*WARNING* Glycemic Index.

                What Is the Glycemic Index?

The Glycemic Index—or GI, for short—is a system that ranks foods by how they affect your blood sugar levels. Low-glycemic index foods (less than 55) produce a gradual rise in blood sugar levels that's easy on the body. Foods between 55 and 70 are intermediate-glycemic index foods.Foods with high-glycemic index numbers (more than 70) make blood sugar levels as well as insulin levels spike fast. We now realize that's a health threat. Mounting research suggests keeping blood sugar levels from spiking pays off in many ways. Foods low on the glycemic index appear to stave off heart disease, prevent type 2 diabetes, help you evade serious side effects if you have diabetes, curb your appetite so you lose weight, and perhaps even help you feel more energetic.

Is It Hard to Use the Glycemic Index?

Definitely not. Here is the general guideline: Include at least one low-glycemic index food at each meal or snack, advises top glycemic index expert Jennie Brand-Miller, PhD, University of Sydney, Australia.

No one's suggesting you eliminate all high-glycemic index foods, but you can use this guide to work toward more intermediate- and low-glycemic index choices—with the exceptions noted below. So far, there's no fixed rule as to the number of glycemic index points that you are "allowed" at each meal.

Let this guide put the glycemic index to work for you starting today.

Key

* Eat sparingly any low- or intermediate-glycemic index foods that are printed in red, such as candy bars. These are high in empty calories. Eat too much, and you'll crowd out essential nutrients and gain weight.

** On the other hand, don't avoid or even limit high-glycemic index foods that are printed in green. These are low-calorie and very nutritious foods, such as watermelon and baked potato.

Low-Glycemic Index Foods: Less Than 55

Food	Glycemic Index
Artichoke	<15
Asparagus	<15
Broccoli	<15
Cauliflower	<15
Celery	<15
Cucumber	<15
Eggplant	<15
Green Beans	<15
Lettuce, all varieties	<15
Low-fat yogurt, artificially sweetened	<15
Peanuts	<15
Peppers, all varieties	<15
Snow peas	<15
Spinach	<15
Young summer squash	<15
Zucchini	<15
Tomatoes	15
Cherries	22
Peas, dried	22
Plum	24
Grapefruit	25
Pearled barley	25
Peach	28
Canned peaches, natural juice	30
Dried apricots	31
Soy milk	30
Baby lima beans, frozen	32
Fat-free milk	32
Fettucine	32
M&Ms Chocolate Candies, Peanut*	32
Low-fat yogurt, sugar sweetened	33
Apple	36
Pear	36
Whole wheat spaghetti	37
Tomato soup	38
Carrots, cooked	39
Mars Snickers Bar*	40
Apple juice	41
Spaghetti	41
All-Bran	42
Canned chickpeas	42
Custard	43
Grapes	43
Orange	43
Canned lentil soup	44
Canned pinto beans	45
Macaroni	45
Macaroni	45
Pineapple juice	46
Banana bread	47
Long-grain rice	47
Parboiled rice	47
Bulgur	48
Canned baked beans	48
Grapefruit juice	48
Green peas	48
Oat bran bread	48
Chocolate bar, 1.5 oz*	49
Old-fashioned oatmeal	49
Cheese tortellini	50
Low-fat ice cream*	50
Canned kidney beans	52
Kiwifruit	52
Orange juice, not from concentrate	52
Banana	53
Potato chips*	54
Pound cake*	54
Special K	54
Sweet potato	54

Intermediate-Glycemic Index Foods: 55 to 70

Food	Glycemic Index
Brown rice	55
Canned fruit cocktail	55
Linguine	55
Oatmeal cookies	55
Popcorn	55
Sweet corn	55
Muesli	56
White rice	56
Orange juice from frozen concentrate	57
Pita bread	57
Canned peaches, heavy syrup	58
Mini shredded wheats	58
Bran Chex	58
Blueberry muffin	59
Bran muffin	60
Cheese pizza	60
Hamburger bun	61
Ice cream*	61
Kudos Whole Grain Bars (chocolate chip)	61
Beets	64
Canned apricots, light syrup	64
Canned black bean soup	64
Macaroni and cheese	64
Raisins	64
Couscous	65
Quick-cooking oatmeal	65
Rye crispbread	65
Table sugar (sucrose)*	65
Canned green pea soup	66
Instant oatmeal	66
Pineapple	66
Angel food cake	67
Grape-Nuts	67
Stoned Wheat Thins	67
American rye bread	68
Taco shells	68
Whole wheat bread	69
Life Savers	70
Melba toasts	70
White bread	70

High-Glycemic Index Foods: More Than 70

Food	Glycemic Index
Golden Grahams	71
Bagel	72
Corn chips	72
Watermelon**	72
Honey	73
Kaiser roll	73
Mashed potatoes	73
Bread stuffing mix	74
Cheerios**	74
Cream of Wheat, instant	74
Graham crackers	74
Puffed wheat	74
Doughnuts	75
French fries	76
Frozen waffles	76
Total cereal**	76
Vanilla wafers	77
Grape-Nuts Flakes	80
Jelly beans	80
Pretzels	81
Rice cakes**	82
Rice Krispies	82
Corn Chex	83
Mashed potatoes, instant	83
Cornflakes	84
Baked potato**	85
Rice Chex	89
Rice, instant	91
French bread	95
Parsnips**	97
Dates	103
Tofu frozen dessert	115

 Glycemic response or glycemic impact

These terms describes the change or pattern of change in blood glucose after consuming a food or meal. Glucose responses can be fast or slow, short or prolonged. It is primarily determined by the food’s carbohydrate content. Other factors include how much food you eat, how much the food is processed and even how the food is prepared (for example, pasta that is cooked al dente has a slower glycemic response than pasta that is overcooked).

Glycogen

The name given to the glucose stores in the body. It can be readily broken down into glucose to maintain a normal blood glucose concentration. In an adult male, approximately two-thirds of the body’s glycogen is found in the muscles and one-third in the liver. The total stores of glycogen in the body are relatively small however, and will be exhausted in about 24 hours during fasting or starvation.

Hypoglycemia (also called an insulin reaction)

Occurs when a person’s blood glucose falls below normal levels – usually less than 4 mmol/L. People with diabetes know all about it. Hypoglycaemia is treated by consuming a carb-rich food such as a glucose tablet. It may also be treated with an injection of glucagon if the person is unconscious or unable to swallow. If you don’t have diabetes, but you have vague health problems ranging from tiredness to depression and think you may have hypoglycemia or someone tells you that you probably have ‘low blood sugar’, see your doctor and get a proper diagnosis. Hypoglycemia is far less common that once was thought in people who do not have diabetes.

Impaired glucose tolerance

Sometimes called pre-diabetes or impaired fasting glucose. It is a condition in which blood glucose levels are higher than normal, but are not high enough for a diagnosis of diabetes. People with impaired glucose tolerance are at increased risk of developing diabetes, heart disease and stroke.

Insulin

A hormone produced by the pancreas that helps the body use glucose for energy. Although the body needs glucose, it doesn’t want it all in one hit, so it pumps out insulin to drive the glucose out of the blood and into the tissues. The pancreas should automatically produce the right amount of insulin to move glucose into the cells. People with type 2 diabetes do not always produce enough insulin. People with type 1 diabetes produce no insulin at all. When the body cannot make enough insulin, it has to be taken by injection or through use of an insulin pump. It can’t be taken by mouth because it will be broken down by the body’s digestive juices.

Insulin is not only involved in regulating blood glucose levels, it also plays a key part in determining whether we burn fat or carbohydrate to meet our energy needs – it switches muscle cells from fat burning to carb burning. For this reason lowering insulin levels is one of the secrets to life-long health.

Insulin resistance

Insulin is a hormone that is critical for the body’s use of glucose as energy. Insulin resistance (IR) is a condition in which the body’s cells become resistant to the effects of insulin. That is, the normal response to a given amount of insulin is reduced. As a result, higher levels of insulin are needed in order for insulin to do its job.

With insulin resistance, the pancreas produces more and more insulin until the pancreas can no longer produce sufficient insulin for the body’s demands, then blood sugar rises. Insulin resistance is a risk factor for development of diabetes and heart disease and polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS).

Insulin sensitivity

If you are insulin sensitive, your muscle and liver cells take up glucose rapidly without the need for a lot of insulin. Exercise keeps you insulin sensitive: so does a moderately high carbohydrate intake.

Ketones

Our bodies need to maintain a minimum threshold level of glucose in the blood to provide energy for our brain and central nervous system. If for some reason, glucose levels fall below this threshold, (a very rare state called hypoglycemia) the brain will make use of ketones – a by-product of the breakdown of the body’s fat stores. Ketones are strong acids, and when they are produced in large quantities they can upset the body’s delicate acid-base balance. They are normally released into the urine, but if levels are very high or if the person is dehydrated, they may begin to build up in the blood. High blood levels of ketones may cause fruity-smelling breath, loss of appetite, nausea or vomiting, and fast, deep breathing. In severe cases, it may lead to coma and death. In a pregnant woman, even a moderate amount of ketones in the blood may harm the baby and impair brain development. Large amounts of ketones in the urine may signal diabetic ketoacidosis, a dangerous condition that is caused by very high blood pressure.

Kilojoule or kJ

The metric system for measuring the amount of energy produced when food is completely metabolised in the body. The Calorie is the imperial measure of energy, and can be calculated from the number of kilojoules by dividing by 4.2.

Lipids or fats

These are found in the blood and the walls of all of the body’s cells. The most common lipids are cholesterol and triglycerides (sometimes called triacylglycerols).

LDL cholesterol see Cholesterol

Metabolic rateMetabolic rate (or metabolism) refers to the amount of energy the body uses each day and is measured in kilojoules/calories.

Lipids or fats

These are found in the blood and the walls of all of the body’s cells. The most common lipids are cholesterol and triglycerides (sometimes called triacylglycerols).

Polycystic Ovarian SyndromeA hormonal imbalance in the ovaries that affects fertility, physical health and emotional wellbeing.

Starches

Long chains of sugar molecules. They are called polysaccharides (poly meaning many). They are not sweet-tasting. There are two sorts – amylose and amylopectin.

• • Amylose is a straight-chain molecule, like a string of beads. These tend to line up in rows and form tight compact clumps that are harder to gelatinise and therefore digest.
• • Amylopectin is a string of glucose molecules with lots of branching points, such as you see in some 
• types of seaweed. Amylopectin molecules are larger and more open and the starch is easier to gelatinise and digest.
Sugars
A type of carbohydrate. The simplest is a single-sugar molecule called a monosaccharide (mono meaning one, saccharide meaning sweet). Glucose is a monosaccharide that occurs in food (as glucose itself and as the building block of starch). If two monosaccharides are joined together, the result is a disaccharide (di meaning two). Sucrose, or common table sugar, is a disaccharide, as is lactose, the sugar in milk. As the number of monosaccharides in the chain increases, the carbohydrate becomes less sweet. Maltodextrins are oligosaccharides (oligo meaning a few) that are 5 or 6 glucose residues long and commonly used as a food ingredient. They taste only faintly sweet. Sugars found in food:


Monosaccharides (single-sugar molecules)


glucose
fructose
galactose


Disaccharides (two single-sugar molecules)


maltose = glucose + glucose
sucrose = glucose + fructose
lactose = glucose + galactose
Triglycerides also known as triacylglycerols or blood fats
Another type of fat linked with increased risk of heart disease. Having too much triglyceride often goes 
hand in hand with having too little HDL cholesterol. Having high levels of triglycerides can be inherited, but it’s most often associated with being overweight or obese. Normal ranges for triglycerides are 1.0–2.3 mmol/L, people with diabetes should aim to keep their triglyceride levels under 2.0 mmol/L as they are at greater risk of cardiovascular disease.