The Index of Glycemic Index

Glycemic Index is Only a Tool for Planning a Diabetes-friendly Diet

​Diabetes has been a non-reversible disease until sometime recently, but off late, we have various reputed health organizations and individuals claiming to enable diabetes remission/reversal. Reversal is nothing but helping diabetic individuals to stay within desired blood glucose ranges with the sole help of lifestyle changes. How do they achieve this? By lifestyle changes, it includes bringing changes to the food that we eat, engaging in regular physical activity, sleeping for desired number of hours, minimizing stress, and leading an active lifestyle. Choosing to eat the right foods is inevitable to control glycemic index and for this, it is necessary to pick those foods whose glycemic index (GI) values are in the admissible ranges. To achieve this, we must know the glycemic index of various foods.
 
Glycemic Index
 
Glycemic index is a number that’s assigned to various carbohydrate-containing foods depending on how much each type of foods affects blood sugar levels. Don’t misunderstand this as a diet plan but it is only a tool to accomplish your diet goals. Pure glucose has a GI value of 100 and other carb-containing foods are classified in comparison to glucose. GI values can be distinctly divided into three categories namely:

• Low GI (1-55): foods such as leafy greens, pulses, and most fruits
• Medium GI (56-69): raisins, raw pineapple, sweet corn, rye bread, and multigrain bread
• High GI (70 and above): white-flour products, processed foods, and white rice

 
Lesser the GI value, higher the healthy nature of the food. Eating foods with a high GI value instantly increases postprandial blood glucose values that decreases rapidly while eating low GI value foods leads to low blood sugar concentration which decreases more gradually.
 
Research Studies
 
We have various research results strongly proving that including a low-GI diet is a very good way to keep blood sugar levels under control and reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes in individuals. A long-term US study showed that increased consumption of refined carbs increases the prevalence rate of type 2 diabetes. Several cohort studies show that high GI diets increase the risk of diabetes. Also, obese individuals consuming high GI diets are at a 10-times increased risk of diabetes compared to their leaner counterparts consuming low-Gi diets. Contrarily, we do have some studies showing no clear association between GI and type 2 diabetes. Though not a popular part of the US dietary guidelines, Diabetes UK and the European Association for the Study of Diabetes have used low GI diets containing a major portion of whole grains and high dietary fiber as a part of their diabetes-prevention plan in individuals at a higher risk of diabetes.
 
GI Value of Various Foods
 
To incorporate low GI value foods in the diet and to understand how different foods consumed might affect your blood sugar levels, the table below might be helpful.

​Vegetables

Name	Glycemic index
Boiled Potato	82
Boiled Pumpkin	64​±6
Boiled Carrots	40​±3
Vegetable Soup	50​±3
Green Banana	55​±5
Boiled Sweet Potato	65​±5
Parsnip	50​±2
Sweet Corn	50​±7

Fruits

Name	Glycemic Index
​Apple	35​±3
Pineapple	60​±7
Watermelon	75​±5
Orange	45​±1
Mango	50​±6
Strawberry Jam	50​±2
Dates	45​±1
Orange Juice	50​±2
Apple Juice	40​±3
Canned Peaches	40​±7
Pear	37​±3

​Pulses

Name	​Glycemic Index
Lentils	30​±7
Soyabean	15​±2
Chickpeas	30​±7
Kidney Beans	25​±3
Barley	29​±2

High-Carbohydrate Foods

Name	Glycemic Index
Boiled White Rice	​75±2
​White bread	​73±4
​Whole wheat/whole meal bread	​72±3
​White spaghetti	​30±4
​Brown rice	​70±2
Rice noodles	​55±5
​Couscous	​70±2
​Udon noodles	​57±5
​Corn tortilla	​45±4
​Rice porridge	​80±7
​Muesli	​55±4
Millet porridge	​65±5
Cornflakes	​80±7
Instant oat	​80±2
​Soft drinks	​60±2
Popcorn	​67±3
Rice crackers	​87±2
Honey	​60±4

Milk/Milk Products

Name	Glycemic Index
Yogurt	​40±3
Ice cream	50±4
Soy milk	​35±3
Skim milk	​40±1
​Rice milk	​90±4

​The Bottomline
 
Though glycemic index is important, it should not be the only factor to consider while making food choices. The GI value of any foods doesn’t divulge any other nutrition-related information. Though one cup of whole milk has a low GI value of 4, it is not recommended for weight control/loss as it has high fat content. While the numbers here exist to suggest individuals with various food choices, these numbers might change depending on the way of preparation and several other factors. For instance, cooking starches for a longer period increases the GI value, ripened fruits have a higher GI value than raw ones, and the body’s reaction to carb also varies upon the age, how fast digestion happens, and your activeness quotient.
 
So, the presence of various nutrients such as vitamins and minerals, fat content of the food, and the food’s GI value is integral to pick the right foods. It is always recommended to combine high-GI foods with low-GI foods to find the right balance. Get in touch with a reputed dietitian/nutritionist to choose the right mix of foods to find nutrition balance and blood glucose stability. Don’t overthink and restrict yourself too much. Indulge in your favorite meal occasionally but choose smaller portions that satisfy taste buds while not causing erratic sugar spikes. By sticking to smaller portions, you get the privilege of picking high-nutrition content foods to provide a well-balanced diet.