Glycemic index is a reflection of the increase in blood sugar after consumption of a given product. This index can range from 0 to 100, since the glycemic index of any product is compared with the response in the blood to pure glucose, the GI of which is 100.
The body is trying to lower blood sugar, so when it rises, insulin is released. Excessive consumption of foods with a high glycemic index in the diet is the best soil for the development of type II diabetes.
Why does the GI depend?
Products with a high carbohydrate content do not always have a high glycemic index. For example, in white polished rice, GI is lower than in a more useful brown short-cooked rice.
The glycemic index depends on several factors:
- way of cooking - thermally processed food always has higher GI values than raw analogs;
- type of carbohydrates - monosaccharides have higher GI, polysaccharides - lower;
- the amount of fiber - the more fiber in the product, the lower its GI (coarse fiber slows the absorption of sugar, so the index in the blood will rise gradually);
- The more fats and proteins contained in the product, the lower its GI.
In addition, foods with high glycemic levels are not all monosaccharides. Sucrose affects the glucose in the blood, and fructose - no. More surprisingly, lactose (milk sugar) has a higher GI than fructose.
The degree of GI is affected even by the way bread is baked. If prolonged fermentation was used, the GI would be lower than that of the fast-growing test.
Salty and acidic foods affect the GI of food consumed with them. So, sour taste (lemon juice or vinegar in salads) lowers GI, as food is absorbed more slowly. But salt accelerates digestion of starches and increases GI.
Fruits with a high glycemic index may have their analogues with a lower GI. The more ripe the fruit, the higher its GI. That is, if you take an example of the most "high-carb" fruit - a banana, you should choose less mature, greenish fruits.
Classification of GI
Glycemic index can be low, medium and high:
- low GI - up to 40;
- average GI - up to 70;
- high GI - from 70.
GI is especially important for two categories of the population - diabetics and athletes. People with diabetes are forced to be experts in the field of carbohydrates. Meanwhile it is proved that 2 items of l. sugar even a day they can afford. And the consumption of potatoes, white bread, rice with high GI is more harmful than the addition of a spoonful of sugar in the oatmeal.
Athletes have their own food system. GI directly affects strength, endurance, muscle growth. Before exercise, you should eat food with low GI. This will increase endurance and provide strength for the entire duration of training, but after the training is over, you need to fill the energy deficit with products with high GI.
In this case, with products that have a high glycemic index, you must be extremely cautious. Overdoing, you can easily add to
At the same time, products with low GI are less effective in sports. True, they saturate with energy for a long time, but do not give that crazy charge that comes from the release of sugar into the blood when consuming high GI. However, a low glycemic index is much more useful for those who lose weight - it is he who suppresses the appetite , the causative agent of which is the constant production of insulin, accompanied by just crazy sugar bombs in the blood.