The Glycemic Index and Healthy Weight
How your body responds to carbohydrates is a big determiner of a healthy weight. The glycemic index is a rating system that determines how quickly carbs that are eaten are broken down into sugars and then enter the bloodstream. The higher the food's rating (on a scale of 1 to 100), the more the 'sugar spike', and the more the spike, the more insulin is released by the body. Remember, we need to keep our insulin release at a minimum, which reduces cravings and keeps our body from storing fat).
For those people trying to lose weight, who experience hypoglycemia (often a precursor to diabetes) or for people with diabetes, foods with a glycemic index of over 60 are considered high glycemic and should be eaten little, if at all. Any food over 80 should be eaten sparingly, except in the case of carotenoid-rich, colourful foods like carrots. And if you want to lower the rating of a certain food, you can combine it with a fibre-rich food, which 'soaks' up some of the sugar and therefore lowering its glycemic value.
The following is a brief list of some glycemic food ratings. You may want to purchase a glycemic food book to help you make wise choices.
Glycemic Food Ratings |
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