Glycemic Index Tips

• Choose Whole Wheat Pasta As A Low-fat, Low-GI Carb Option
  
  As carbohydrates go, whole wheat pasta fills many healthy roles and it is a good choice if you're following a low glycemic index diet. It is low in fat (depending on the sauce you eat it with) and has a low GI compared with bread. For example, whole wheat spaghetti has a GI of 37, while whole wheat bread’s GI is nearly double that at 69. When you choose whole wheat pasta, you’re getting the whole grain, not just the starchy endosperm. In addition to being a low GI food, whole wheat pasta provides fiber, as well as B vitamins including niacin, thiamine, and riboflavin, that are important to overall health. If you really don’t like the texture of whole wheat pasta, you can adjust to it gradually by looking for pastas made with a mix of whole wheat and white flours. Here’s the secret: If you use your favorite sauce, you probably won’t notice much difference between whole wheat pasta and white pasta.



• Do Your Homework Before Starting A Glycemic Diet
  
  Low Glycemic Diets can help reduce blood sugar levels, which can be especially helpful for people with diabetes. But a low glycemic index diet is complicated because the GI values are not known for all foods. Also, the GI of a food is not constant; it varies depending on several factors including how and whether the food is cooked and what other foods are eaten with it. For example, the longer you cook whole wheat pasta, the higher its GI index value would be. So it’s good to go al dente! Also, when consumed together with certain fats, the GI value of the carbohydrate may go down. Fats work to slow the absorption of carbs during digestion, which in turn works to lower the GI value of the meal altogether. With all so many factors involved, measuring the GI in foods is an inexact science. A range of glycemic index lists and glycemic index charts are available online and in books and magazines. It's important to remember that the GI values only apply to foods that contain carbohydrates, so if the one carbohydrate in a meal is high, generally the GI value of the overall meal will be high. Given the complicated nature of GI values and the lack of scientific research, the American Diabetes Association does not officially recommend the use of a low GI diet for people with diabetes. If you are diabetic and you would like to try a low GI diet as a way to help control your diabetes, consult with a nutritionist or registered dietitian to help you plan meals or purchase already prepared low GI meals. A GI response to a food is personal, and hard to predict, so even non-diabetics who are considering a low glycemic index diet should consider seeking advice from a professional nutritionist or dietitian.



• Don’t Abandon High GI Foods
  
  Has your mother ever said “Everything is good in moderation?” Yes. And of course as we all know, mothers know best. High GI foods include many of the “usual suspects” that are not particularly healthy for other reasons (such as doughnuts, french fries, and corn chips). But many foods with high GI levels are low in calories and high in many nutrients, such as watermelon and baked potatoes. And several healthy cereals, including Cheerios and Total, have a relatively high GI but they are full of nutrients and low in fat and calories. Eat high GI foods in moderation if you are on a low-glycemic diet, but there’s no need to scrap them from your diet. Other high GI foods that may surprise you: Pretzels, jelly beans, and frozen desserts made with tofu. The bottom line: Don’t make glycemic index the primary criteria in your food choices and diet decisions or you may compromise nutrition.



• Don’t Let Carrots Scare You
  
  Carrots are healthy, low-calorie, and an important source of nutrients and the antioxidant beta-carotene. But it is worth being aware of the high GI of carrots and other healthy foods that happen to be high in GI if you have a specific medical condition, such as diabetes, that may increase your body’s sensitivity to GI spikes. If you are following a low glycemic diet, don’t eliminate carrots, but eat them in the same meal with low GI foods to help slow the body’s absorption of the sugar. Also, carrots, like many vegetables, have a significantly higher GI when cooked than they do when eaten raw, so have your carrots raw in a salad rather than cooked in a stew and you won’t miss out on this healthy food.



• Drop The Glycemic Index In Your Diet
  
  To keep tabs on the glycemic index ratings of foods in your diet, you can order prepared meals from companies that take a 40-30-30 approach to healthy eating. Or, you can create your own low GI foods by cooking meals using low GI recipes. Try a recipe makeover by substituting a low GI food for a high GI food in a favorite meal. For example, a serving of dates has a GI of 103 (high) while a serving of raisins has a GI of 64 (intermediate). Or, try substituting an all-bran or oat cereal for a whole wheat breakfast cereal. At dinner time, try cutting down on the rice or poatoes and add some lean meat in a stew, stir-fry, or casserole.



• Favor Fresh Fruit For A Low GI Diet
  
  Generally, fresh fruit has a lower GI level than canned, cooked, or dried fruits. This distinction is due in part to the high fiber content of many fresh fruits. In general, high-fiber foods have a lower GI than foods with less fiber because the high fiber content forces the body to digest food more slowly, which means that it is raises the blood sugar more slowly. Fruits are important sources of potassium and vitamin C as well as fiber, so it is important to eat fruit even if you are trying to adhere to a low glycemic diet. Some fruits on the lower end of the GI scale are peaches (28), apples (36) and pears (36). By comparison, fruit juices have a higher GI than the fruits from which they come. But if you prefer fruit juice, apple juice has a lower GI than orange juice (41 vs. 52). Another key point: Ripe fruits tend to have more sugar than less ripe fruits, so if you’re aiming for low GI diet, try to eat your peaches when they are a little firmer, and eat your bananas when they are a little greener.



• Glycemic Index Impacts Weight Loss
  
  In addition to reducing your risk of heart disease, a diet that includes low GI foods may help you lose weight by curbing your appetite. Many low GI foods are dense and filling, as well as nutritious, and these foods can promote good health and facilitate weight loss as long as you watch your calories. If you want to follow a low glycemic diet, try to include at least one low GI food in each meal or snack, but if are trying to lose weight, it’s more important to focus on calories than on the GI. You are probably already eating some low GI foods as part of a healthy diet. If you eat plenty of broccoli, cauliflower, peaches, plums, tomatoes, and peppers, for example, you are getting foods that are low in fat and calories, as well as a low GI. But wait, there’s more. Some foods that you may not suspect are low GI include peanuts, dried apricots, low-fat yogurt, and whole-wheat spaghetti. Even peanut M&Ms only have a GI of 32, but indulge sparingly to avoid filling up on empty calories at the expense of other nutrients.



• Going Nuts Over GI? Reach For Peanuts
  
  Peanuts (which are actually legumes, not nuts) have a significantly lower GI than other types of nuts, including walnuts, cashews, and pecans. Peanuts have other health benefits, too; they are a great source of protein and other vitamins and minerals. But here’s where you need to use some judgement. Walnuts have a higher glycemic index than peanuts, but peanuts are high in calories and fat (although peanuts contain healthy fats). And research has shown walnuts to be an excellent source of essential fatty acids that the body can’t make on its own. The solution: Don’t throw out whole categories of food for the sake of GI. Mix peanuts and walnuts together for the best of both worlds, or alternate which nuts you eat for a snack or add to a low glycemic recipe.



• Sweet Surprise: Sugar Has A Low GI
  
  Believe it or not, table sugar is a relatively low GI food. Both sugar and honey have a GI of about 37, which puts them in the “low” category. But that doesn’t mean you should give all your meals a sugar coating if you are on a low glycemic index diet. Sugar is still a source of empty calories, and you can enjoy it in moderation, but make it part of your “discretionary calories” as recommended by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s food pyramid. Discretionary calories are the extra calories you can factor into your diet depending on how active you are and what types of other foods you eat to meet the body’s daily calorie needs, and that includes splurges like sugar and alcohol. Remember that foods that are low in terms of glycemic index aren't necessarily high in nutrition.



• Watching the GI? Try New Foods
  
  When you embark on a healthy eating plan, it can become easy to get stuck in a rut and eat only a few things that you know are healthy. However, this creates boredom in a diet and a higher chance that you will return to your previous unhealthy eating habits. If you eat a 40-30-30 diet as part of your healthy lifestyle and find your taste buds are looking for something new, consider new foods that are tasty and also low on the glycemic index scale. Used to eating white bread and switched to whole wheat? Go even further by trying pumpernickel or oat bran bread. Ditch the ranch dressing for a vinaigrette. Because the vinegar is acidic, that slows down digestion and therefore the GI value. Never had a lentil or a particular legume? Throw some in a soup or chili. These have a low GI ranking, but add unique flavor to stews and other meals.



• Why You Should Know About The GI
  
  The glycemic index, or GI, is a scale that ranks foods based on how they impact the levels of blood sugar in the body. Foods with GI rankings lower than 55 are considered low GI foods. Low GI foods cause the body’s blood sugar to rise gradually when you eat them, which is the least stressful way for the body to process food. Foods with GI rankings between 55 and 70 are considered intermediate GI foods, which make the blood sugar rise a little faster. Foods with GI rankings higher than 70 are considered high GI foods, which cause blood sugar (and insulin levels) to spike upward quickly. A caveat: GI values aren’t based on portion sizes; most researchers calculate GI based on a standard measure, such as 50 grams of carbohydrate. Since carb content varies, it’s hard to relate GI to actual amounts of food. Recent research has shown that spikes in blood sugar may increase the risk of various health problems over time, specifically heart disease and type 2 diabetes. Even if you aren’t at risk for heart disease or diabetes, it’s worth knowing what the term GI means and how it might impact your results if you decide to follow a 40-30-30 type of diet for weight loss or other health reasons.