What Is Glycemic Index & List Of Foods With Their GI

Glycemic index (GI) is a value given to foods depending on how quickly or slowly they increase blood glucose levels. Foods with lower GI digest slowly and do not increase blood glucose levels rapidly, which is not the case with high-GI foods.

Wondering why your diet plan is not yielding desirable results? Well, chances are that you have not made the best food choices. Knowing all about GI helps you determine which foods suit your diet and which do not.

In this article, we have classified foods based on GI (low, medium, or high) and discussed which foods are ideal for you. Keep reading to learn more!

In This Article

What Is Glycemic Index?

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The glycemic index is a value assigned to foods based on how slowly or quickly they increase blood glucose (sugar) levels.

Glucose is given a value of 100. If the test food is assigned a value below 100, that food is expected to impact your blood sugar lesser than glucose. If the test food is assigned a value over 100, that food is expected to impact your blood sugar more than glucose.

Low GI foods tend to aid weight loss while high glycemic index foods help with energy recovery after exercise or offset hypoglycemia (low blood glucose levels) (1).

But, hold on! How does that even make sense? Is it just another fancy number game?

Absolutely not!

Why Should Glycemic Index Matter?

It would matter because foods having a low glycemic index (GI) tend to release blood glucose slowly and steadily. Foods having high glycemic index release blood glucose rapidly.

The glycemic index classification of foods is used as a tool to assess prevention and treatment for diseases. Especially those where glycemic control is of importance – like diabetes. Glycemic management is important for people with diabetes, as high blood sugar levels can lead to complications.

Low GI diets improve the serum lipid profile, reduce C-reactive protein (CRP) concentrations, and aid weight control.

Such foods are also associated with higher levels of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C). Including them in your diet can decrease the risk of developing diabetes and cardiovascular disease (2).

Alright, if it is so important, how do we know the glycemic value of the foods we eat every day?

Worry not! In the following sections, we have listed groups of ingredients that have low and high glycemic indices.

Keep this in mind while looking at the charts:

High GI: Food is assigned a value of 70 or higher.
Medium GI: Food is assigned a value of 56-69.
Low GI: Food is assigned a value of 55 or less.

Now, take a close look at the groups below and see which ones can you include in your regimen (3).

Note: The GI values of a few items are in terms of average ± standard error of mean (SEM.)

In This Article

1. Fruits And Fruit Products
2. Vegetables
3. High-Carbohydrate Foods
4. Breakfast Cereals
5. Dairy Products
6. Legumes
7. Snacks

1.

Fruits And Fruit Products

Image: Shutterstock

2. Vegetables

Image: Shutterstock

3.

High-Carbohydrate Foods

Related: 12 Best Carbohydrate-Rich Foods And Their Benefits

4. Breakfast Cereals

Image: Shutterstock

Related: 9 Vitamin B12 Rich Cereals You Should Include In Your Diet

5.

Dairy Products

Related: 6 Important Benefits Of Milk, Nutrition, And Side Effects

Quick Tip

Milk products have a lower GI because they have higher fat and protein content. Similarly, ice cream has a low GI because it contains a lot of fat.

6. Legumes

Image: Shutterstock

7.

Snacks

Isn’t that a long enough list to set an entire week’s glycemic diet plan?

I already have a few recipes with the low and medium GI foods in my mind. I’m sure you would have some as well!

Before you rush to your kitchen with those creative recipes, take a step back and think.

How Is Glycemic Index Calculated?

GI is a relative measure. It is usually expressed relative to glucose (control food).

Typically, healthy volunteers are given a test food that provides 50 grams (g) of carbohydrate. On a different day, a control food (white, wheat bread or pure glucose) that provides the same amount of carbohydrate is given.

Blood samples for the determination of glucose concentrations are taken prior to eating, and at regular intervals for a few hours after eating. The changes in blood glucose concentration over time are plotted as a curve.

The GI is calculated as the incremental area under the glucose curve (iAUC) after the test food is eaten, divided by the corresponding iAUC after the control food (pure glucose) is consumed.

Simply put, this is the formula used:

What Is Glycemic Load?

The glycemic load (GL) is a measure that takes into account the planned portion size of a food item as well as its glycemic index.

For those interested, here’s some math:

Quick Tip

Watermelon may have a high GI, but a serving contains so few carbohydrates that it has a glycemic load of only 5. This is because glycemic load takes into account the portion too.

What’s My Take?

Glycemic index is an easy and simple way of analyzing what goes into your body or is a measure to analyze the extent of change in blood glucose in your body(glycemic response). It can also help you choose healthier alternatives for your daily meals. By choosing foods with a lower glycemic index, individuals can help support healthy metabolism and blood sugar regulation.

Understanding the glycemic impact of the foods you eat may help you maintain good health and maintain a stable glycemic variability, which refers to the oscillation of blood glucose of a person throughout the day.

GI values can vary depending on the ripeness of the food, the degree of processing, and the cooking method.

Moreover, a lower GI value does not necessarily mean the food is a better choice. For example, a chocolate candy bar and a cup of brown rice may both have a GI of 55, but the overall nutritional value is very different.

The glycemic index (GI) of a specific food can be calculated based on how slow or fast it spikes blood glucose levels. This is important for individuals with diabetes or those who are at risk for developing diabetes, as high blood sugar levels can lead to insulin resistance and other health complications. Maintaining a healthy glycemic balance or glycemic stability and glycemic regulation is key to prevent these conditions. Low GI diets can further slow down the glycemic effect of a meal and may aid in weight management, improve serum lipid profile, and decrease the risk of cardiovascular disease and diabetes. Understanding the glycemic level of the foods we eat can help us make healthier choices and maintain glycemic balance for optimal health. While fruits and vegetables like apples, grapefruits, pears, carrots, and green peas have low GI values, watermelon, boiled potato, and instant mashed potato have high GI values. That said, foods with a lower GI value may not always be recommended if they have a poor nutritional value. Hence, always check the nutritional profile of foods before consuming.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is peanut butter low glycemic?

Yes. Both peanuts and peanut butter have a low glycemic index and raise blood sugar levels slowly after meals.

Is cheese low GI?

Yes. Cheese has a low glycemic index, and its consumption does not result in blood sugar spikes.

Is papaya low glycemic?

No, papaya has a GI index of 60, which means it is a medium or moderate GI food that tends to be on the lower GI side.

Why are foods such as meat and butter not on the glycemic index?

Meats are largely made up of proteins and fats while butter is a high-fat food. Since GI is a measure of how rapidly carbohydrate-containing foods raise blood sugar levels, these two ingredients are usually absent from this system.

How can I incorporate low glycemic index foods into my diet and meal planning?

You can look up low glycemic index foods present in your area, grocery store, or farmer’s market and then plan out meals and search for recipes that feature them. Choose whole organic foods over processed ones and ensure your meals are nutrient-dense and balanced.

Key Takeaways

• The glycemic index determines how various foods impact blood sugar levels.
• Increase the intake of low glycemic index foods in your diet, as consumption of those won’t spike blood sugar levels.
• Avoid food that spikes blood sugar levels, such as cakes and bread.
• Foods with low GI may aid in weight loss.

References

1. “Glycemic index for 60+ foods” Harvard Health Publishing, Harvard Medical School.
2. “The glycemic index: physiological significance” Journal of the American College of Nutrition, US National Library of Nutrition.
3. “International Tables of Glycemic Index…” Diabetes Care, US National Library of Medicine.
4. “Glycemic index and glycemic load…” Oregon State University Extension.

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Diabetes Nutrition Guide: Fruits & Vegetables

The glycemic index (GI) is one nutritional tool you can use to help rate the quality of carbohydrates that you eat.

The glycemic index measures how quickly the carbohydrates in a specific food impact your blood sugar.

Foods are rated low, medium, or high on the glycemic index, depending on how quickly they raise your blood sugar level, compared to either glucose or white bread (these foods have a glycemic index rating of 100).

By choosing low glycemic index foods, you can minimize dramatic increases in your blood sugar.

Additionally, if you eat a high glycemic index food, you can expect that it’ll increase your blood sugar more significantly. It may also cause a higher post-meal blood sugar reading.

Many factors can change the glycemic index of a food. These factors include its composition and how the food is cooked. The glycemic index of food also changes when foods are mixed together.

The glycemic index of food isn’t based on a normal serving of a particular food. For example, carrots have a high glycemic index, but to get the amount measured for carrot’s glycemic index you’d have to eat a pound and a half.

A different measure, called glycemic load, is also available.

This measure takes into account both the speed of digestion and the amount present in a normal serving of a food. This may be a better way to measure the impact a carbohydrate food has on blood sugar.

To assign a GI number, foods are assigned to one of three categories: low, medium, or high.

• Low GI foods have a GI of 55 or less.
• Medium GI foods are between 56 and 69.
• High GI foods are 70 or higher.

For glycemic load, under 10 is considered low, 10 to 20 is considered medium, and over 20 is consider high.

Several factors are taken into account when assigning a food a glycemic rating.

These factors include:

Acidity

Foods that are highly acidic, such as pickles, tend to be lower on the GI than foods that aren’t. This explains why breads made with lactic acid, such as sourdough bread, are lower on the GI than white bread.

Cooking time

The longer a food is cooked, the higher it tends to be on the GI. When a food is cooked, the starch or carbohydrates start to break down.

Fiber content

In general, foods that are high in fiber have lower glycemic ratings.

The fibrouscoatings around beans and seeds mean the body breaks them down more slowly. Therefore, they tend to be lower on the glycemic scale than foods without this coating.

Processing

As a general rule, the more processed a food is, the higher it is on the glycemic scale. For example, fruit juice has a higher GI rating than fresh fruits.

Ripeness

The more ripe a fruit or vegetable, the higher it tends to be on the GI.

While there are certainly exceptions to each rule, these are some general guidelines to follow when evaluating the potential blood sugar impact of a particular food.

Eating according to the GI can help you better manage your post-meal blood sugar levels. The GI can also help you determine appropriate combinations of food.

For example, eating several low GI fruits and vegetables combined with a high GI food can help you maintain better blood sugar control. Other examples include adding beans to rice, a nut butter to bread, or tomato sauce to pasta.

Choosing foods with low glycemic impact can help to keep your blood sugar levels low. However, you must also carefully adhere to the portion sizes recommended. Glycemic ratings aren’t only for those with diabetes.

Those trying to lose weight or decrease hunger also utilize the GI as a diet because it can control appetite. Because the food takes longer to digest in the body, a person can feel fuller for longer.

The glycemic index helps you pick higher quality carbohydrates. However, it’s the total carbohydrate loads in your diet that ultimately affect blood sugar levels.

Choosing low glycemic foods can help, but you must also manage the total carbohydrates that you consume.

Also, the GI doesn’t take into account the overall nutritional value of a food. For example, just because microwave popcorn is in the middle of GI foods, doesn’t mean you should live only on microwave popcorn.

When you start on a diet to manage your diabetes, the American Diabetes Association recommends that you meet with a registered dietitian who’s familiar with diabetes.

There are many meal plans available. Make sure to ask how you can use information on the glycemic index to best manage your blood sugar levels.

Eating healthy is important to controlling diabetes. Fruits and vegetables are an important part of a healthy diet.

Knowing both the glycemic index as well as the glycemic load of some of the more common fruits and vegetables will help you choose your favorites to incorporate into your daily diet.

According to the Harvard Health Publication, they are as follows:

When you use the glycemic index when planning meals, you’ll be able to better manage your blood sugar levels. You’ll also be able to find and choose foods that you enjoy. You can then incorporate them into a healthy diet plan.

Managing blood sugar levels through diet is an extremely important part of managing your diabetes.

Food glycemic index (table) – tool on difoodlover.com

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In the modern world, food has become not just a way to get energy, but also an important component of the way of life of mankind as a whole. People began to pay more attention to the “right” foods, as well as their energy value in the form of calories, proteins, fats and carbohydrates. But what if not only this is important in food, if there is another important point without which nutrition will not be 100% healthy and healthy? Interesting? Then let’s talk about such a property of food as the glycemic index and the accompanying glycemic load of foods.

What is the glycemic index?

The glycemic index (GI) is a conditional coefficient that shows how carbohydrates from foods affect blood sugar (glucose) levels. Thus, the lower the glycemic index of foods, the slower they are absorbed by the body, which means that blood sugar rises slowly and smoothly, as does insulin. An indicator for comparing the glycemic index of different products is considered to be pure glucose, the GI of which is 100. The glycemic index shows a comparison of the same amount of carbohydrates from a food product and glucose and allows you to divide carbohydrates into fast and slow. The GI is lower in unprocessed foods, for example, carrot juice has a higher GI than raw carrots.

What is the glycemic load?

Glycemic load (GL) is a coefficient that indicates the increase in blood sugar levels after a meal. Unlike the glycemic index, it not only determines the quality of carbohydrates, but also their actual quantity. The higher the glycemic load, the more the blood sugar rises after a meal.

How to calculate the glycemic load?

The glycemic load of foods is calculated as simply as possible, so you can calculate any foods yourself. To calculate, you need only 2 values, 1 – the amount of carbohydrates per 100 g of the product, 2 – the glycemic index of the product, the third constant number for calculating any product will be 100.

The formula itself looks like this:

Carbohydrates (per 100 g of product) × Glycemic index

100

And for example, let’s calculate the GL of dates with you. They have 69.2 g of carbohydrates per 100 g, their glycemic index is 103. Thus, we calculate according to the above formula: 69.2 * 103 / 100 = 71.2. We round up to 71 – this is the glycemic load of dates.

The GI of foods is divided into 3 categories, depending on which you can understand which of the foods are absorbed too quickly, and which of them saturate for a long time and increase blood sugar slowly.

High glycemic index

High GI means that the food you eat will cause an instant spike in blood glucose and will be absorbed too quickly, so you will want to eat again soon, even if you ate a fairly large portion. A sharp jump in glucose is not physiological, the body will not have time to waste the energy received, so it will begin to form body fat. A high index starts from a coefficient of 70 and above.

9 0052 83

9 0058

High Glycemic Index Chart

Product	Glycemic Index	Carbs (per 100g)	Glycemic Load
Couscous 9005 3	70	23
White sugar	70	100
Brown Sugar	70	98
Potato Chips	70	53
Barley	70	62.1
Soft wheat noodles	70 90 053	71
Croissant Coca-Cola “, Pepsi-Cola and similar)	70	10.6
Chocolate Batonchik (” Mars “,” Snickers “,” Twix “and the like) 9005	70 9	47
Millet	71	66. 5
Lasagne (soft wheat) 900 53	75	71.2
Rice porridge with milk	75	20
French baguette	75	53.3
Watermelon	75	5.8 900 53
Pumpkin	75	7.7
Sweet Donut	76	43
80	3.9
Muesli with nuts and raisins	80	60
Cracker	80	61
Mashed Potatoes	77
Rice pudding in milk	85	23
Ugular popcorn	85	66
84
Bulles for hamburgers	85	41
Carrots (boiled or stewed)	85	6
Popcore n (simple)	89	74
Instant rice	90	77
White rice (glutinous)	90	78
Honey	90	82
Gluten-free white bread	90	43. 4
Canned apricots	91	21
Rice noodles	92	25
Pancakes	95	26
Fried potatoes	95	23.5
Baked potatoes	95	19
Buns	95	55.5
Rutabaga	99	8.9
White bread	100	48.2
White bread toast	100	49.5
Modified starch	100	78.2
Glucose	100
Dates	103	69.2
Maltodextrin	105 9 0053	96

Medium Glycemic Index

Medium GI means that the food consumed will be digested a little slower and glucose will rise more smoothly. However, there is a spread of numbers here, and the closer the number is to a smaller number, the better, since the product will normally saturate and, if adequate portions are observed, the body will not store fat. The average index ranges from 55 to 70.

9 0058

900 52 55

900 58

9 0037

Average Glycemic Index Table

Product	Glycemic Index	Carbs (per 100g)	Glycemic Load
Prunes 9005 3	40	64
Dried apricots	40	63
Carrot juice (no sugar)	40	7
al dente pasta	40	36.5
Dried figs breakfasts (without sugar and honey)	43	67
Whole grain toast	45	20.7
Orange fresh	45	10
Coconut	45 900 53	15
Basmati brown rice	45	62. 3
Canned green peas	45 9005 3	7.3
Grapefruit juice (no sugar)	45	10
Cranberry (fresh or frozen)	47	3.9
Apple juice (no sugar)	50	11
Brown rice	50	23
Oranges	50	12 9 0053
Persimmon	50	34
Mango	50	15
Lychee	50	17
Pineapple juice without sugar	50	12.7 9 0053
Quinoa	50	57.1
Kiwi	50	15
Cranberry juice (no sugar)	50	0.9
Basmati rice	50	80
Shortcake	55	44. 8
Canned Peaches	10.27
Bulgur	55	76
Sweet Potato (Yam)	55 90 053	20
Sushi	55	18
Spaghetti	55	31
Mustard	55	5
Grape juice	55	15
Grapes	55	17
Ketchup	55	26 90 053
Grape juice (no sugar)	55	16
Canned sweet corn	57	20.98
Arabic pita	57	50
Fresh papaya 9 0053	59	9.12
Cocoa powder (with added sugar) Buckwheat (brown)	60	75
Oatmeal	60	10. 3
Melon	60	8
Mayonnaise, 67% fat	60 9005 3	3.7
Long grain rice	60	80
Ice cream (with added sugar)	60	28.3
Chestnut	60	28
Banana	60	23
Wheat flour pancakes	62	29.4
Macaroni and cheese	6 4	23
Canned vegetables	65	5
Whole grain bread	65	4 1
Sorbent	65	31
Boiled potatoes in their skins	65	21
Rye bread	65	48
Maple syrup	67
Raisins	65	79
Canned Pineapple	6 5	12. 65
Muesli with sugar	65	62.2
Marmalade 9 0053	65	66
Black yeast bread	65	14.3 naya)	65	10
Jam	65	74
Jam	65	69
Orange juice	65	10
66	72
Fresh pineapple	66	10.6
Manka	69	76

Low glycemic index

Low GI indicates that food will be digested slowly, and blood sugar will rise for a long time and as slowly as possible, which is just fine for the body, as saturation will be long , and food with such an index is usually healthy. The body will spend a lot of energy processing such food, so it will have nothing to store in fat.

9005 2 2.9

90 052 11.1

9 0058

tomato | Tomato (fresh)

900 52 30

9005 9005 9005 9005 9005 9005 9005 9005 9005 9005 9005 9005 9005 9005 9005 9005 9005 9005 9005 9005 9005 9005 9005 9005 9005 9005 9005 9005 9005 9005 9ATH 52 20.4

9 0052 35

Low Glycemic Index Chart

Product	Glycemic Index	Carbohydrates (per 100g)	Glycemic Load
Parsley	5	6
Basil	5	2.7 Vanillin	5	87.6
Cinnamon	5	81
Oregano	5	26.4
Lettuce	9
Flaxseed	10	5.7
Chia seeds	10	42
Avocado	10	9
Soya	15
Pickled and pickled cucumbers	15	2.3
Peanuts	15	16
Olives	15	6
Leek	15	14
Pesto	15	5. 7
52 9
Zucchini	15	5
Fungi	15	3.3
	15	18
Asparagus	15	3.9
15	14
Pistachios	15	13
Hazelnut	15	17
Fresh cucumber	15 90 053	3.6
Chilli pepper 15 Bran 2 15	66
Celery	15	2
Cashew	15	30
Cabbage	15	6
Broccoli	15	4
Almonds	15	13
Soy yogurt 053
Eggplant	20	6
Artichoke	20	11	900 46
Blackberry	20	10
Peanut butter (no sugar)	20	17. 5
Gooseberries	25	9.1
Pumpkin seeds	25 900 53	54
Strawberry	25	8
Strawberry	25	8
Soy flour	25	21.7
Redcurrant	25	7.7
Fresh raspberries	25	13
Green lentils	25	48.8
Cherry	25	12
Fresh mandarin	30	7.5
Passion fruit	30	23
Milk (any fat content)	30	4.7
Almond milk	30	3.5
Dark chocolate (more than 70% cocoa)	30	34
Cowberry	30	8. 2
Blueberry 14
Blueberry	30	14
Yellow lentil	30	57.4	30	3.8
Fresh pear	30	11
Jam (without sugar)	30	3.6
Fresh beets	30	6.7
Fresh carrot	30	6.5
Yeast	30	41
Garlic	30	29.9
Green beans	30	7
Grapefruit	30 9005 3	11
Lentil Brown	30	16.1
Apricot	11
Soy milk	30	6 053	41
Tomato juice	33	4. 2
Compote (no sugar)	34	2
Peach	34	10
Pomegranate	34	19
Nectarine	34	11
Beans 0053	47
Ice Cream on fructose	34	20.4
Dried tomatoes	34	23
Factosis		35
low -fat natural yogurt	35	7.7
Soy sauce (no sugar)	35	6.2
Fresh quince	3 5	15.3
Fresh Plum	35	10
Sesame	23
Chinese noodles	35	56. 9
Vermicelli 9 0053	35	82
Fresh green peas	35 0053	35	3.2
Fresh apple 0053	35	61
Wild (black) rice	35	75

Meat, poultry, game, fish, offal, eggs have a GI of 0 because they have no carbohydrates. But this only applies to the pure product. Fried foods in batter, stews in sauces, and other processed foods will no longer have a zero index depending on the cooking method and other factors.

There are also 3 categories of GI diets, and they are different from those above, but we do not use diets in the table, since your nutrition depends only on you: on your products, how they are prepared and additives:

• High ( from 60 and above)
• Medium (from 45 to 60)
• Low (45 and below)

The influence of the glycemic index on the body

The influence of GI is underestimated by many, although it has a rather strong effect on the body. If we summarize the above lines, we can understand that foods with a high index are fast carbohydrates. Fast carbohydrates also act on the body quickly, are quickly absorbed and quickly increase insulin, after which glucose drops sharply. These include, for example, a bun with jam or sweet soda. You may have noticed that after a sweet bun with tea, you almost immediately feel hungry, and soda encourages you to eat even more than usual. This is due to the fact that fast carbohydrates do not saturate and stimulate the appetite, which is why fast food restaurants like to sell soda so much that your appetite will play out as much as possible and you will eat not 1 burger, but all 2, or even 3. Such food should be treated with caution, as in the long run it can increase the percentage of body fat, especially if your lifestyle is sedentary. Therefore, try to give preference to products with medium and low GI.

If you go to an intense workout and eat the same candy bar, it will provide you with a quick energy boost and it will be easier for you to work out, while the energy received will be used during training. But if you eat a candy bar and lie down to watch a series, then the body will have nowhere to spend energy, so it will be converted into body fat.

How to lower the glycemic index of foods?

It is impossible to affect the product itself by lowering its GI, since it is already the way it is. However, there are some factors that affect the glycemic index of foods:

• Fiber – the more fiber in a dish, the lower its GI. Therefore, nutritionists recommend enriching the diet with fresh vegetables as much as possible.
• Heat Treatment – The longer a product has been heat treated, the easier it is to digest, which means that its GI is higher. So, for example, the GI of viscous porridge is higher than that of crumbly porridge.
• Ripeness of berries and fruits – very ripe and overripe fruits and berries contain more sugar, which means their index is higher. Try to eat moderately ripe fruits so that their index is not off scale.
• Vegetable fats – if vegetable fats, oils are added to the usual products, then their GI will decrease, since fats slow down the absorption of food.
• Acidity – Adding a little lemon juice or vinegar to a salad will help you lower its glycemic index.
• Sugar – there is no need to say that sugar is glucose, and its index is incredibly high, so try not to abuse a cup of tea with sugar once again.
• Salt – Salt accelerates the absorption of glucose, so salty foods have a higher GI than non-salty foods.

Conclusion

Thus, the glycemic index of food is a very important element that you should pay attention to for your health and gastrointestinal comfort. It is especially necessary to pay attention to it for people with high blood sugar, since in this case its value is of particular importance.

Why do you need the glycemic index of foods

Sports and fitness

June 1, 2016

To create a menu yourself, you need to take into account many product parameters. Today we are talking about what the glycemic index is, how it affects the accumulation of fat, and whether all foods with a high glycemic index are so bad.

Good and bad carbohydrates

Most diets are oriented in one way or another to exclude something from the diet. For a while, this usually works. But if you stick to a diet for a long time, you can pretty much harm the digestive system and the body as a whole. Avoiding one of the nutrients, be it fat or carbohydrates, is not a good idea. It is better to figure out which foods will bring more benefits for the same calories.

Carbohydrates are the main source of energy for humans. Once in the body, carbohydrates are converted into glucose, which is used by cells for energy. Delivery occurs with the help of a transport hormone – insulin. If there is not enough insulin, blood sugar levels rise. In response, a healthy body produces more insulin until it brings sugar back to normal.

But there is a problem here: when insulin levels are high, nutrient delivery exceeds the needs of the cells. And this means that everything superfluous is stored in reserve.

There is another negative aspect of sudden spikes in sugar levels. Have you noticed how your mood improves from eating candy? But the effect does not last long: rarely more than half an hour. Immediately after the release of insulin, the mood drops, and you reach for a new portion of sweets. These swings can be rocked at least all day, forming an addiction to sugar.

Vaicheslav/Depositphotos.com

Therefore, in general, it is desirable that insulin rises smoothly. Here we come to the concept of the glycemic index.

Glycemic index of foods

The glycemic index (GI) is a characteristic of a food that indicates how much it will increase blood glucose levels compared to pure glucose. High glycemic index is more than 70, low – less than 35.

900 52 pineapple, banana, melon, black bread, jacket potatoes (65)

It would seem that everything is simple: you need to exclude foods with a high glycemic index (GI> 70) from the menu. With buns and chips, everything seems to be so clear. But at the same time, foods such as baked potatoes, stewed carrots, watermelon, pumpkin and zucchini have a high GI. And the same sugar has a GI of 70.

It turns out that it is more useful to eat sugar than vegetable stew?

No, of course not. To create a menu based on the glycemic index, you need to remember that the percentage of carbohydrates in foods is different:

90 047

But sugar is 100% carbohydrate!

Simple multiplication of these values ​​gives the glycemic load (GL) of the product: 052 Glycemic load (GL) baked potato 95 11 stewed carrots 85 25 watermelon 75 7 pumpkin

900 52 75 3 marrow 75 4 sugar