56–69
High: 70 or above
Foods having low GI values have little effect on blood sugar levels, while High GI foods have a high effect on blood glucose levels.
Thus, Diabetics shall choose low-GI foods to better control their blood glucose levels.
Glycemic Load (GL)- A tool to Control Blood Glucose Levels
Glycemic Load(GL) measures how much blood glucose levels will rise after eating a certain amount of food.
GL tells us about the amount of Carbohydrates in our food and how much one gram of that food will raise our blood glucose levels. The Glycemic Load helps us know about the Carbs portion of our meals.
Thus, Glycemic Index and Glycemic Load are beneficial tools for controlling blood glucose levels. The difference is that Glycemic Load is specific to the amount of food, while Glycemic load does not consider the amount of food.
Calculating Glycaemic Load (GL)
The GL calculation is GI x the amount of carbohydrates (in grams) in a serving of food) ÷ 100.
For example:
An apple (GI = 40, carbohydrate = 15g).
GL of an apple = 40 x 15/100 = 6g.
References: https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/diabetes/expert-answers/diabetes/faq-20058466 https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/glycemic-index#what-it-is
Low Glycemic Index (55 or less) food:
A short list of example foods:
apple
berries
cantaloupe
grapefruit
honeydew melon
orange
peach
pear
pomegranate
chickpeas
kidney beans
lentils
mung beans
soybeans
Medium Glycemic Index (56 to 69) food:
A short list of example foods:
grapes
lychee
pineapple
raisins
white rice
brown rice
cornmeal
rice noodles
High Glycemic Index (70 or more) food:
A short list of example foods:
Jasmine rice
millet
sticky rice
bread (white and whole wheat)
Hot potato (red and white)
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