The Glycemic Diet: The Difference Between Low and High Glycemic Foods

The glycemic diet is founded on one basic principal - how someone's blood sugar responds to the foods that they have eaten. It measures how slowly or quickly foods are digested and converted into energy by our bodies.

Foods that are considered low take a longer time to be digested, are more filling and satisfying. Since it takes the body longer to digest these foods, people who eat low glycemic foods are hungry less often than when eating foods that pass through the body faster.

Foods that pass through the body faster are called high glycemic foods. These foods are rapidly digested and converted to energy (or stored energy which means f-a-t). When someone eats high glycemic foods, they will be hungry much quicker than had they eaten low glycemic foods.

When someone has eaten something "quick and easy," and then feels starved just a few hours later, it's likely that they had eaten high glycemic foods.

Doughnuts, jelly beans, life savers, vanilla wafers, graham crackers, and pretzels are considered high glycemic foods. These foods raise the blood sugar quickly. When someone is following a low glycemic diet, these are just a few of the foods that they should avoid.

However, most people are surprised to learn that the following foods are also considered high glycemic foods, and should be avoided or eaten in small quantities: Cheerios, Corn Chex, Cornflakes, Raisin Bran, Rice Chex, rice cakes, parsnips, watermelon, dates, instant and white rice, white bread, mashed potatoes, and pumpkin.

As you can see by the list above, just because something is low calorie, like the rice cakes, does not mean that it's rated low on the glycemic scale.

However, when someone is trying to eat low glycemic foods, there are many great foods to choose from. Here are just a few of the foods that are also considered to be low glycemic foods: oatmeal (not instant), Kellogg's All Bran and Special K, grapes, grapefruit, apples, cherries, whole wheat pasta, whole wheat bread, pumpernickel bread, unsweetened apple juice, skim milk, lettuce, green beans, cauliflower, cabbage, green beans, peanuts, walnuts and cashews.

It doesn't take much of a rocket scientist to know that eating sugary foods (like candy) is not healthy while eating apples and cherries is a much healthier alternative. However, most people are surprised to learn just how quickly white breads and rice products raise the blood sugar, making them unhealthy high glycemic foods.

Sources:
http://www.diabetesnet.com/diabetes_food_diet/satiety_index.php
http://www.glycemicedge.com/