Glycemic Index And Diabetes - Is A GI Diet Good For Diabetics?

The Glycemic Index (GI) diet was all the rage a few years ago. It was promoted as a new diet plan that helped you to control your weight but was also good for you because it limited the amount of sugar entering the body. This was of interest to diabetics as they had to monitor their blood sugar levels at all times. People were interested in the glycemic index number for an apple, a piece of bread or a bowl of breakfast cereal and many other things. However it was not as simple as that as the GI number could vary depending on how ripe the fruit was, the type of bread or how the cereal had been cooked. This article will explain what is the glycemic index and how it works in relation to diabetes.

What is the Glycemic Index ?

The GI is a rating system for foods, mainly carbohydrates. It shows the effect that the food will have on the body's blood sugar levels. Consequently it is an indication of how quickly the carbohydrate food is broken down by the body. Foods with a low GI are broken down more slowly than those with a higher number. This also indicates the demand on insulin or the insulin response in the body or by other means if the person is a diabetic. For diabetics controlling the blood glucose level is paramount to controlling diabetes and minimizing the chances of complications in later life.

How Does the Glycemic Index Work?

The glycemic index is often not a straight forward measure of foods. Many factors influence the GI number of a food. The same applies to people too. Each person will have their own response to foods that are influenced by their age, level of physical activity and whether they are over weight. However the numbers are a general guideline that can help people make informed decisions on types of foods to eat. Foods are rated between 0-100 where zero is low and 100 is high. The general guidelines are as so :

Low is considered to be 55 or less,

Medium is considered to be 56 - 69,

High is considered to be 70 and above.

So the aim of a diabetic and anyone that wants to avoid having highs and lows in their blood sugar levels should be to try to include low and medium GI foods in their daily diet. Again at a very general level, simple carbohydrates like white bread and processed breakfast cereals will have higher numbers than say brown bread. You should change from simple carbohydrates to complex carbohydrates if you want to adopt a low GI diet. Fruit and Vegetables are also low and should be eaten. Adopting such a diet will give you more control over your diabetes. For people with type 2 diabetes this may mean not needing medication or insulin replacement therapy. For people with type 1 diabetes it should keep your blood sugar levels steady and within a normal range for longer periods. This may mean that less insulin is needed.

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Can Whole Grains Reduce Diabetes Risk?

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Whole grains are easily attainable. We can purchase whole grain bread, pasta, muffins, bagels, crackers, cereal, and even certain snacks. That's why consuming three servings of this beneficial food has never been easier. However, many of us are still reluctant regarding the health benefits of whole grain products. In this article, I will discuss whether this particular food group can help reduce the risk of diabetes.

One study, which was completed at Harvard School of Public Health in 2006, concluded that whole grains have to power to lower the risk of heart disease and diabetes. This investigation gained its results through diet records and blood samples taken from nearly 1,000 healthy middle-aged adults. The several areas of interest included insulin levels, hemoglobin A1C levels, homocysteine levels, and cholesterol levels. The results showed a reduced risk of heart disease and diabetes in people who consumed a diet rich in whole grains. Another study, from Tufts University, confirmed similar findings. This particular research confirmed that an increased consumption of whole grains in older adults resulted in lower fasting blood sugar levels and lower body mass index levels. The study also revealed that those individuals who consumed a high intake of refined grains had twice the risk of developing diabetes and heart disease compared to those who consumed least refined grains.

Both of these studies confirm the beneficial qualities of whole grains. Consuming a healthy diet such as this one can also help us lose weight. A lot of people, who want to attain quick weight loss, do so by eliminating white flour products from their diet. Replacing white bread and pasta with whole grain bread or whole grain pasta is extremely easy and weight-friendly. This is just one of the ways that we can improve our health, there are various other herbal remedies and nutrition tips which can help reduce our risk of various ailments and increase weight loss potential.

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Diabetes - Foods To Eat And Avoid

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What one eats is very important from the point of view of his health.
The chief concern while monitoring and controlling diabetes is to see that the sugar level does not cross the normal range. This means that one needs to cut down on certain types of food and consume regularly those foods, which are good at regulating diabetes.

People with diabetes should try to maintain a healthy weight and eat a diet that is:

« low in fat

« low in sugar

« low in salt

« high in fruit and vegetables (at least five portions a day)

« high in starchy carbohydrate foods, such as bread, chapatti, rice.

There is no such food that people with diabetes should never eat. In addition, there is no need to cut out all sugar. But, people with diabetes should try and eat only small amounts of foods that are high in sugar, fat. So, if you have diabetes you can treat yourself to cakes and biscuits once a blue moon, as part of a balanced diet.

What foods to eat?

« A diabetic patient must eat lots of fruits and vegetables in which fibre content is very high. Such type of food lowers the requirement for insulin, the reason being it releases energy into the body cells slowly. A high fibre diet means more chromium, which is very helpful in the treatment of diabetes.

« As for vegetables, onion, garlic, ginger, radish, spinach, kale, cucumber, carrot, tomato, cabbage and cucumber are excellent in the treatment of diabetes. Moong, kidney beans which have been sprouted, and unripe banana which is cooked, are also recommended.

« Fenugreek seeds which have been soaked in water are good for diabetic patients.

« For fruits, take guava, Indian blackberry (jamun), fig, kiwi fruit, apples, citrus fruits and pomegranate juice. Let these things be a part of your morning breakfast. Since, fruit juice is high in fructose (fruit sugar) and can cause blood sugar levels to rise quickly, it's best for diabetics to drink fruit juice with a meal and avoid having more than one small glass a day.

« Replace white sugar with palm sugar, dates and honey, if you want to have something sweet.

« Unpolished rice, sprouted grain should be taken in moderate quantity.

« Fats like olive oil and peanut oil are good in diabetes.

« Drink plenty of water, at least 8 to 10 glasses per day.

« Single helping of fish or seafood, as it provides omega 3 fatty acids.

« Condiments such as pepper, chilli, mustard, herbs and spices.

« Raw vegetables need to be taken in large quantity, as cooked food raises the level of blood sugar fast.

« Eat non-fat dairy such as skim milk, non-fat yogurt and non-fat cheese, plain yoghurt, avoid cottage cheese a sit is high in carbohydrates.

« Some herbs and vegetables are specifically prescribed for diabetes, like Bitter Gourd and bitter melon juice.
What to avoid?

« Processed foods, white sugar, white flour and junk food, must be totally given up. Avoid sweets, glucose, fruit sugar, cakes, ice cream, chocolates, soft drinks, cream and fried foods.

« Anything that contains harmful preservatives and too much salt should be avoided.

« Avoid smoking and alcohol.

« Try and abstain from sweets, ice-creams and chocolates, including the so-called sugar-free types.

« Foods made from white flour, rye, corn, polished rice, bread, pasta, pastry, cakes, biscuits, pies.

« Starchy vegetables such as potatoes in particular; and go easy with beet, carrots, peas, beans.

« Avoid concentrated dairy products, such as khoya, kheer, cheese, cottage cheese.

« Fruits such as bananas, mango, grapes, strawberry, custard apple, date.

« Cottage cheese (except in small amounts)

« Avoid commercially packaged foods such as fast foods, chips, ready-to-eat foods, snack foods and "health foods."

« Fruit juices, as these are much higher in carbohydrates than fresh fruit. Moreover, they also lack in dietary fibre.

A few helpful tips if eating out -

· Avoid items called jumbo, combo, giant, deluxe, as they tend to have more calories.

· Choose grilled, baked roasted or steamed food.

· Choose water and calorie-free "diet" drinks instead of regular soda, fruit mock tails, sweet tea and other sugar-sweetened drinks

· Avoid creamy toppings, like mayonnaise. Add flavour with pepper, tomato, and onion.

· Watch out for high-fat topping salads, dressings, cheeses, and croutons.

· Choose a thin-crust pizza with extra vegetable toppings. Limit yourself to one or two slices. Keep off the extra cheese, which add calories, fat, and sodium.

· End your meal with sugar-free, fat-free frozen simple yogurt or a small cone of fat-free yogurt. Better still, go for a platter of fresh fruit salad.

· Check out on your portion size.

SO, EAT WELL AND BE WELL.

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