Diabetic Persons Should Know the Glycemic Index of Foods

Recent studies on large numbers of people with diabetes show that those who keep their blood sugar under tight control best avoid the complications of diabetes like heart disease, blindness, kidney failure, and lower extremity amputations. Experts agree that what works best for people with diabetes - and everyone - is regular exercise, little saturated and trans fatty acids, and high-fiber diet. Carbohydrates break quickly during digestion and can raise the blood sugar to dangerous levels.

Glycemic index (GI) ranks foods on how they affect our blood sugar levels. This index measures how much your blood sugar increases after your eat. When diabetic patients make use of the glycemic index to prepare healthy meals, it keeps their blood sugar levels and weight under control. Many carbohydrate-rich foods have high glycemic indexes, and certainly they are not good in any substantial quantity for people with diabetes. Other carbohydrates like complex carbohydrates and dietary fiber break down more slowly, releasing glucose gradually into our blood streams and are said to have lower glycemic indexes which are good for diabetic patients.

Studies on glycemic indexes by experts showed that many of the starchy foods we eat a lot produce the highest glycemic response. These are: white bread, some breakfast cereals, e.g. cornflakes, and baked cheesy potatoes. Low glycemic foods include beans, barley, pasta, oats, apples, oranges, peaches, peanuts, strawberries, sweet corn and carrots. Likewise, vinegar, and lemon juice help reduce glycemic load, the amount of carbohydrate in a serving of a particular food.

Many foods have few available carbohydrates in a standard serving. We call these the "free foods" because they are essentially free of any impact on your blood sugar. These foods contain less than 5 grams of available carbohydrate in a 100-gram portion. The rest of the portion is protein, fat, fiber, ash and water. Examples of these foods are: (1) vegetables - asparagus, beans, cabbage, broccoli, cucumber, eggplant, lettuce, okra, mushrooms, tomatoes, radishes, spinach, turnips and peppers; (2) fruits - avocados, raspberries, strawberries; (3) eggs and dairy - cheese, milk, eggs, yogurt plain; (4) beverages - coffee, diet soda, tea and water.

The glycemic index should, however, not be the only criterion when selecting what to eat. The total amount of carbohydrate, the amount and type of fat, and the fiber and salt content are also important. Consider also, that, factors such as variety of foods, cooking methods, and processing may affect a food's glycemic index.

For more information on this topic, you may write or call: The Director, Food and Nutrition Research Institute-Department of Science and Technology, Gen. Santos Avenue, Bicutan, Taguig, Metro Manila, Tel/Fax: 8372934, 8373164; E-mail: cvcb@fnri.dost.gov.ph; FNRI-DOST website: http//www.fnri@dost.gov.ph.

S&T Media Service
FNRI Media Release for 2003
Imelda Angeles-Agdeppa, Ph.D.