How Glycemic Index Affects Your Health
Talks about glycemic index of food is becoming more and more common in nutritionists. For those who may not be aware, glycemic index of a food determines what will be the affect on your blood sugar from the carbohydrate intake in your food. Food with high glycemic index(GI) will release high levels of sugar after food breakdown into your blood stream where as food with low GI will release the sugar slowly into your blood stream.
The maximum GI is 100 for glucose and other food's GI is compared with glucose.
So what does that mean?
When sugar is release fast in your blood body has to work over time to control that. It also needs to produce more insulin to break down the sugar and move it to the cells. When more insulin is produced, it also increases the production of triglycerides which ultimately gets deposited in the tummy as fat.
People who take high GI food frequently for long time have the risk of developing cancer, heart diseases, diabetes and low energy syndromes. So, plainly speaking food has a GI of around 30 it is much better than GI of 70.
However it may not always be true the low glycemic index is indicator if better food. For example pizza has low GI but overall not healthy food. Similarly high GI food may help us gain energy boost for a short time and help accomplish some laborious tasks.
In the long run however you should try to stick to low GI food for good health. For this reduce the start from your meal to less than 50% and increase leafy vegetables and protein and fiber. If you are a patient of diabetes it is all the more important to follow low GI diet.
Here are some food with their GI
Cabbage, Brocolli, Lettuce, Onions with GI around 10
Pumpkins and beet have quite high GI of around 70
Cherry, prunes, apple, peach, pear, plum in 20s
Dates and Water melon near 100
.
The maximum GI is 100 for glucose and other food's GI is compared with glucose.
So what does that mean?
When sugar is release fast in your blood body has to work over time to control that. It also needs to produce more insulin to break down the sugar and move it to the cells. When more insulin is produced, it also increases the production of triglycerides which ultimately gets deposited in the tummy as fat.
People who take high GI food frequently for long time have the risk of developing cancer, heart diseases, diabetes and low energy syndromes. So, plainly speaking food has a GI of around 30 it is much better than GI of 70.
However it may not always be true the low glycemic index is indicator if better food. For example pizza has low GI but overall not healthy food. Similarly high GI food may help us gain energy boost for a short time and help accomplish some laborious tasks.
In the long run however you should try to stick to low GI food for good health. For this reduce the start from your meal to less than 50% and increase leafy vegetables and protein and fiber. If you are a patient of diabetes it is all the more important to follow low GI diet.
Here are some food with their GI
Cabbage, Brocolli, Lettuce, Onions with GI around 10
Pumpkins and beet have quite high GI of around 70
Cherry, prunes, apple, peach, pear, plum in 20s
Dates and Water melon near 100
.
