Understanding glycemic index and food choices in diabetes

you may have noticed that some foods may make your blood sugars rise up much more higher and quicker than other foods. For instance, when you have roti made of refined flour, it may make your sugars go up through the roof compared to roti made of barley, oats. This is because of something called glycemic index. Glycemic Index is basically the proportion of sugar and the kind of sugar that is present in every food.

Glycemic Index is basically the proportion of sugar and the kind of sugar that is present in every food. It's really important to know the glycemic index of foods so that you can choose wisely in the quality as well as the quantity of foods that you are about to eat.

Certain foods may have very high glycemic index. These include Cornflakes or Cheerios. In fruits, stuff like bananas, watermelon, dates, in vegetables, potatoes or frozen corn, white rice, bread, all of these have high glycemic index

Low glycemic index foods include oatmeal, bran, fruits like apples, berries, peaches, legumes like dal, vegetables like cabbages, eggplant, tomatoes, spinach, brown rice, nuts, skim milk and eggs, all of which are very healthy for people with diabetes. That's why whenever you're choosing your food, try to choose brown rice or wild rice over white rice.

Research shows that dietary habits influence disease risk. While certain foods may trigger chronic health conditions, others offer strong medicinal and protective qualities. Thus, many people argue that food is medicine. Yet, diet alone cannot and should not replace medicine in all circumstances. Do you look at food as if it can be medicine for your disease? If yes would you like more information on this, save the PDF for further conversation with your HCP.