19 May 2009
The Glycemic Index
Reader Celandine writes:
one thing i would love to see is advice about glycemic index. then there’s also the more obscure GI tips like adding some kind of acidic food like vinegar or citrus to a meal to lower the GI. of course, all your meals are low GI already and you have a lot of good advice about keeping blood sugar stable but i would be interested to know your thoughts on GI per se.
The Glycemic Index (GI) is a ranking of carbohydrates on a scale from 0 to 100 according to how much they raise blood sugar levels after eating.
Foods with a high GI are those which are rapidly digested and absorbed, thus raising blood sugar significantly. Refined carbs, such as pretzels, white rice/pasta, and sweets fall in this category.
Foods with a low GI digest more slowly and produce more gradual rises in bloog sugar and insulin (which controls appetite and delays hunger). Many fruits, vegetables, and whole grains fall in this category.
Bottom line: The idea of the Glycemic Index is simply that not all carbs are created equal (like I’ve said, like Mark Bittman says, like any good nutritionist will tell you). If you eat carbs that are whole grain and high fiber, you’ll automatically be eating low GI foods. There’s no need to think about it much beyond that.
ETA: I had the examples swapped by accident… good catch, mythinspo!
