The Glycermic index is quite helpful in measuring how fast a certain food will likely raise your blood sugar. A good example would be when your blood sugar is low and continues to drop during an exercise, you would then opt to eat a carb that will make your blood sugar raise quickly. In another situation, you may eat eat a carb with lower glycemic index and lower action time, if you wish to keep your blood sugar from dropping during a mild activity. If you notice that your blood sugar has the tendency to increase after breakfast, choose a cereal that has a lower glycemic index.
There are food’s glycemic based on glocuse that is considered to be one of the fastest carbohydrates obtainable. Carbs that are faster and in higher numbers are excellent in increasing low blood sugars and covering short periods of intensive workouts. Whereas, the carbs that are slower and lower in numbers help you in the prevention of overnight drops in the blood sugar as well as for long periods of exercises.
The effect of a particular food on the blood sugar actually depends several factors including the ripeness, fiber and fat content, time of day, recent activity, blood insulin, and cooking time. Using the glycemic index is merely one of the many available methods to improve your control.
All carbohydrate foods are not created equal and they function differently in our bodies. And the glycemic index interprets such difference by ranking the carbohydrates based on its impact on the blood glucose levels. Carbs with low GI is responsible for producing the change in the insulin levels and in the blood glucose, and if you want to reduce the risk of getting diabetes and various heart diseases, then choose these low GI carbs. They are also essential to having a sustainable weight loss and long-term health.
You must avoid eating foods with very high glycemic index because they are quite harmful to your health as is pushes to the body to extremes, specifically if you are an overweight and sedentary person. Medical experts are recommending people to practice eating plenty of low GI carbs in order for them to start increasing the glucose into the blood stream, to keep the energy levels well balanced and to make people feel fuller longer in between meals.
There is a basic technique in switching your diet to a low glycemic index by doing the “this for that” approach. Through this way, it is not necessary to count numbers or do any kind of arithmetic to be able to determine that you are doing the low GI diet. Below are some examples of this approach;
• Lessen the amount of your potato intake.
• Eat lots of pasta, noodles, or quinoa.
• Your breakfast should consist of cereals that are based on barley, oats, and bran.
• Try eating Basmati or Doongara rice.
• Eat ample amounts of salad vegetables with a vinaigrette dressing.
• Opt to use breads with sour dough, stone-ground floor, and whole grains.
• Eat a variety of fruits and veggies.
However, you should not depend in the glycemic index as your sole criterion when selecting what to eat. This is because there are some essential dietary considerations to determine such as the amount and type of fat, the fiber and salt content, and the total amount of carbohydrate. In essence, the glycemic index is very helpful in knowing which high-carbohydrate foods you are supposed to eat. But, don’t get too comfortable in eating more carbohydrates than your body can take, most especially if you have diabetes. It is extremely important to consume the right amount of carbohydrate content of the foods you eat. You may do this by studying the nutritional information on the package.
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