How much easier managing blood sugar levels would become if only all foods came with a label precisely telling the amount of sugar they contain. What if we were to tell you that such a scale already exists?
What is Glycemic Index?
Glycemic index is a method of detecting how a food will affect your blood sugar levels. GI ranks your foods from 0 – 100, depending on how quickly a food can raise your blood sugar levels. While 100 is indicative of a sudden spike, as the digits lower, the foods become safer for blood sugar levels. The number is calculated on the basis of several factors including the nutrients, amount of processing, ripeness, and medium of cooking. Glycemic Index classifies foods under three broad categories of
Low GI: Includes foods with a GI rating of 55 or less
Medium GI: Foods with a GI rating between 56 – 69 fall under this category
High GI: Foods with a GI rating of 70 and above are considered to have a glycemic index
How Can I Make GI a Part of My Everyday Routine?
Being aware of the GI of foods you consume daily will help you better manage your blood sugar levels. The Glycemic Index is not just for diabetic patients. Remember, diabetes can affect anyone. Many people are not even aware that they might have diabetes until the symptoms escalate. It is always a good idea to plan your meals by thoughtful consideration towards the foods you include.
We’ve made a table for you with the GI of some common foods that are usually a part of our diet.
| LOW | GI | MEDIUM | GI | HIGH | GI |
| Spinach | 8 | Potato Chips | 56 | Boiled White Rice | 73 |
| Plain Yoghurt | 14 | Muesli | 57 | Whole Wheat Bread | 74 |
| Soya Beans | 16 | Kiwi | 68 | White Bread | 75 |
| Cherries | 22 | Pineapple | 59 | Jackfruit | 75 |
| Kidney Beans | 24 | Papaya | 59 | Watermelon | 76 |
| Chickpeas | 28 | Persimmon | 61 | Boiled Potato | 78 |
| Lentils | 32 | Melon | 62 | Rice Porridge | 78 |
| Apples | 36 | Boiled Sweet Potato | 64 | Gatorade | 78 |
| Cow’s Milk | 37 | Raisin | 64 | Fava Beans | 79 |
| Carrots | 39 | Popcorn | 65 | Cornflakes | 81 |
| Whole Grain Spaghetti | 48 | Table Sugar | 65 | Roasted Potato | 85 |
| Bananas | 51 | Croissant | 67 | Rice crackers | 87 |
| Sweet Corn | 52 | Boiled Brown Rice | 68 | Coconut Milk | 97 |
| Rice Noodles | 53 | Cranberry Juice | 68 | Maltose | 105 |
To lower the glycemic index of a food, you should pair it with appropriate proteins, fibre, and fat.
What’s the Difference between Glycemic Load and Glycemic Index?
The primary difference between Glycemic Load and Glycemic Index is that of practice and theory. While GI tells you how a certain food will affect your blood sugar, GL tells you precisely how high your blood sugar will actually go when you eat the food and how quickly your blood sugar will spike.
Glycemic Load takes into account the GI of the food, the amount of carbohydrates, portion size, absorption rate, fat content and other factors to arrive at these figures. This is the reason why certain foods with high GI can actually have a relatively low Glycemic Load.
Glycemic Load = Glycemic Index * Carbohydrates (in gms)/100
Just like GI, GL categorises foods into the three groups of:
Low: Foods with a GL of 10 or below
Medium: A GL of 11 – 19
High: GL 20 and higher
GL is crucial to understanding how the interaction between carbohydrates, sugars, and other elements of foods influence our blood sugar levels. Hummus, carrots, lentils, non fat milk, black beans, dates, and bananas are some low Glycemic Load foods that you can make part of your diet.
What’s In It For You?
But why afterall should you care about glycemic index and burden yourself with the knowledge of glycemic ‘load’? Each day you spend ignoring your health and ‘not caring’ will come back demanding tenfold your attention. Being healthy is an everyday choice we make for the long-term. GI and GL are no rocket science. Simple actions and thoughtful considerations of today are an investment for a carefree tomorrow. And to choose right you must first KNOW what’s right. We’ve got more such informative content for you—happy exploring 🙂