The Glycaemic Index – Something You Should Know About

Today we will be keeping things simple. We’re going to explain a basic, yet important concept, followed by a set of lists. And face it – we all love lists because they simplify things, right? Well then, without further ado, we will be talking about the glycaemic index today. Ps. In American English, it is spelt “Glycemic”.

To put is basically, the glycaemic index (GI) is a ranking of carbohydrates based on their immediate effect on blood glucose (blood sugar) levels. It compares foods gram to gram of carbohydrate in any said given foods. The faster a carbohydrate breaks down into its constituent components, the higher its glycaemic index.

Why is it relevant? Because it affect the blood glucose level. In general, we can say that high GI foods, which get converted into sugar rapidly, will result in negative effects on the body. On the contrary, low GI foods get converted slowly, which helps to maintain your body’s chemical balance.

Now to the next term – Glycaemic Load. This is a measurement of the amount of sugar a food item releases into the body. Putting these concepts together, low glycaemic load foods usually have low GI. However, this is only an observation and not a rule. If possible, try and avoid foods with high glycaemic loads, or at least limit them. Time for the list:

High Glycemic Index

Fruits and Vegetables

• Corn
• Cranberry juice
• Orange juice
• Raisin

Starches

• Bagel
• Bread (white)
• Refined cereal
• Granola
• Muffin
• Pasta
• Potato
• Pretzel
• Rice
• Tortilla (flour)

Medium Glycemic Index

Fruits and Vegetables 

• Apricot
• Grape
• Pineapple
• Watermelon

Starches

• French Fries
• Oatmeal
• Pita Bread
• Waffle

Low Glycemic Index

Fruits and Vegetables

• Apple
• Asparagus
• Broccoli
• Brussels sprout
• Cauliflower
• Celery
• Cherry
• Cucumber
• Grapefruit
• Green Bean
• Green pepper
• Kiwi
• Lettuce
• Onion
• Orange
• Peach
• Plum
• Spinach
• Strawberry
• Tomato
• Zucchini

Some people might think – why don’t I just eat more fruits and vegetables? Well, valid point. However, to fully utilise and apply this concept, ensure you get the balance right and favour the ones which are low GI. While it doesn’t give you a free pass, you can certainly have more of them when snacking. As a final note, limit your starchy carbohydrates and you’ll be right.

CLEAN UP YOUR DIET WITH THESE: