Upon being diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes, most patients are struck by just how confusing healthy eating can be. While some people might have you believe it's simply a matter of eating more fruits, veggies and lean protein and less of everything else, people who are working to control their Diabetes understand that while those basic rules are a good start, it's more complicated than that.
An excellent tool for people dealing with Diabetes is the Glycemic index. However, in order for the Glycemic index to be helpful, you have to know what it is and how to use it. Here's a quick primer on the Glycemic index.
What is the Glycemic index?
The Glycemic index measures the quality of carbohydrates that you get from different foods, telling you which foods will raise your blood glucose levels quickly, and which ones will raise your blood glucose levels slowly. Foods that raise blood glucose levels slowly are better for people with Diabetes, so this is a tremendously helpful index that will help you understand what consuming certain foods will do to your blood glucose levels.
How low can you go?
We're used to things that score higher being considered better. However, with the Glycemic index, which gives foods a number between 0-100, the lower the number a food has, the better it is at preventing blood glucose level spikes, and the better it is overall for your health and weight management.
Foods that score a 70 or higher are considered high Glycemic foods, which should be avoided by people with Diabetes. These include obvious culprits like white bread, doughnuts and potatoes. Foods that score between 56 and 69 are considered medium Glycemic, and should be consumed carefully under the guidelines given to you by your doctor. This is where the Glycemic index starts to get tricky, as even supposedly healthy foods like pineapples and bananas clock in with medium Glycemic scores.
Low Glycemic foods are foods that score 55 or under and will help regulate your blood glucose levels. These foods include raw carrots, kidney beans and skim milk. To look up some of your favorite foods, or to start making healthier choices, consult this list of low Glycemic index foods.