Glycemic Index Help

tam8374
tam8374 Posts: 270 Member
edited October 1 in Food and Nutrition
Hi all.. I just went to the doc yesterday and now I have to get serious about my health. If I don't get things under control I will have a heart attach by the time i'm 40-45. (I'm 37 now). Other than my cholesterol being through the roof (I'm on lipitor and fish oils to start), my sugar was a little high an I"m borderline diabetic. So now I have to watch my foods going by the glycemic index. My dilemma is this:

The GI is not listed on the nutrition labels, but the carbs and sugars are. Is there a good rule of thumb or trick to use when reading food lables to know what I should/shouldn't get? I have a list of foods with the GI factor, and I have found several online, but not everything falls into a specific heading.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Replies

  • JennLifts
    JennLifts Posts: 1,913 Member
    I dont think its by the amount in it, but the type. you can google GI index and there's lists to tell you what falls where.
  • ashley0616
    ashley0616 Posts: 579 Member
    As a general rule, higher sugar means higher GI. White foods (sugar, flour, etc) are generally high GI and things to avoid. Stay away from refined or processed foods and try to eat as clean and healthfully as possible. Lots of lean proteins, lots of veggies, moderate fruits and whole grains. It's all about the "better" choice - not perfection - so instead of having a banana have berries; instead of white bread have 1 slice of whole wheat; instead of a regular potato have a sweet potato; choose healthy oils and nuts and have them once a day. I've been low GI off an on for a number of years (I have commitment issues, haha!) but I've found that once I'm ON it, it's super easy. I would recommend the book The Sugar Solution to you, it has a lot of great information and recipes about the low GI lifestyle. Good luck to you!
  • bcattoes
    bcattoes Posts: 17,299 Member
    The link below maybe helpful. It is a listing of 100 common foods and their glycemic index and glycemic load. It also explains the difference between index and load.

    http://www.health.harvard.edu/newsweek/Glycemic_index_and_glycemic_load_for_100_foods.htm

    The website for the American Diabetes Assoc. also has lots of helpful information and recipes.

    www.diabetes.org
  • Lleldiranne
    Lleldiranne Posts: 5,516 Member
    My SIL is diabetic (type 2). I know that she looks at total carbs, and subtracts fiber and sugar alcohols from that (as they don't affect blood sugar), to figure how ok the food is. Did your doc give you an idea of how many total carbs you should be consuming each day?
    I also know that pairing a higher-carb food with a protein will lessen it's impact on glucose levels. For example, a hamburger with a bun is okay for her, but the bun by itself would not be a good idea. (At least carb-wise). But that's a strategy for helping regulate glucose rather than for allowing more carbs in a day.

    I do know that refined grains (white bread, white rice, pasta) are high GI. Fruits are also (she called a glass of orange juice "a coma in a cup"), as well as carrots, corn, and peas. Most other vegetables are much lower (I don't recall specifically about sweet potatoes and squash, but I do know white potatoes aren't a good idea; turnips make a decent substitute). Whole grains are better than refined, but she still has to be careful and pair them with a protein. And, of course, sweets and sugar-sweetened drinks are a no-no. Especially avoid anything with high fructose corn syrup; I read recently that it can mess with your blood sugar/insulin effectiveness.

    Hope this helps a bit.
  • Skepti_Kal_1
    Skepti_Kal_1 Posts: 16 Member
    The South Beach Diet also deals a lot with low GI foods. My husband's doctor said he'd be dead in three months with his triglycerides, blood sugar, and cholesterol the way it was. Three months on South Beach and every single one of those was in a normal, healthy range and although he has only done South Beach on and off for the past few years, his numbers never got high like that again.
  • nukehiker
    nukehiker Posts: 457
    go to www.teambeachbody.com website. under the " eat smart " tab. on the bottom of that list it will say Michi's ladder which is similar to the GI. it is broken down into 5 tiers. but you want to eat the things from tiers 1 &2. hope this helps a little
  • shannieboo
    shannieboo Posts: 144 Member
    As a general rule, higher sugar means higher GI. White foods (sugar, flour, etc) are generally high GI and things to avoid. Stay away from refined or processed foods and try to eat as clean and healthfully as possible. Lots of lean proteins, lots of veggies, moderate fruits and whole grains. It's all about the "better" choice - not perfection - so instead of having a banana have berries; instead of white bread have 1 slice of whole wheat; instead of a regular potato have a sweet potato; choose healthy oils and nuts and have them once a day. I've been low GI off an on for a number of years (I have commitment issues, haha!) but I've found that once I'm ON it, it's super easy. I would recommend the book The Sugar Solution to you, it has a lot of great information and recipes about the low GI lifestyle. Good luck to you!

    I am diabetic and I agree 200% what Ashley0616 has said. You have to stay away from white potatos or any veggie that smushs like a potoato such as peas. and that also means french frys :) Beans are high in fiber but the lowest GI would be your black bean. Basicly, stay away from everything white. Write down what you eat and take your blood sugar 2 hours after you eat because just like pregnant women, every diabetic is different and some foods will spike your sugars that wont spike mine. Corn will make my sugars through the roof and so will cereals (any cereal)

    You can add me as a friend and PM me anytime and I will be more then happy to answer your questions.
  • DeBlue
    DeBlue Posts: 254 Member
    go to www.teambeachbody.com website. under the " eat smart " tab. on the bottom of that list it will say Michi's ladder which is similar to the GI. it is broken down into 5 tiers. but you want to eat the things from tiers 1 &2. hope this helps a little

    Excellent - thanks.
  • pearlsgonewild
    pearlsgonewild Posts: 54 Member
    I agree with the suggestion of cutting out high-fructose corn syrup. I have been doing that now for about 3-4 weeks and feel a huge difference.
  • Ajwilson67
    Ajwilson67 Posts: 20
    I think that this one of the best ways to get healthy...because it basically gives you the right food to eat, to avoid the highs and lows, and when that happens , at least for me i tend to over eat because im tired and think i need for energy...i had tried the Glycemic way off life about 3 yrs ago...it is very hard in the states be cause non of the food lables have the GI rating on them...which is a shame with the way our society is these days ...so many children that are overweight....this way of eating would curb a lot of the overweight issues...
    it gets very frustrating when you go to the grocery strore, and you have to read the entire lable ....Come On America we need to get the GI on all our food!
    of course this is just my 2 cents!
  • tam8374
    tam8374 Posts: 270 Member
    Thanks Everyone the Suggestions have helped.. Also.. I agree with the quote below about adding the GI to the food lables. I thought when my doctor said stay below 45-50, I thought maybe he was referring to sugar grams, but as I did my research, I noticed it was as simple as just reading a label.

    Thanks!!
    I think that this one of the best ways to get healthy...because it basically gives you the right food to eat, to avoid the highs and lows, and when that happens , at least for me i tend to over eat because im tired and think i need for energy...i had tried the Glycemic way off life about 3 yrs ago...it is very hard in the states be cause non of the food lables have the GI rating on them...which is a shame with the way our society is these days ...so many children that are overweight....this way of eating would curb a lot of the overweight issues...
    it gets very frustrating when you go to the grocery strore, and you have to read the entire lable ....Come On America we need to get the GI on all our food!
    of course this is just my 2 cents!

    Thanks Everyone!! The suggestions have helped.
  • irdietinfo
    irdietinfo Posts: 29
    All the advice you've been given here is great. The GI is a good guide to the best choices to keep your blood sugar from going up too sharply. You can enter food types in the search box at www,glycemicindex.com to get a good idea of the GI of many cereals and breads. Look for ones below 70. Portion sizes are also important (Glycemic Load).

    If you cut down on the carbs generally it will help a lot! Foods to steer clear of: white bread, rice, potatoes, sugary cereals and of course cakes, pastries, cookies etc. Increasing protein is also key. It's a big shift in habits but it really works!
  • dls06
    dls06 Posts: 6,774 Member
    I had see a diabetic nutritionist who told me to keep my carbs at 30-40 per meal and not to go over 130 for the day. If you log your food before you eat you can check the carb count and make adjustments. It has worked for me.
  • bluebird321
    bluebird321 Posts: 733 Member
    What worked for me.
    1. Cutting out white flower (staying away from any type of bread). .
    2. Cutting out processed food (which eliminates HFCS)
    3 Sticking to non-starchy fruits (berries etc). Learning the GI will help.
    4 Eathing a lot more leafy green vegetables and protien.
    5 .Eliminating or severely curtailing any type of sugar.
  • tam8374
    tam8374 Posts: 270 Member
    Thanks everyone for the advice. So far I'm on day 4 and I'm not doing too badly. It does take some getting used to, because for breakfast I would have either a granola bar or a banana, both of which I shouldn't do now. So trying to figure out what I can/can't eat is a challenge, but maybe once I get the carbs out of my system, my snacking/binge eating might get a little better.
  • irdietinfo
    irdietinfo Posts: 29
    That's exactly right, tam8374! It gets easier and you're right about the carbs causing you to snack. Keep going, you'll soon notice a difference in your appetite!
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