Glycemic Index and Satiety Index

The glycemic index (GI) is a rating carried out on foods that contain carbohydrates and their particular influence on our blood sugar level. In earlier times, most diets that were supposed to improve blood sugar assessed the total amount of carbs (such as sugars and starches) in foods. The GI goes outside of this strategy, looking at the impact of foods on our blood sugar. Rather counting the total quantity of carbohydrates in foods in their unconsumed condition, the GI measures the real influence of these foods on the blood sugar. The GI number ranges between 50 and 100, where 100 represents the standard, which is an equivalent amount of pure glucose.

Low-GI diets have been connected with a reduced risk of the following: strokes; cardiovascular disease; depression; type 2 diabetes; neural tube defects; chronic kidney disease; metabolic syndrome; formation of gall stones; formation of uterine fibroids; and prostate, colon, breast and pancreas cancers.

Fruits and veggies tend to have a lower glycemic index. Meat, nuts and seeds, dairy products, beans and spices all have a low GI. Grains suggested in the Superfoods diet (brown rice, buckwheat, quinoa, oats) have a low GI.

Low GI (55 or less):

• small seeds (flax, pumpkin, sunflower, poppy, sesame )

• beans and nuts (kidney, black, white, pink, almond, peanut, lentil, walnut, chickpea)

• most whole intact grains (oat, millet, rye, rice)

• most veggies

• most sweet fruits (mangos, strawberries, peaches)

Medium GI (56–69):

• not intact whole-wheat or enriched wheat

• basmati rice

• pita bread

• grape juice

• raisins

• unpeeled boiled potato

• prunes

• cranberry juice

• pumpernickel bread

• regular ice cream

• banana

• sucros e

High GI (70 and above):

• white bread

• most white rice

• extruded breakfast cereals, such as Corn Flakes

• glucose

• maltose

• potatoes

• pretzels

• maltodextrins (polysaccharides that are used as food additives)

• bagels