Pre-Diabetes Diet

 

Some sugars, like the sugars that come from candy and starchy desserts, will raise your blood sugar level very quickly because your body begins breaking them down in your mouth, then the stomach, and are absorbed by small instestines. These sugars are often called refined sugars because the sugar has been processed. Foods with refined sugars in them are generally very sweet and will make you hungry for more food. They will also give you a quick burst of energy, leading to a sugar high that is used by many athletes for energy during a competition.

However, other carbohydrates, such as those that come from whole wheat and grains, contain sugars that are called complex carbohydrates. Complex carbohydrates take longer to digest than refined sugars and, therefore, will help your blood sugar level rise slowly over a prolonged amount of time. Complex carbohydrates also have a tendency to have other nutritional values, such as fiber and vitamins; that will benefit your body by giving it more than just units of energy. Learn more about Sugars and Starches interactively.

Naturally, if you are a diabetic, then it is advantageous to eat foods that are plentiful in complex carbohydrates and eat less food that is made with refined sugars. Even so, many Diabetes researchers believe that a low-carbohydrate diet is the key to helping Diabetic patients control their diabetes.

How the Glycemic Index Works

Only 750 foods have been calculated to determine the Glycemic Index. There are a wide variety of publications that chart these Glycemic Index findings. These publications will help to map out which foods have how many carbohydrates and can help you form a nutritious diet based on how your body reacts to different types of carbohydrates.

The Glycemic Index is determined by a number of factors, including the amount of sugar in food, as well as the fiber and fat. Foods that have a higher number in the Glycemic Index are foods that will raise the blood sugar level faster than foods that have a lower number. Generally speaking, foods with refined sugars, such as desserts, have a higher number than complex carbohydrates. As such, those foods with higher numbers should be eaten in moderation or only in small portions when combined with nutritious foods.

The Glycemic Index also does not tell you how much of a particular serving is used to determine a particular number, glycemic load will tell you that. That’s because the Glycemic Index does not measure portions; it simply measures how quickly the food will turn into glucose. Glycemic Load (GL) is a ranking system for carb content of food portions based on their Glycemic Index and the portion size. Glycemic Load is a more accurate tool to tell you how many carbs you will eat and help you figure out how much insulin will be needed to cover the carb. From this information you can better calibrate your glucomonitor with the amount of sugar in your blood.

Remember, the Glycemic Index is a tool that you should be familiar with. Once you understand how different foods affect your body, you will be able to intelligently prepare your meals and snacks knowing how your food choices will affect your blood sugar level.

Here is an interactive module on diabetes which further explains the relationship between blood glucose control and the Glycemic Index.

Glycemic Index (G.I.) Chart

When reading the Glycemic Index, keep in mind that foods with a number greater than 70 are considered to be high. Foods with a calculation less than 55 are considered to be low.

 

Food	G.I.	Food	G.I.	Food	G.I.	Food	G.I.
Apple	38	Donut	76	Linguine	46	Popcorn	55
Bagel	72	Fettuccini (egg)	32	Long grain White Rice	56	Potato	93
Baked Beans	48	Fructose	23	Macaroni	47	Potato (French Fries	75
Banana	55	Garbanzo Beans (Chickpeas)	33	Maltose	105	Potato (Mashed)	86
Basmati Rice	58	Glucose	100	Mango	55     Potato Chips 62	55	55
Beets	69	Graham Crackers	74	Melba Toast	70	Pretzel	83
Blueberry Muffin	59	Grapefruit	25	Milk (chocolate flavored)	34	Pumpernickel Bread	51
Broad Beans	79	Grapes	46	Milk (skimmed)	32	Pumpkin	75
Broccoli	10	Green Peas	48	Milk (whole)	22	Quaker Puffed Wheat	67
Brown Rice	55	Honey	58	Mushrooms	10	Ravioli (meat)	39
Buckwheat	54	Ice cream (low-fat)	50	Navy Beans	38	Red Kidney Beans	27
Bulgur	48	Ice Cream (whole)	61	Noodles (instant)	46	Red Peppers	10
Cabbage	10	Jelly Beans	80	Oatmeal	49	Rice Cakes	82
Cannellini Beans	31	Kavli Crispbread	71	Oatmeal Cookies	55	Rice Crackers	91
Cantaloupe	65	Kellogg’s All Bran	51	Onions	10	Rice vermicelli	58
Capellini	45	Kellogg’s Bran Buds	45	Orange	44	Rye Bread	76
Carrots	49	Kellogg’s Cornflakes	84	Papaya	58	Ryvita Crispbread	69
Cashews	22	Kellogg’s Rice Krispies	82	Parsnips	97	Short grain White Rice	72
Cherries	22	Kellogg’s Special K	54	Peanuts	14	Shortbread Cookies	64
Chocolate Bar	49	Kiwi	52	Pear	38	Shredded Wheat	67
Corn	55	Lactose	46	Pineapple	66	Snickers Bar	41
Corn Chips	72	Lentils	30	Pinto Beans	39	Soda Crackers	74
Corn Chips	72	Lettuce	10	Pita Bread	57	Sour Dough Bread	52
Croissant	67	Lima Beans	32	Plum	39	Soy Beans	18
				Waffles	76	Spaghetti	43
Sweet Potato	54			Walnuts	15	Spiral Pasta	43
Sucrose	65	Uncle Ben’s Converted	44	Water crackers	78	Sponge Cake	46
Stone Ground	New Cell	Whole wheat bread		Watermelon
Stoned Wheat Thins	67	White Beans	31	White Bread
Taco Shells	68			Whole Wheat Bread		Yogurt (low-fat)	33l