Getting to Know the Glycemic Index Chart

Glycemic IndexThe 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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