The food you eat is made up of nutritional building blocks: fat, protein, and carbohydrates. Your body breaks those nutrients down into glucose so your cells can use it. Insulin is a natural hormone that allows glucose to enter your cells and provide energy.

Identification

According to The Glycemic Index Foundation, the glycemic index (GI) ranks foods containing carbohydrates by the immediate effects they have on your blood glucose level. A low glycemic food causes only small fluctuations in your blood glucose and insulin levels whereas high glycemic foods significantly change those readings.

Good Choices

A low glycemic diet includes choices such as cereals, made from oats or bran, breads made with whole grains or sourdough, limited amounts of potatoes, healthy servings of fruits and vegetables, specialty rice like Basmati and Doongara, and plenty of salads, loaded with vegetables and a low-fat dressing such as a vinaigrette.

Significance

When your blood glucose and insulin levels stay steady, you no longer experience the type of hunger between meals that makes you reach for the nearest snack.

Benefits

The Glycemic Index Foundation says low glycemic foods reduce your risk of heart disease, diabetes, and obesity over the long term. People with diabetes find low glycemic foods helpful for controlling their disease.

Tip

You can look up the glycemic index for your favorite foods on the website for The Glycemic Index Foundation. (See the References section below for a link.)

Source:

The Glycemic Index Foundation: What is the Glycemic Index?

More Information:

Become Healthy Now: The Glycemic Index