Low Glycemic Index: Healthy Foods for Your Blood Sugar Levels?
 When people suffer from diabetes, obesity, or cardiovascular conditions, watching what they eat can be a matter of life and death. To make things easier for people on strict diets, the glycemic index (GI) ranks foods based on the effect they have on a person's blood sugar. Foods that are high on the index (> 55) can potentially dangerously raise blood sugar, while low glycemic index foods (< 55) have little effect on it and are considered to be much healthier.
Foods that are low on the glycemic index are considered to be healthier because they are digested much slower than those higher on the list, which means they are burned off slower and result in less of a rise in blood sugar. Foods that contain no carbohydrates, like meats, fish, eggs, and most vegetables, receive a 0 on the GI.
Some of the most common low GI foods include:
- Apples
- Bananas
- Carrots
- Chocolate
- Corn
- Honey
- Peaches and pears
- Strawberries
- Soy milk
- Many others
The biggest factor that affects a food's glycemic rating is carbohydrates, so eating low GI items is generally healthier for everyone since most people tend to eat more carbs than they need. However, your doctor should be the one to make the call on whether or not you need to follow a strict glycemic index diet. Consult with your health care provider about your nutrition and how low glycemic index foods may be able to benefit your health.
|
