The Glycemic Index Is The Determine Of How Fast Your Blood Sugar Raises
When you have diabetes, you may be familiar with the term glycemic index. Yes, the glycemic index is often used as a reference in diet to control high blood sugar (glucose) levels. Understanding the glycemic index of a food will make it easier for you to control the diabetes you have. So, what foods have the right glycemic index for diabetics?
Understanding the glycemic index of food
As explained in the published study of the journal Nutrients, the glycemic index (GI) is a number (on a scale of 1-100) that indicates how quickly carbohydrate foods are processed into glucose in the body.
The higher the GI value of a food, the faster the carbohydrates in the food are processed into glucose. This means, the faster your blood sugar jumps.
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The value of the glycemic index in food
Based on the size of the glycemic index, foods are classified into three different groups, namely:
- Low-GI foods: less than 55
- Meals with moderate GI: 56-69
- High-GI foods: over 70
Not all foods have GI. Meat and fat are some examples because they do not contain carbohydrates in them.
The following are some examples of foods based on their glycemic index, namely:
Low glycemic index foods
- Soybeans (GI: 16)
- Barley (GI: 28)
- Carrots (GI: 34)
- Full-fat milk (GI: 38)
- Apple (GI: 36)
- Dates (GI: 42)
- Orange (GI: 43)
- Banana (GI; 50)
- Soun
- Egg noodles
- Macaroni
- Whole grain
Foods with a moderate glycemic index
- Sweet Corn (GI: 52)
- Pineapple (GI: 59)
- Honey (GI: 61)
- Sweet Potatoes (GI: 63)
- Pumpkin (GI: 64)
High glycemic index foods
- Rice crackers (GI: 87)
- Boiled Potatoes (GI: 78)
- Watermelon (GI: 76)
- White bread (GI: 75)
- White rice (GI: 73)
- Corn cereals /cornflakes (GI: 81)
- Sugar (GI: 100)
Factors affecting food GI
The glycemic index in food is not always fixed. There are several things that can change the GI value of a food.
It is possible that foods that previously have a high GI will decrease in value if they are processed in certain ways. Changes in GI values can also be influenced by the level of maturity, processing duration, and the shape of the food.
Here are some specific examples of things that can affect the GI of a food:
- A low GI value in certain fruits, such as bananas, can increase as the fruit ripens.
- Food processing can increase or decrease the GI value. Fruit in juice has a higher glycemic index than unprocessed fruit. Likewise, mashed potatoes have a higher GI than whole baked potatoes.
- The duration or how long the food is cooked can decrease the GI value of certain foods, such as raw pasta which has a lower GI than cooked until soft pasta.
- Fat and protein content can reduce GI. Chocolate is classified as a low-GI food because of its high fat content, as well as milk which is high in protein and fat.
- The shape of the carbohydrate food source also affects the GI value. White rice with smaller, shorter grains has a higher GI than brown rice, which is more elongated.
The glycemic index in a diabetic diet
In general, controlling blood sugar in diabetes will prioritize foods with a low or moderate glycemic index. The goal is that blood sugar does not spike suddenly. Even so, that doesn’t mean you have to just abandon foods with a high glycemic index just like that.
Diabetic diet still has to fulfill complete and balanced nutrition. As explained by Diabetes UK, if you focus too much on GI, your diet will be higher in fat and calories, thus increasing your risk of gaining weight.
Being overweight is a risk factor for diabetes. This unbalanced diet can actually worsen diabetes symptoms and increase the risk of diabetes complications.
Other considerations
It is also important to remember that not all foods with a high glycemic index are dangerous for people with diabetes. Some foods with high GI are still needed for the health of diabetics.
Conversely, not all foods with a low GI are also safe for diabetes, such as nuts which can increase cholesterol or chocolate with a low GI but high in sugar. Likewise with the amount of carbohydrates in these foods.
Pasta does have a lower GI value than watermelon. However, the amount of carbohydrates in pasta is more, so consuming more pasta will contribute to glucose compared to eating watermelon.
You can still eat foods with a high GI as long as they are in smaller portions and are combined with other foods that have a low GI. The key is to balance the diet.
Not diabetes, is it necessary to pay attention to GI?
Paying attention to food intake based on the glycemic index does help control blood sugar, but a diabetes menu still needs to follow complete and balanced nutrition rules.
Well, a diet like this is very helpful in improving the health conditions of diabetics, especially type 2 diabetes whose treatment relies on healthy lifestyle changes. So, should people who are not diabetic follow a diet based on the glycemic index to prevent diabetes?
As with diabetics, paying attention to the GI of food can help plan a healthy diet for the day. However, you should not make it the main reference because the most important thing is to follow a diet with complete and balanced nutrition.
One thing that is often misunderstood is that the glycemic index is thought to directly affect blood sugar levels. Even though foods with a low GI are not always better than foods with high GI.
If the amount of carbohydrates is greater, low-GI foods can also increase blood sugar than high-GI foods. Larger carbohydrates will produce more glucose. So, in addition to paying attention to GI, you also have to watch the amount of carbohydrates carefully.
Hello Health Group does not provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.
Johnson, EL (2013). Glycemic Variability in Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus. In Diabetes (pp. 139-154). Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-5441-0_13
Ojo, O., Ojo, OO, Adebowale, F., & Wang, XH (2018). The Effect of Dietary Glycemic Index on Glycemia in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials. Nutrients, 10(3), 373. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu10030373
Bhupathiraju, SN, Tobias, DK, Malik, VS, Pan, A., Hruby, A., Manson, JE, Willett, WC, & Hu, FB (2014). Glycemic index, glycemic load, and risk of type 2 diabetes: results from 3 large US cohorts and an updated meta-analysis. The American journal of clinical nutrition, 100 (1), 218–232. https://doi.org/10.3945/ajcn.113.079533
American Diabetes Association. (2020). Nutrition Overview. Retrieved 9 August 2021, from https://www.diabetes.org/nutrition
Diabetes UK. (2020). Glycemic index and diabetes. Retrieved 9 August 2021, from https://www.diabetes.org.uk/guide-to-diabetes/enjoy-food/carbohydrates-and-diabetes/glycaemic-index-and-diabetes
Harvard Medical School. (2020). Glycemic index for 60+ foods. Retrieved 9 August 2021, from https://www.health.harvard.edu/diseases-and-conditions/glycemic-index-and-glycemic-load-for-100-foods
Greenwood, D., Threapleton, D., Evans, C., Cleghorn, C., Nykjaer, C., Woodhead, C., & Burley, V. (2013). Glycemic Index, Glycemic Load, Carbohydrates, and Type 2 Diabetes: Systematic review and dose-response meta-analysis of prospective studies. Diabetes Care, 36 (12), 4166-4171. https://doi.org/10.2337/dc13-0325
