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I used to tell people that I ate a low carbohydrate diet. I actually believed this up until I had a recent realization. My diet is actually high in carbs — oatmeal, beans and lots of non-starchy vegetables. All these foods are rich in carbs, and surprisingly non-starchy vegetables are almost half carbohydrate.<\/p>\n
But the carbs I eat are low on the glycemic index (GI). This means I don’t suffer the blood sugar fluctuations or weight gain of a typical high carb diet that contains high glycemic index foods.<\/p>\n
The glycemic index is a ranking system given to carbohydrates based on how they effect and raise blood sugar. The ranking goes from 0 to 100; the closer to zero the less impact the food has on your blood sugar. Foods with a GI index under 55 are considered low GI, between 56 and 69 intermediate GI and above 70 high GI.<\/p>\n
A high carb\/low glycemic index diet is a great way to keep your energy steady since it keeps your blood sugars fairly level throughout the day. In contrast, a high carb\/high glycemic index diet produces those crazy, jangly “you-on-speed” episodes from quick high blood sugars followed by exhausting crashes and physical and mental fatigue from your blood sugar plummeting soon after.<\/p>\n
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I began thinking about my diet because a study<\/a> was released of 152 people with type 2 diabetes who followed a low GI diet, including low GI fruit<\/a>. The study concluded that the increase in low GI fruit predicted reductions in hemoglobin A1c, (measure indicating average blood glucose over the past two to three months) blood pressure and coronary heart disease.<\/p>\n Physician Larry Gottlieb, who has type 2 diabetes himself, said, “It stands to reason that if a low GI diet is used, with low GI fruit, you will have lower blood sugar more of the time and a lower A1c.”<\/p>\n \n That said, low glycemic index foods benefit everyone. They contain fewer calories, sugar and fat, are more filling and don’t set off cravings for fat, sugar and salt the way high GI foods do.<\/p>\n Low glycemic index foods tend to be those we know as “complex carbohydrates” like 100 percent whole grains, non-starchy vegetables, beans, nuts, yogurt, whole wheat pasta and many fruits.<\/p>\n A diet of largely low glycemic index foods reduces the risk of heart disease and diabetes and since they help you feel full it’s easier to sustain weight loss. If you do have diabetes, choosing lower GI-foods more often gives you lower blood glucose levels after meals.<\/p>\n Certified diabetes educator Gary Scheiner writes in “Strike the Spike II”<\/a> that for people who have diabetes and an A1c lower than 7.5 percent, post-meal blood sugars are actually owed more credit than pre-meal blood sugars.<\/p>\n \n High glycemic index foods tend to be refined carbohydrates most of which also have a lot of fat and salt, like doughnuts, French fries, cold breakfast cereals, white bread, white rice, pasta, bagels, baked potato, parsnips and sugary foods like cake, candy, cookies, soda, fruit juice and syrups. These foods contain more calories and cause you to crave more.<\/p>\n High glycemic index foods produce greater fluctuations in blood glucose and require more insulin to ferry the larger load of glucose in your bloodstream to where it’s needed. Over time this demand for more insulin tends to compromise insulin-producing beta cells, contributing to insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes.<\/p>\n Glycemic Index Food Chart<\/strong> <\/a> French baguette 95 As someone with type 1 diabetes, I can tell you from personal experience that eating a high carbohydrate\/low GI diet for the last several years has helped keep my blood sugars more level, my weight constant and my blood pressure and triglycerides on the low end of normal.<\/p>\n \n One way to introduce lower GI foods into your diet is to substitute them for some foods you’re eating now.<\/p>\n \u2022 Use Half & Half instead of milk in your coffee and tea Carbs are everywhere, but you don’t have to give them up. Just choose them a little more wisely.<\/p>\n Many people now also factor into their diet the glycemic load<\/a> of a food. Glycemic load is a way to look at carbohydrates’ impact on blood sugar that also considers portion size. I’ll be writing about that too in the near future.<\/p>\nLow glycemic index foods<\/strong><\/h2>\n
High glycemic index foods<\/strong><\/h2>\n
\nHere’s a snapshot of some foods and their glycemic index. Remember 100 is the highest GI food:<\/p>\n
\nCorn Flakes 84
\nPretzels 83
\nCoca-cola 77
\nDoughnut 75
\nInstant mashed potato 74
\nOatmeal cookie 55
\nFettucini 52
\nWhole grain bread 40
\nCarrots 47
\nApple 38
\nChocolate Milk 34
\nPeach 30
\nKidney beans 27
\nBroccoli, cauliflower, celery 10-25
\nCherries 22
\nPeanuts 14
\nNonfat, plain yogurt 14<\/p>\n8 Tips for eating lower GI foods<\/strong><\/h2>\n
\n\u2022 Replace ordinary pasta with whole wheat or Dreamfields pasta
\n\u2022 Buy breads that are 100 percent whole grain
\n\u2022 Eat breakfast cereals based on oats, barley and bran
\n\u2022 Have baked sweet potatoes instead of baked white potatoes
\n\u2022 Eat fruit instead of drinking fruit juice
\n\u2022 Replace chips and pretzels with popcorn
\n\u2022 Snack on soybeans and nuts<\/p>\n