Food
The Glycemic Index Helps Make You Stay Healthy
D
o you suffer from food cravings?
Does sugar make you feel real
good? People with coronary heart
disease, diabetes, kidney disease and age-
related macular degeneration have got to get
their blood sugar under control to stop
incessant cravings. Cravings are come-
downs after blood sugar overdose. Long
term Hyperglycemia causes many long-
term health problems including heart
disease, eye, kidney and nerve damage.
Many of the things you were taught were
healthy -- orange juice, wheat toast, corn
flakes, carrots -- are actually to be avoided.
They cause blood sugar surges.
Blood Sugar
The glycemic index (GI) provides a meas-
ure of how quickly blood sugar levels rise
after eating a particular type of food. Differ-
ent foods have considerably different
effects on blood sugar levels.
The glycemic index is measured relative
to consumption of pure glucose. On the
glycemic index scale, each food is assigned
an index number from 1 to 100. Glucose has
a glycemic index of 100.
Low-GI food release glucose more slowly
and steadily, which leads to much better
after-meal blood levels.
Best of All: Very Low
GI(under 20)
Asparagus, bean sprouts, beet greens,
broccoli, butter, cabbage, cauliflower, cel-
ery, cheese, chick peas, cucumber, eggs,
fish, kale, lettuce, meat, milk, mushrooms,
mustard greens, olives, peanuts, peppers,
radishes, spinach, swiss chard, turnips,
watercress, raspberries, strawberries,
pecans, coffe and tea without cream or
sugar.
Critics of the USDA’s MyPlate say for school meals potatoes should be replaced
with very low GI vegatables like cabbage, broccoli or cauliflower.
OK: Low GI(under 55)
Fructose, Beans (white, black, pink, kid-
ney, lentil, navy, soy); almonds, walnut,
small seeds; most Vegetables, most sweet
Fruits: peaches, mangos, squash; whole
Grains (millet, oat, rye, rice, barley); bran
cereals.
Minimize: Medium GI
(55-70)
Sugar, fruit juice, ice cream, whole
wheat, pita bread, brown rice, potato,
raisins, prunes, banana, corn, parsnips, car-
rot, sweet potato, yam.
Avoid: High GI (over 70)
Chicken and eggs are very low GI
Strawberries are very low GI
Glucose, white bread, spaghetti, white
rice, cornflakes, breakfast cereals, pretzels,
baked potato.
A high-GI food causes a very rapid rise in
blood glucose levels and is only suitable
for energy recovery after vigorous exer-
cise.
Squash and onions are low GI
Satisfaction
Glycemic index (GI) diet plans are based
on the concept that low-glycemic foods are
more satisfying than high-glycemic foods.
Low-GI foods take longer to absorb and
help dieters feel full longer, so they are less
likely to overeat. By contrast high-GI foods
break down faster, leaving you hungry and
less satisfied.
Foods with lower GI scores reduce
hunger in obese children. Critics of the
USDA’s MyPlate say that in school meals
potatoes should be replaced with low GI
vegatables like broccoli and cabbage.
Soy plants grow low GI beans
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Page 8 The Portland Skanner
December 5, 2012