Glycemic Index as guide to eating healthy

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> Use glycemic index as guide to eating healthy

> By Sanaa Abourezk

> Argus Leader

>

> I was shocked by a recent news story that said two out of three Americans

> are overweight.

>

> I knew there was a problem, but I hadn't seen the latest figures on just how

> bad it was. The problem of being overweight or obese goes beyond their

> potential to kill. They also bring along side effects that make one suffer

> throughout life.

>

> One such problem is diabetes. For the past few decades, scientists have been

> studying the effects of certain foods on blood glucose (human blood sugar).

> The control of glucose in one's system is critical to everyone, but more so

> for diabetics.

>

> When I worked for the South Dakota Department of Health, I worked with

> children who had diabetes. We would ask the parents of the children we were

> treating for a food inventory for the past week. As we discussed each kind

> of food the child was eating, we pointed out alternative foods that could be

> given to the child instead of harmful foods. We ranked foods on various

> scales; for example, some foods could be eaten every day and some only once

> a week. The idea was not deprivation, but it was to make the kids feel full

> without creating havoc with their blood sugar.

>

> More researchers are doing the same thing, using what is called the glycemic

> index. The glycemic index ranks foods based on their immediate effect on the

> blood sugar level. Some foods when eaten are the equivalent to the speed of

> alcohol entering one's system by a straight shot of whiskey. Other foods are

> similar to drinking a wine cooler or a light beer, which take much longer to

> affect the system. Carbohydrates in food that break down quickly in the body

> have a high glycemic index. If they break down slowly, that gives the food a

> low glycemic index. Scientists have established 100 as a base for pure

> glucose. All other foods were ranked compared to pure glucose.

>

> The objective is to eat food that has a low glycemic index because such

> foods cause a lower insulin level that makes fat easier to burn and less

> likely to be stored. Eating low-glycemic foods is one of the best ways to

> manage diabetes, and it is more satisfying because it contains more fiber.

> More importantly, it lowers the risk of contracting diabetes and heart

> disease.

>

> You can find the index of glycemic foods on the Internet, but if you want to

> use a rule of thumb, the more refined the food is, the higher it will be on

> the glycemic index.

>

> For example, try stone-ground wheat bread rather than white bread or even

> commercially marketed whole-wheat bread. Oat bran has a much lower glycemic

> index than most other breakfast cereals because oats are not refined. Sweet

> potatoes and yams are lower than regular potatoes. Basmati rice and bulgur

> wheat has a much lower index than white converted rice. A legume called

> " chana dal, " which can be found in East Asian food stores, and which is

> similar to a split pea in shape, is extremely low on the glycemic index.

> Plain yogurt is measured at 14, compared to flavored and sugared yogurt,

> which measures 55. Soy beans are measured at 18. All beans of any kind are

> very low.

>

> The objective should be to consume foods that are lower than 50 on the

> glycemic index.

>

> If you want to put these theories into practice in your daily life, first

> familiarize yourself with foods that are rated low on the glycemic index,

> then begin to purchase and keep these foods in your kitchen so that when you

> cook, they are readily available. Look at restaurant menus once you are

> familiar with the list so you can better choose which items to order. You

> may never achieve perfection, but you can improve your eating habits

> tremendously by choosing as many low-glycemic foods as you can find.

>