The glycemic index is very welcome information for anyone who wants to lead a healthy life in a simple and easy way. In this sense, maintaining a healthy diet on a daily basis is an indispensable condition for a balanced and stable life. The glycemic index is one of the tools to manage well what is ingested and the consequences of food for our body.
For those who constantly need to monitor blood glucose levels because of diabetes, knowing the glycemic index should be a basic question. It is a way of helping to learn about nutritional strategies that allow you to include fruits and different foods in your routine, without suffering from significant changes in blood glucose due to the sugar in fruits.
Bearing in mind that the glycemic index is a fundamental classification system for observing how certain foods affect blood glucose, we list some clarifications about it, in addition to nutritional tips to slow down the absorption of foods in the blood and avoid glucose spikes. Check out!
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What is the glycemic index?
The glycemic index is the speed that sugar present in a given food takes to reach the bloodstream. This speed can be different for each type of food, depending on the amount of substance present in it, the presence of fibers, and even the complexity of the carbohydrate. For this reason, it is important to know how each food is digested and to be aware of nutritional strategies to avoid glucose spikes.
How is the glycemic index calculated?
The glycemic index is calculated by dividing the area of the glycemic curve of the food by the corresponding area of the control food times 100. However, there are many tables available on the internet about the glycemic index of food portions.
What is the difference between glycemic index and glycemic load?
Speed versus weight. The difference between glycemic index and glycemic load basically lies between these two poles. This is because, as we have seen, the first indicator concerns the amount of time that the carbohydrate present in the food will reach the bloodstream.
While the glycemic load, as the name implies, is the amount of carbohydrate present in the food and, consequently, the change in blood glucose.
If you go to a birthday party and eat a piece of chocolate cake and several glasses of soda, as both foods have a high glycemic load index, what will happen is a quick and massive reception of a sugar “bomb” in your body.
The glycemic load formula is the portion of available carbohydrates multiplied by the glycemic index and then divided by 100. It is important to highlight that the glycemic load works as a more general indicator of food, as it includes, as noted in its formula, the number of available carbohydrates and the glycemic index.
What to do to reduce the glycemic index?
1. Add fiber to your diet
The presence of fiber in food directly interferes with the glycemic index. This is because the substance has the ability to delay the digestion of glucose in the body. This way, the organism will have more time to digest the component, avoiding storing it in the form of fat. For this reason, it is interesting to include products that have a good level of fiber in the diet. Eating salads before meals, for example, helps a lot in the slow absorption of the carbohydrate consumed later.
2. Associate good sources of fat with meals
Fats, like proteins, have a slower digestion time than carbohydrates. Therefore, experts consider them to be great allies in reducing the glycemic index. Meanwhile, you need to look for foods with good fat, such as coconut oil, chestnuts, and olive oil. The combination of this food group in the diet is a great way to avoid raising blood glucose without giving up the consumption of certain foods.
3. Give preference to grains and whole foods
Another important tip to avoid the rapid absorption of sugar by the body is to include whole grains and other products rich in fiber and nutrients in the diet. It is worth remembering that the larger the carbohydrate particle, the slower the body will be able to digest and absorb it. A balanced, low-glycemic diet, therefore, includes the consumption of whole foods such as whole wheat flour and brown rice as substitutes for white flour. In addition to contributing to the slow absorption of carbohydrates by the body, these products have the ability to improve cholesterol levels and reduce the feeling of hunger.
4. Opt for fresh fruit
Choose to eat the fruit naturally instead of juices. This is because, when crushed, the product has a loss of fiber and vitamins. In this way, the benefit of the slowdown in digestion is lost and, consequently, the drop in the glycemic index of the food. This does not mean, however, that you need to eliminate juices from your diet. In such cases, it is possible to add fiber to the drink so that the body absorbs the fruit sugar better. A spoonful of chia or oat bran, for example, may be enough to recover the advantages of consuming the fruit.
5. Pay attention to the proportion
There are some foods that, despite having a high glycemic index, have a low glycemic load. This means that, even if the organism absorbs it quickly, they have relatively small amounts of sugar in their composition. For this reason, consumption in small amounts will not represent a peak in blood glucose, unless the person ingests it in large portions. Watermelon is just one of the examples that fall into this category.
