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Nutrition and Weight Management Print E-mail
Written by Russel Sher   
imageKeeping Your Body Energized

Healthy eating is more complex than adopting a low-carb, low-fat or high-fiber diet. It’s important to understand how the food you eat affects your body, so you can provide balanced, sustained nutrition to keep going strong.

The glycemic index (GI) is a ranking of carbohydrates based on their immediate effect on glucose (blood sugar) levels. Glucose is assigned a value of 100, while other carbohydrates are ranked relative to glucose. Essentially, carbohydrates that break down rapidly during the digestive process have the highest GI values. The blood glucose response is fast. On the other hand, carbohydrates that break down slowly and release glucose gradually into the bloodstream have low GI values.

The GI index is an important consideration for a number of reasons, particularly with respect to the benefits of consuming low-GI foods:
  • Low-GI foods keep you fuller for longer.
  • Low-GI foods cause a smaller rise in blood glucose levels following meals.
  • Low-GI diets can help you lose weight.
  • Low-GI diets can improve the body’s sensitivity to insulin.
And according to the authors of a 2002 study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, “sufficient, positive findings have emerged to suggest that the dietary glycemic index is of potential importance in the treatment and prevention of chronic diseases.”

Healthy eating requires consideration of much more than just high- and low-GI/GL foods – but the underlying premise is important: providing balanced, sustained nutrition that the body can utilize effectively to generate energy, build muscle, repair tissue, fight infection and perform a host of other vital functions.

GLYCEMIC INDEXES OF COMMON FOODS

Breads & Grains
waffle - 76
doughnut - 76
bagel - 72
wheat bread, white - 70     
bread, whole wheat - 69     
cornmeal - 68
bran muffin - 60
rice, white - 56
rice, instant - 91
rice, brown - 55
bulgur - 48
spaghetti, white - 41
whole wheat - 37
wheat kernels - 41
barley - 25

Cereals
Rice Krispies - 82
Grape Nuts Flakes - 80     
corn Flakes - 77
Cheerios - 74
shredded wheat - 69
Grape Nuts 67
Life - 66
oatmeal - 61
All Bran - 42

Fruits
watermelon - 72
pineapple - 66
raisins - 64
banana - 53
grapes - 52
orange - 43
pear - 36
apple - 36

Starchy Vegetables
potatoes, baked - 83
potatoes, instant - 83
potatoes, mashed - 73
carrots - 71
sweet potatoes - 54
green peas - 48

Legumes
baked beans - 48
chick peas - 33
butter beans - 31
lentils - 29
kidney beans - 27
soy beans - 18

Dairy
ice cream - 61
yogurt, sweetened - 33     
milk, full fat - 27
milk, skim - 32

Snacks
rice cakes - 82
jelly beans - 80
graham crackers - 74
corn chips - 73
life savers - 70
angel food cake - 67
wheat crackers - 67
popcorn - 55
oatmeal cookies - 55
potato chips - 54
chocolate - 49
banana cake - 47
peanuts - 14

Sugars
honey - 73
sucrose - 65
lactose - 46
fructose - 23

Beverages
soft drinks - 68
orange juice - 57
apple juice - 41



Last Updated ( Tuesday, 21 April 2009 16:08 )
 

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