2009 December | Glycemic Index Secrets

Archive for December, 2009

What is the Glycemic Index List?

Eating Smart: With the Glycemic Index List
I’m pretty sure you’ve came across the term at some point recently, and if you suffer from diabetes, it’s just about certain you know something about it, maybe even from your doctor. The word really seems to having been spreading, about the glycemic index list recently, and it’s not simply some medical thing that only people with type I & type II diabetes are using anymore.

To appreciate the glycemic index list fully, you’ll want to get an awareness of the Index List itself, have an understanding about what the numbers mean, and how it can impact your health and lifestyle. And with that, access the actual list and take a look.
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How Exactly Did the Glycemic Index Come Into Existence?
The glycemic index was initially formulated to aid people, with abnormally high glucose levels in their blood, in managing the sudden spikes and at times bewildering levels of blood glucose levels. It was/is a means by which MDs could better monitor and understand what was going into their patient’s bodies. In simple terms, the glycemic index scores carbohydrates within a range between 0 and 100, and it’s based on how they cause an increase in the levels of sugar in the blood after consuming food (within the first 2 hours actually).

Items given a high rating are absorbed by our body faster, and subsequently produce an increase in the glucose levels in your blood. But with that said, items we eat with a lesser index score are processed at a more gradual rate. Allowing the sugars to be progressively added to our bodies, which reverses the sudden increase in glucose levels we discussed earlier. These past few years though, it isn’t only diabetics that this information is helping. Currently, completely normal healthy individuals are using these identical methods and being very successful with weight loss, lowering the menace of heart disease, and many other negative health issues.

How Can The Glycemic Index List Help Me/You?
Does the notion intrigue you? Possibly your MD advised you to take a look at the index, and you didn’t understand the meaning behind this. For whatever reason you came here to this page, it’s more than likely time to take a peek at the glycemic index list. The glycemic index list is fundamentally what it seems like – a huge directory which includes the glycemic values for various foods … from asparagus to zucchini, and just about everything else in between.

The essential element concerning the glycemic index list is that it contains whatever you’ll require to check. Whether you’re thinking of consuming slice of toast or a bowl of cereal, it has the values. Everything is numbered, simple and logical and very straightforward (for instance 78 is pretty high & 11 is low), and it makes creating meals using the index … almost effortless!

So Why This List?
A very good question – what’s so great about the glycemic index over all the other diet plans out there, even if it is wonderful and works for diabetics or for people overweight individuals seeking help? Plainly put, why?

Simply put, the glycemic index has never simply been a hit or miss diabetic fad-diet you can find on the web or in some paperback anywhere. It is in fact a scientifically created approach to manage the levels of blood sugar in the body.

Just of late did non-diabetics begin working with the glycemic index to help them lose weight, and the medical community has been recognizing this too.

Quick Review
So let’s review what we’ve just read

The glycemic index is an aid to monitor how our system absorbs foodstuff, and it’s affect on the body’s glucose levels in the bloodstream.
The glycemic index list is a catalog of commonly used food items, and their scores.
The glycemic index was initially created for people with diabetes, but now lots of people without diabetes are turning to it for weight loss and to take steps towards a healthier body.

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Getting to Know the Glycemic Index Chart

The glycemic index chart can be a little intimidating, if you’re confused about the numbers. While it was initially created to be used by medical community and their patients to have some kind of values standard when discussing food intake and related topics … so if you don’t know what the numbers mean, it obviously won’t make much sense (but it’s not really that complicated!).

Please don’t regard the glycemic index chart as this huge, scary monster – it really is a wonderful tool, and it can help you and your well being, so open your mind and be willing to educate yourself a little! It’s actually not that hard when you start using it.

What’s in a Number? The Highs the Lows and Everything in Between

When you study the glycemic index chart, there’s many different scores allocated to the items listed in it. They can be anything from 0 to 100 depending on the type of foods that are on the Index.

The rankings (numbers) give us an idea how (or if) your blood sugar will increase. A score like 90 will show that a particular food processes quickly in the body, and will raise the blood sugar level high fast.

The lower the ranking, the slower it is broken down by your body – meaning, that it will slowly effect your blood sugar, which of course is much better for your system, particularly if you are diabetic.

Understanding the numbers can take a little time at first, but working with them after that is pretty simple. With most glycemic index charts, a score below 55 suggests that it is regarded as low. Anything within 55-70 is mid-range, and over 70 is deemed high.

The biggest percentage of glycemic index lists don’t arrange items based on their index ranking – they are more usually arranged in more specific groups, or food types. Every index is a somewhat unique, but they’re all based on the same theory.

Why Are Some Foods Lower than Others?

Those who casually glance at the glycemic index chart may be a little perplexed on several levels. Because, for example, who would have thought for minute that a Snickers bar scores in the 40′s, but a bagel is actually ranked in the 70′s?

This takes place because a Snickers bar hasn’t just got chocolate, but also peanuts, which are a source of protein. The protein in the peanuts here slows the absorption of the other ingredients, which means it takes more time to be processed.

This is the beauty of the glycemic index list. If you consume food that’s in the upper range on the index, you should mix it with a protein. For example, by adding a little peanut/almond butter to your toast in the morning, and feel free to include tuna in a sandwich.

This is the reason some foods can seem strangely rated to us. If you don’t understand the index at all, it would look like it was just a catalog of mix-up random numbers!

So How Does This Helps Us?

The glycemic index is being used by a variety of individuals, diabetic or not, and being able to understand the index is a fantastic stride towards a healthy body and long life.

It will take a little while to fully grasp how to use the data that you find in a glycemic index chart properly, but it shouldn’t stop you trying it out, and experimenting a little with it before you’ve really mastered it. Because remember, we learn a lot faster by doing!

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The Glycemic Index and Weight Loss

An Introduction to the Glycemic Index (GI)

Many of us have experienced the result of a “sugar crash” without actually understanding what was going on inside our body. The Body reacts when our blood sugar dips below a certain level, and a general feeling of low energy results. Conversely, but not surprisingly, it functions more effectively when it is fed a regular, steady source of blood sugar. By using the glycemic index (GI), we can decide on foods that give us a slow but steady supply of glucose into the bloodstream resulting in a more balanced supply of energy all the way through the day.

The glycemic index (GI) is a method of scoring foods pertaining to the effect that they have on our blood glucose levels; particularly with regards to carbohydrates. Items that are high in fat or protein don’t produce the same rise in blood glucose levels. The Index calculates how much a 50-gram portion of carbohydrates elevates the blood-sugar levels and evaluates that against a known standard; either white bread or pure glucose. All carbohydrates cause a short-term spike in your blood glucose level called the glycemic response but, not all carbohydrates perform the same way. In addition to this, the quantity of food consumed, the kind of carbohydrate, the way the food is prepared, as well as the level of processing all influence the glycemic response.

All foods included in the glycemic index (GI) are allocated a score that vary somewhere between 1 and 100. 100 is the ranking score for pure glucose. Foods that are regarded as high, rate greater than 70, mid-range foods score from 56 to 69 on the GI and foods are deemed low if they rate less than 55. For example, pretzels have a ranking of 81 on the glycemic index list so they are considered high. A fruit cocktail is regarded as moderate with a score of 55 and broccoli is deemed low with a score of 15. The slower the body breaks down our food, the slower the insulin is released which allows a healthier reaction in the body. So, the secret is to limit our intake of the foods with a high glycemic index and increase consumption of the foods with a low index. Increase in body mass is more controlled because, by eating foods that raises blood sugar slowly, you maintain that feeling of fullness for a greater period of time.

The glycemic index is about quality of carbohydrates, not about quantity. Quantity does matter however when we start looking at glycemic load values but the values within the glycemic index list of food is not correlated to the size of the portion. Whether it’s 10 grams or 1000 grams, it stays the same. When we use the glycemic index to create healthy meals, it helps to keep our blood glucose at a controlled level. Scientists made assumptions in the 1980’s that the our body absorbed and processed simple sugars quickly, creating rapid spikes in blood glucose levels which lead to the conclusion that we should avoid sugar. However, now researchers have concluded that simple sugars don’t cause the blood glucose to spike any faster than some complex carbohydrates do. But keep in mind, simple sugars are still empty calories and should still be reduced where possible. With regular exercise, minimal saturated and/or trans fats, incorporate a high-fiber diet coupled with the glycemic index can help keep us all healthy and at our ideal weight.

Archive for December, 2009

What is the Glycemic Index List?

Glycemic Index Related Blogs

Getting to Know the Glycemic Index Chart

Glycemic Index Related Blogs

The Glycemic Index and Weight Loss

An Introduction to the Glycemic Index (GI)

Glycemic Index Related Blogs

More Great New Articles

Main Glycemic Index Topics

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