Diabetes: Eating a low glycemic diet

Using a low glycemic index diet is one tool to help keep your diabetes under control. The glycemic index is a rating system for foods that contain carbohydrate. It helps you know how quickly a food with carbohydrate raises blood sugar, so you can focus on eating foods that raise blood sugar slowly.

 

Key points

• Over time, high blood sugar can harm your eyes, kidneys, nerves, and heart.
• Foods that raise blood sugar slowly have a low glycemic index. Most of the carbohydrate-rich foods that you eat with this plan should be low or medium on the glycemic index.
• Eating low glycemic foods is most helpful when used along with another eating plan for diabetes, such as carbohydrate counting. Counting carbs helps you know how much carbohydrate you're eating. The amount of carbohydrate you eat is more important than the glycemic index of foods in helping you control your blood sugar.
• People respond differently to the glycemic content of foods. The only way to know for sure how a food affects your blood sugar is to check your blood sugar before and after eating that food.
• High-glycemic foods are rarely eaten by themselves, so the glycemic index might not be helpful unless you're eating a food by itself. Eating foods together changes their glycemic index.
• Look at the overall nutrition in foods-and not just their glycemic index-when planning meals. Some low-glycemic foods, such as ice cream, are high in saturated fat and should be eaten only now and then. And some high-glycemic foods, such as potatoes, have nutrients like vitamin C, potassium, and fiber.
• You can still have high glycemic foods on this diet. Just try to eat small amounts of them to limit their effect on your blood sugar. Eating low glycemic foods along with high glycemic foods also can help keep your blood sugar from rising quickly.

What is a low glycemic diet?

The glycemic index is a way to tell how quickly foods that contain carbohydrate may raise your blood sugar.
On a low glycemic diet, you eat foods that raise your blood sugar slowly. This helps you keep your blood sugar from getting too high. This diet plan is sometimes called a "low GI" diet.

• Low glycemic foods break down slowly in your body and release sugar into the blood slowly.
• High glycemic foods break down quickly and make blood sugar rise quickly.

In general, carbohydrate raises blood sugar more quickly than other nutrients like proteins and fats. But some foods that have carbohydrate raise blood sugar more slowly than other foods with carbohydrate. For example, white bread raises blood sugar more quickly than whole-grain bread.
Foods in the index are given a number from 0 to 100. The higher the number, the higher the glycemic index. Foods are compared to glucose, which is sugar. It has a rank of 100.

• Foods that raise blood sugar quickly are high. They are rated 70 or more.
• Foods that raise blood sugar moderately are medium. They are rated 56 to 69.
• Foods that raise blood sugar slowly are low. They are rated 55 or less.

Most of the carbohydrate-rich foods that you eat on this plan should be low or medium on the index. A dietitian or certified diabetes educator can help you pick foods that you like that are low on the index. You also can look at materials from the American Diabetes Association or go to its Web site at www.diabetes.org.
Low glycemic foods include:

• Dried beans and legumes like lentils.
• Nonstarchy vegetables, such as broccoli and peppers.
• Some starchy vegetables, such as yams.
• Some whole grains and cereals, such as oatmeal and whole wheat bread.
• Many fruits, such as apples, berries, dried apricots, and cherries.

Moderate glycemic foods include:

• Apricots (fresh).
• Pineapple.
• Shredded wheat cereal.
• Spaghetti.

High glycemic foods include:

• White bread.
• Sticky rice.
• Some fruits, such as dates and watermelon.
• A few vegetables, such as some types of potatoes.

People respond differently to the glycemic content of foods. The only way to know for sure how a food affects your blood sugar is to check your blood sugar before and after you eat that food.

High-glycemic foods are rarely eaten by themselves, so the glycemic index might not be helpful unless you're eating a food by itself. Eating foods together can change their glycemic index.

Choosing a low glycemic diet doesn't mean that you can't eat any high glycemic foods. Some high glycemic foods, such as potatoes, have lots of nutrients. Just try to limit how much of these foods you eat.

You should combine a low glycemic diet with another eating plan for diabetes, such as carbohydrate counting. The glycemic index can help you know the kind of carbohydrate you're eating. Carbohydrate counting can help you know how much carbohydrate you're eating.

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