The Glycemic Index: How It Affects Your Diet

Margaret Durst explains how the glycemic index to choose which foods to eat.
Glycemic Index or GI is a measure of the effect of the carbohydrates in foods on blood-glucose levels. Carbohydrates that break down quickly in the process of digestion have high GI values, while carbohydrates that break down slowly have low GI values.

The concept of glycemic index is so important as it is helpful to the many people that struggle with diabetes and metabolic syndrome, also known as pre-diabetes. Not knowing how to eat for balanced blood sugar is an underlying cause in most diseases that plague Americans. Anyone can benefit by eating a low glycemic diet – especially those with high cholesterol, high blood pressure, heart disease, diabetes, excess weight and many other conditions.

The glycemic index rates specific foods using the effect of pure glucose on blood sugar as the reference point – with pure glucose being 100 percent. High GI foods have a GI of 70 or greater. Intermediate GI foods have GI’s of 56 to 69 and low GI foods have a GI of less than 55. Read more