Glycemic Index

Before starting off on a diet to control your blood sugar levels, I think it is very useful to have an idea about Glycemic Index. Given below is a link to very detailed information about glycemic index:

http://www.glycemicindex.com/

A brief account of what the above page mentions:

"Choosing low GI carbs - the ones that produce only small fluctuations in our blood glucose and insulin levels - is the secret to long-term health reducing your risk of heart disease and diabetes and is the key to sustainable weight loss."

Glycemic index is a method used for ranking foods based on their ability to increase blood glucose levels (sugar levels) after consumption.

What is good? Eating foods with a low glycemic index is good. Foods with glycemic index below 70 are said to be good for you, best are below 50/ 55.

How is glycemic index measured: increase in fasting blood glucose levels are measured after consumption of various foods and compared with the levels caused by pure glucose (sugar). Glucose is considered to have a glycemic index of 100.

Glycemic Load: This uses glycemic index values and standardizes the values based on how well the body can handle that particular food. Glycemic loads below 20 are considered good and below 10 are considered great. However, for individuals trying to maintain healthy diets, they suggest using both glycemic index and carbohydrate levels to determine suitability and control portion sizes rather than go by glycemic load alone. Some foods may have a low glycemic load but may yet have high carb content.

What you should know: since GI is an index, doubling portion sizes doesn't double GI values, but it does doubles your total carbohydrate intake!

To check for the glycemic index or glycemic load of common foods, use this link and click on GI Database

For answers to common questions, click the above link and chose FAQ's.

I am working on a chart of GI's for foods commonly eaten by Indians, and will try and put it up asap.