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Glycemic Articles

The Glycemic Index and it's effects

Have you ever eaten a nice big chocolate bar and gained a burst of energy. Only to come crashing down leaving you feeling tied and lethargic. This effect on your body is commonly  known as a sugar crash. This can all be avoided by supplying your body with a constant supply of blood sugar keeping your body preforming at its best.

The Glycemic Index is a list of foods which have been given a ranking according to the effects that they have on someones blood sugar levels. Carbohydrates are the main focus of Glycemic Index research. Foods that are high in fat or protein don't tend increase someones blood sugar levels significantly.

The Glycemic Response is used to measure the temporary rise in a persons blood sugar levels. A rise in blood sugar levels is commonly caused by carbohydrates however not all carbohydrates act the same way.

Things that can effect the glycemic response:

• The amount of food eaten;
• The type of carbohydrates;
• The method used to prepare the food;
• The degree of processing;

The glycemic index is a way to rank foods according to the effect that they have on a person’s blood glucose levels, this is mainly in regards to carbohydrates. Foods that are high in fat or protein tend not to increase your blood glucose level significantly. It measures how much a 50-gram portion of carbohydrates raises the blood-sugar levels compares with a control; either white bread or pure glucose.

The glycemic index is a range of numbers from 0 to 100. Each food is assigned a number in that range based on the  reference score for pure glucose being 100.

The Glycemic Index has 3 categories Low, Moderate & High:

For example the glycemic index shows pretzels to have a rating of 81 so they would fall into the high category. A fruit cocktail is would be medium with a rating of 55 and broccoli is low with a rating of 15.

The slower a persons body processes the food the slower the insulin is released allowing a healthier effect on the body. It is much better to reduce your intake of food with a high glycemic index and increase your intake of the foods with a low glycemic index.

Weigh gain can be controlled by eating foods that raises your blood sugar slowly. This will help to keep that full feeling for a longer period of time.

The glycemic index is all about carbohydrates particularly the quality of carbohydrates not about the quantity. Quantity does matter in regards to the glycemic load values but the measurement of the glycemic index of food is not directly related to portion size.

Whether you eat 5 grams or 1500 grams, it remains the same. When people use the glycemic index to prepare healthy meals, they will help to keep their blood glucose levels under control.

Researchers assumed back in the 1980’s that the human body absorbed and digested simple sugars quickly thus producing rapid increases in blood glucose level leading to the assumption to avoid sugar.

Now scientists have discovered that simple sugars won’t cause the blood glucose levels to rise any more
rapidly then some complex carbohydrates do. Simple sugars contain lots of empty calories that should be
minimized.

To maintain a healthy weight the average person needs:

• A high-fiber diet;
• Low saturated or trans fat;
• Regular exercise;

The glycemic index will help keep you on the right track.

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