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The glycaemic index is essentially a numeric value assigned to a wide range of carbohydrate sources to indicate their ability to influence blood glucose level after being ingested. Carbohydrates are scored on a scale of 0-100 with 100 causing the greatest spike in blood glucose level in the shortest amount of time (7.8mmol/L under 15-30 minutes post-prandial) after a meal.
Spikes in blood glucose concentrations after a meal are normally mitigated by insulin which is secreted by the pancreas. In normal individuals, the pancreas secretes adequate insulin to remove the excess blood glucose from the blood stream, returning to normal levels. In diabetics however, they either have insufficient insulin (type 1 diabetes) or their insulin receptors are not responsive (insulin resistance). In their case, constant levels of raised blood glucose which goes uncorrected is the cause of many complications such as neuropathy, retinopathy and cataracts as well as heart diseases. Therefore the GI comes in handy to keep them informed about the various types of carbohydrates they should stick to and avoid.
In normal individuals, the sudden spike and dip in blood glucose after eating refined carbohydrates can result in a ‘food coma’ as the carbohydrate transits the gut relatively quickly. This could also lead to a feeling of hunger shortly after consuming our food, potentially making you eat more than you have to, leading to weight gain in the long run.
Table 1 gives an example of foods and their associated GI ranges.
Table 1. Foods and their associated GIs (Diabetic Society of Singapore, 2011)
Glycaemic Index |
Food sources |
Low (≤55) |
Rice and alternatives
Vegetables
Dairy Products
|
Medium (56-69) |
Rice and alternatives
Vegetables
|
High (≥70) |
Rice and alternatives
Vegetables
|
Typically, we would want to choose carbohydrate sources low in GI because these foods usually come with the vitamins, minerals and fibre which we require for general health and weight management.
Unknown to many, the GI of a carbohydrate can be influenced by a multitude of factors such as:
With these in mind, you now have a good idea what to do when eating out and faced with endless healthy carbohydrate options!
Another measure to take into consideration when choosing your food carbohydrate source is glycaemic load (GL),which is derived by the equation below:
GI tells us how quick the particular carbohydrate raises our blood glucose whereas GL indicates how elevated your blood glucose will be after food consumption, which is primarily determined by the amount of carbohydrate ingested. For example, a serving of Gatorade (250mL when diluted)that contains 14g of carbohydrates has a GI of 89 (very high) but has a GL of only 13 (medium) (Refer to table 2).
Table 2. Glycaemic load tiers and corresponding values
Glycaemic Load |
|
Low |
≤10 |
Medium |
10.1-19.9 |
High |
≥20 |
GL thus gives you a fuller, more accurate picture of the effects which sugars from food can have on your blood stream.
Research has shown that consumption of low GI foods have an association with weight management and improvement of general health. Therefore it may be prudent to gradually increase our intake of whole grains to better able experience the health effects of low GI carbohydrates as well as manipulating the other factors to lower the GI of your meal.
These changes do not have to be a complete overhaul of your diet because that would not be sustainable. Sustainability is the key to a successful diet! Here are a few tricks you can use to lower the GI of your meal:
Follow these guidelines and you’ll be on your way to a trimmer, healthier you!