Know the Glycemic Index in Food

What is the glycemic index?

The Glycemic Index (GI) is a measure used to indicate how quickly carbohydrates found in food can be converted into sugar by the human body. This measure is a scale from 0-100. For example, refined sugar, for example, has a glycemic index number of 100, this means that carbohydrates in refined sugar are very quickly converted by the body into sugar for energy for the body. The glycemic index can also inform how food affects blood sugar and insulin levels. The lower the glycemic index value, the less it will affect insulin levels and blood sugar levels.

Initially, carbohydrates are classified into two, namely simple carbohydrates and complex carbohydrates depending on how much simple sugar is contained in the molecule. Carbohydrates that are made up of one or two simple sugars (such as fructose or sucrose) are called simple carbohydrates. Meanwhile, starchy foods are called complex carbohydrates because starch is composed of long chains of simple sugars, namely glucose.

The recommendation to consume more complex carbohydrates over simple carbohydrates stems from the assumption that starchy foods raise only a small amount of blood sugar after ingestion compared to simple sugars. This assumption is considered inappropriate because the response of blood sugar to each type of complex carbohydrate foods is different. Therefore, the concept of the glycemic index was initiated where each food is measured how much it affects blood sugar levels.

How do experts determine a food’s glycemic index?

To determine the glycemic index value of a food, volunteers in good health will be asked to eat foods that want to measure the glycemic index, this food must contain at least 50 grams of carbohydrates. Then the volunteers will be asked to eat a control food (in the form of bread or pure glucose) with the same amount of carbohydrates. After that, the blood sugar levels will be measured periodically. Changes in blood sugar levels after consuming the two types of food will be calculated and compared until the glycemic index number is found.

Some examples of food glycemic index values

The smaller the glycemic index number, the less impact it will have on your blood sugar levels. The glycemic index is grouped into:

<55: low
56-69: moderate
> 70: high

Examples of the glycemic index value of some foods include:

White bread: every 30 grams, the glycemic index value is 71 (high)
Bananas: every 120 grams of the glycemic index value is 60 (moderate)
Honey: every 25 grams, the glycemic index value is 61 (moderate)
Canned tomato juice: every 250 ml of the glycemic index value is 38 (low)
Oatmeal: every 250 grams of the glycemic index value is 55 (low)
Apples: every 120 grams of the glycemic index value is 39 (low)
Soybeans: every 150 grams the glycemic index value is 15 (low)
Carrots: every 80 grams the glycemic index value is 35 (low)

What are the factors that affect the glycemic index value?

The glycemic index of a food is not always the same value. Several factors affect the glycemic index value, namely:

How to prepare or prepare food: several components in food such as fat, fiber, and acids (which are found in lemon or vinegar) generally reduce the level of the glycemic index. The longer you cook starchy foods, such as pasta, for example, the higher the glycemic index will be.
Maturity level: in fruits especially, the level of ripeness will greatly affect the glycemic index value. For example, the more ripe a banana is, the higher the glycemic index value will be.
Any other food you eat: the glycemic index value is determined based on each type of food. But in fact, we tend to eat several types of food more often at once. This can affect how the body digests carbohydrates. If you eat foods that have a high glycemic index value, it is advisable to mix it with foods with a low glycemic index value.
Body condition: age, physical activity, and how quickly your body digests food affects how your body digests and reacts to carbohydrates.

How does the glycemic index affect health?

Although the glycemic index is a parameter that can be used to control your blood sugar levels, the glycemic index should not be used as the only parameter for choosing the type of food you will consume. For example, potato chips have a low glycemic index value, but if you look at the saturated fat content, potato chips have a high enough saturated fat content. So that in addition to the glycemic index value, you must also pay attention to the other nutrients contained in the food you consume.

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