My aunt mentioned GI to me today when we were discussing dieting and it rang a bell that Lyndsey had mentioned it recently in the Get Healthy Challenge thread.
What are the Benefits of the Glycemic Index?
Eating a lot of high GI foods can be detrimental to your health because it pushes your body to extremes. This is especially true if you are overweight and sedentary. Switching to eating mainly low GI carbs that slowly trickle glucose into your blood stream keeps your energy levels balanced and means you will feel fuller for longer between meals.
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- Low GI diets help people lose and control weight
- Low GI diets increase the body's sensitivity to insulin
- Low GI carbs improve diabetes control
- Low GI carbs reduce the risk of heart disease
- Low GI carbs reduce blood cholesterol levels
- Low GI carbs can help you manage the symptoms of PCOS
- Low GI carbs reduce hunger and keep you fuller for longer
- Low GI carbs prolong physical endurance
- High GI carbs help re-fuel carbohydrate stores after exercise
Here is a very useful list which categorises, low, medium and high GI foods. Our aim, of course, is to stick with the low ones.
Low GI = 55 or less
Medium GI = 56 - 69
High GI = 70 or more
Breakfast Cereal
Low GI All-bran (UK/Aus) 30 All-bran (US) 50 Oat bran 50 Rolled Oats 51 Special K (UK/Aus) 54 Natural Muesli 40 Porridge 58
Medium GI Bran Buds 58 Mini Wheats 58 Nutrigrain 66 Shredded Wheat 67 Porridge Oats 63 Special K (US) 69
High GI Cornflakes 80 Sultana Bran 73 Branflakes 74 Coco Pops 77 Puffed Wheat 80 Oats in Honey Bake 77 Team 82 Total 76 Cheerios 74 Rice Krispies 82 Weetabix 74 Staples
Low GI Wheat Pasta Shapes 54 New Potatoes 54 Meat Ravioli 39 Spaghetti 32 Tortellini (Cheese) 50 Egg Fettuccini 32 Brown Rice 50 Buckwheat 51 White long grain rice 50 Pearled Barley 22 Yam 35 Sweet Potatoes 48 Instant Noodles 47 Wheat tortilla 30
Medium GI Basmati Rice 58 Couscous 61 Cornmeal 68 Taco Shells 68 Gnocchi 68 Canned Potatoes 61 Chinese (Rice) Vermicelli 58 Baked Potatoes 60 Wild Rice 57
High GI Instant White Rice 87 Glutinous Rice 86 Short Grain White Rice 83 Tapioca 70 Fresh Mashed Potatoes 73 French Fries 75 Instant Mashed Potatoes 80
Bread
Low GI Soya and Linseed 36 Wholegrain Pumpernickel 46 Heavy Mixed Grain 45 Whole Wheat 49 Sourdough Rye 48 Sourdough Wheat 54
Medium GI Croissant 67 Hamburger bun 61 Pita, white 57 Wholemeal Rye 62
High GI White 71 Bagel 72 French Baguette 95 Snacks & Sweet Foods
Low GI Slim-Fast meal replacement 27 Snickers Bar (high fat) 41 Nut & Seed Muesli Bar 49 Sponge Cake 46 Nutella 33 Milk Chocolate 42 Hummus 6 Peanuts 13 Walnuts 15 Cashew Nuts 25 Nuts and Raisins 21 Jam 51 Corn Chips 42 Oatmeal Crackers 55
Medium GI Ryvita 63 Digestives 59 Blueberry muffin 59 Honey 58
High GI Pretzels 83 Water Crackers 78 Rice cakes 87 Puffed Crispbread 81 Donuts 76 Scones 92 Maple flavoured syrup 68
Legumes (Beans)
Low GI Kidney Beans (canned) 52 Butter Beans 36 Chick Peas 42 Haricot/Navy Beans 31 Lentils, Red 21 Lentils, Green 30 Pinto Beans 45 Blackeyed Beans 50 Yellow Split Peas 32
Medium GI Beans in Tomato Sauce 56 Vegetables
Low GI Frozen Green Peas 39 Frozen Sweet Corn 47 Raw Carrots 16 Boiled Carrots 41 Eggplant/Aubergine 15 Broccoli 10 Cauliflower 15 Cabbage 10 Mushrooms 10 Tomatoes 15 Chillies 10 Lettuce 10 Green Beans 15 Red Peppers 10 Onions 10
Medium GI Beetroot 64
High GI Pumkin 75 Parsnips 97 Fruits
Low GI Cherries 22 Plums 24 Grapefruit 25 Peaches 28 Peach, canned in natural juice 30 Apples 34 Pears 41 Dried Apricots 32 Grapes 43 Coconut 45 Coconut Milk 41 Kiwi Fruit 47 Oranges 40 Strawberries 40 Prunes 29
Medium GI Mango 60 Sultanas 56 Bananas 58 Raisins 64 Papaya 60 Figs 61 Pineapple 66
High GI Watermelon 80 Dates 103 Dairy
Low GI Whole milk 31 Skimmed milk 32 Chocolate milk 42 Sweetened yoghurt 33 Artificially Sweetened Yoghurt 23 Custard 35 Soy Milk 44
Medium GI Icecream 62
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, I´ve read about that before, it´s quite popular as a way of dieting (or a long-term lifestyle) here in Germany. All the foods listed
here belong to the carbohydrate group, so we learn what "good carbs" (low GI) and "bad carbs" (high GI) are here. The good, low GI carbs
are those that take more time to get digested (often because they are high in fibre), and so they cause only a moderate and steady rise in your blood sugar
level over a longer period of time (which means you feel satisfied for longer and have no sudden cravings for more, especially for sugar). Bad, high GI carbs,
on the other hand, push your blood sugar level very high quickly, and then it falls just as quickly again so that you´ll feel hungry again soon after eating,
and probably crave a "quick fix" (often something sweet).
I was surprised to see that some foods which are high in calories
are so low in GIs such as peanuts and walnuts, which are only 13 and 15 respectively. Wow, that's low!!
I see that white long grain rice and brown rice are exactly the same low GI (50) but I thought brown rice would be much lower than white? Also, I'm
confused that instant noodles and spaghetti come under the low GI even though they're not the wholemeal type. 
