In order to help me control my blood sugars, I try to eat low glycemic index foods. These foods have less of an impact on blood sugar, so they help maintain a healthy range. These foods don’t lower blood sugar; they just raise blood sugar more slowly over a longer period of time. Although this is a great way to balance your diet as a diabetic, there is a disadvantage associated with a GI diet as well that you should be made aware of. The energy derived from these foods will be used first (before body fat) making it harder to lose pounds. That’s ok though. It doesn’t mean you CAN’T lose the weight, it just means that there has to be a more concentrated effort to do so. On a positive note, this type of diet keeps you feeling full for longer so you will likely end up taking in less calories throughout the day.
Below is the GI range
Low: <55
Medium: 56-69
High: 70+
A great guide to eating out and making the right GI food choices is a book by Rick Gallop. It’s called The GI Pocket
Guide. Look for it on www.amazon.com for the best price.
I also use a guide provided by The University of Sydney which can be found here:http://www.the-gi-diet.org/lowgifoods/. It’s nice to know where certain foods rank against others, so that you can start choosing healthier alternatives.
My basic rules; I stick to whole grains (46), whole wheat (49), carrots (16), cherries (22), hummus (6), and skim milk (32). I usually make sure I incorporate those items into my diet, daily. First, because they have a low GI. Second, because I enjoy those options.
I stay away from; white rice (87), rice cakes (87), watermelon (80), pumpkin (75), French Fries (75) and pretzels (83).
Some low GI foods that I found surprising were; strawberries (40), cheese tortellini (50) and chocolate milk (42).
Just make sure that you don’t forget to look at the fat percentage and that you continue to use portion control when choosing any type of food, including low GI foods.
I hope this has been helpful!
Below is the GI range
Low: <55
Medium: 56-69
High: 70+
A great guide to eating out and making the right GI food choices is a book by Rick Gallop. It’s called The GI Pocket
Guide. Look for it on www.amazon.com for the best price.
I also use a guide provided by The University of Sydney which can be found here:http://www.the-gi-diet.org/lowgifoods/. It’s nice to know where certain foods rank against others, so that you can start choosing healthier alternatives.
My basic rules; I stick to whole grains (46), whole wheat (49), carrots (16), cherries (22), hummus (6), and skim milk (32). I usually make sure I incorporate those items into my diet, daily. First, because they have a low GI. Second, because I enjoy those options.
I stay away from; white rice (87), rice cakes (87), watermelon (80), pumpkin (75), French Fries (75) and pretzels (83).
Some low GI foods that I found surprising were; strawberries (40), cheese tortellini (50) and chocolate milk (42).
Just make sure that you don’t forget to look at the fat percentage and that you continue to use portion control when choosing any type of food, including low GI foods.
I hope this has been helpful!
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