Glycemic Index And Its Effect On Blood Sugar

I remember dieting in my 20s. 95% of what I ate was fat-free, the rest low-fat. Yet, having carte blanche with the fat-free cookies, bread, pasta, rice, potatoes, kept me pretty happy. I would lose weight drastically, without exercising, only to gain it back with interest when I stopped depriving my body of essential fatty acids. In those days my Russian grandmother would say: "Stop eating bread, if you want to lose weight", and I would smugly explain that her take on nutrition needs updating. Looking back, my blood sugar levels must have thought they were dancing the jig with the "Riverdance", the way I made them jump up and down over the years. Whaddaya know, grandma was right!

Turns out, watching the quality of the carbs we eat really affects our blood sugar. When examined from this point, potatoes are worse than pure table sugar. And, healthy amounts of those vital Omega-3 fats are… well, vital. Think back to all the trans fats we happily consumed with the low-fat margarine. The body can’t digest them, so they’re still where we put them – lining the walls of our arteries. Remember puffed rice cakes, the staple of every healthy diet? Deadly for those watching their blood sugar and insulin levels, they pack a whopping GI of like 90… You know, Glycemic Index. Surely by now you’ve heard how GI revolutionized the way we eat, flipping the old food pyramid on its side, if not almost upside down. Let’s compare notes for a minute.

The Glycemic Index or Teaching blood sugars to slow-dance
Not all carbohydrates are created equally. The GI ranks carbs according to their effect on blood sugar. Low-GI carbs (55* or less) barely send a ripple through our blood sugar and insulin levels. Excessive consumption of high-GI carbs (70* or more) causes a rapid surge in blood sugar, pushing the body to extremes. Low-GI foods drip small controlled doses of glucose into the blood stream over longer periods of time. Choosing mainly low-GI and some medium-GI (56-69*) carbs balances energy levels and prolongs satisfaction between meals. It is the secret to sustainable health and weight loss.

Recent studies indicate that the effect of protein and fat on blood sugar is negligible. Looks like one can simply ignore protein and fat in mixed-meal carb calculations. And get this: studies have shown that consuming an alcoholic drink before eating reduces the GI of the meal by approximately 15%. (!)

Control portions, or you’ll dance the jig again
The GI is about the quality, not quantity of carbs. Obviously, size matters, but the food’s GI doesn’t measure portions. It remains the same whether you eat 10 grams or 1000. That's because for fairness of comparison GI tests use 50 grams of net carbohydrate in each food. You can eat twice as many carbs with a GI of 50 than a GI of 100, and have the same blood sugar response. Scientists have determined the recommended daily glycemic load value (GL) of about 60 to 80 grams for at-risk individuals.

Let’s keep it simple. Eat small, frequent meals consisting of:
• whole-grain brown carbs,
• lean proteins, omega-3 oils,
• fresh fruits and veggies,
• milk /soy products with no added sugar,
• and an occasional small bite of that delectable dessert.

Remember though, many brown breads are treated with enzymes to soften the crust, which makes the starch more accessible and elevates the GI to over 100. I can’t stress it enough: check the ingredients. Go for the natural products with the word "whole" next to the grain (wheat does not equal whole wheat).

Now that I’m married with children, I no longer obsessively watch my weight, but I’m thinking about my health more often. A word from the wise: don’t go on low-to-no-carb diet: we need those pesky carbs to maintain healthy blood sugar level, energy and muscle mass, unless you’re into fainting and the emaciated look. We know now that the Atkins diet was yet another extreme, and that’s exactly what we are trying to avoid.

*The GI tables with exact values for specific foods are widely available.
About the author: Helena Lofgren is a Web Content Specialist for Innuity, Inc. in Redmond, Washington. Are you ready to improve your health, prolong your life, and satisfy your sweet tooth? Check out Xlear and find more information and products that lower your blood sugar.