| Many popular diet books recommend avoiding | | | | |
| foods with a high Glycemic Index. When you | | | | raises blood sugar levels. GL is calculated |
| eat a food, your blood sugar level rises. | | | | by multiplying the |
| The | | | | |
| | | | grams of carbohydrate in a serving of food |
| food that raises blood sugar the highest is | | | | by that food's |
| pure table sugar. The | | | | |
| | | | glycemic index. Carrots dropped from high |
| Glycemic Index (GI) is a ratio of how high a | | | | GI of 131 to a GL of |
| food raises blood | | | | |
| | | | 10. Potatoes fall from a GI of 121 to a GL |
| sugar in comparison to table sugar. Foods | | | | of 45. Air-popped |
| whose carbohydrates | | | | |
| | | | popcorn, with a GI of 79, has a GL of 4.GI |
| break down slowly release glucose into the | | | | and GL indexes are tools for research that |
| bloodstream slowly, | | | | will drive you |
| | | | |
| so blood sugar levels do not rise high and | | | | crazy if you try to apply them to your daily |
| therefore these foods | | | | selection of foods. |
| | | | |
| have low GI scores. Those that break down | | | | Instead, use your own common sense and eat |
| quickly cause a high | | | | plenty of fruits, |
| | | | |
| rise in blood sugar and have a high GI. | | | | vegetables, whole grains, beans and other |
| Most beans, whole grains | | | | seeds. If you are diabetic, |
| | | | |
| and non-starchy vegetables have low GI; | | | | you can eat root vegetables and fruits with |
| while sugars, refined | | | | other foods to slow the |
| | | | |
| grains, fruits and root vegetables have a | | | | rise in blood sugar they may cause.For more |
| high GI.A carrot has almost the same GI as | | | | on GL and sensible nutrition, read "Eat, |
| sugar, but common | | | | Drink, |
| | | | |
| sense tells you that a carrot is more | | | | and Be Healthy: The Harvard Medical School |
| healthful than table sugar. | | | | Guide to Healthy Eating" |
| | | | |
| Foods that are mostly water or air will not | | | | (Simon & Schuster, June 2001), by Harvard |
| cause a steep rise in | | | | School of Public Health |
| | | | |
| your blood sugar even if their GI is high. | | | | professor and researcher Walter Willett, M.D |
| That's why a new | | | | -- highly recommended.Subscribe to my FREE |
| | | | weekly newsletter on fitness, health, and |
| measure, called Glycemic Load (GL), is more | | | | nutrition.Dr. Gabe Mirkin has been a radio |
| useful. This tells | | | | talk show host for 25 years and practicing |
| | | | physician for more than 40 years; he is board |
| you how much sugar is in a portion of food | | | | certified in four specialties, including |
| as well as how high it | | | | sports medicine. |