Getting acquainted with the basics of proper nutrition, a person learns to evaluate not only the appearance and taste of food, but also its effect on the body. One of the important components of a healthy menu is foods with a low glycemic index (GI). Everyone who cares about their health needs to know about them.
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What is the glycemic index of foods?
Due to self-regulation processes, a certain level of sugar is maintained in the bloodstream. This is necessary for normal life. After carbohydrate foods, blood sugar rises. The glycemic index is the amount of glucose in the bloodstream 30 minutes after carbohydrate intake.
Empirically, the glycemic indices of all products were calculated, where the glucose breakdown rate was taken as 100%. Three main groups with high, medium, and low GI were identified. The faster the carbohydrates are absorbed, the higher the GI it has.
For convenience, tables have been compiled that help determine the GI of any product. Their use helps to effectively lose weight and maintain sugar levels in diabetes. Unfortunately, on the packages in supermarkets there are no GM products, only the number of calories, proteins, fats and carbohydrates, which does not give a complete idea of their benefits.
Benefits of Low GI Products
When a person eats foods containing fast carbohydrates, blood glucose levels increase dramatically. The brain sends a signal to the pancreas to produce insulin, which lowers blood sugar.After a sharp rise and surge of energy, the same sharp decline sets in, a person begins to feel severe hunger. Excess sugar is deposited in the form of fat.
Low GI foods are digestible for a long time. Their use does not lead to a sharp increase in blood glucose levels. Appetite does not increase, so it is easier to control the amount of food eaten.
When preparing a diet for weight loss, it is important to choose foods that have a low GI.
Factors Affecting the Glycemic Index of Products
Its GI depends on the content of carbohydrates in food. This indicator determines the saturation of the body with sugars. Proteins and fats do not affect the level of GI. Therefore, high-calorie foods, such as boiled pork, have an average GI, and foods containing a lot of sugar (boiled carrots) are high.
The glycemic index may vary depending on the method of cooking the product. Raw vegetables in which carbohydrates are in a difficult to digest form have a lower GI than cooked or baked ones. This is due to the conversion of complex carbohydrates to simple ones during the cooking process. Complex carbohydrates do not cause a sharp increase in blood sugar, and insulin in a large dose is not produced.
The cooking process increases the GI of not only vegetables, but also cereals. Therefore, when dieting, steamed oatmeal is more useful, rather than boiled in water or milk. Crushing food also increases GI. Whole grain cereals have a lower glycemic index than crushed grains, they are more useful.
The temperature of the food served on the table also affects GI. If the dish contains starch, then in the cold it will be less digestible, which means that its GI will be less.
Table: Low Glycemic Index Products
Foods with low GI, below 50%, are considered dietary. A table describing such products will help you make the right menu.
| GI = 10% | GI = 15% | GI = 20-25% | GI = 30-35% | GI = 40-45% | GI = 46-50% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| green pepper | olives and olives | boiled lentils | garlic | dry red and white wine | natural grapefruit juice |
| White cabbage | leek | cucumbers | pears | natural carrot juice | dry champagne |
| onion | cauliflower | prunes | dried apricots | natural orange juice | natural grape juice |
| tomatoes | braised cabbage | lingonberry | peaches | ground coffee without sugar | natural pineapple juice |
| salted mushrooms | asparagus | wild strawberries | apples | natural apple juice | chicken egg |
| broccoli | dill | cherry | Strawberry | cocoa in milk without sugar | omelet with meat |
| leaf lettuce | Red pepper | grapefruit | sea buckthorn | coconut | cooked sausage |
| avocado | Brussels sprouts | apricot | Red currants | wholemeal bread | fried beef liver |
| sauerkraut | sweet cherry | raspberry | colored beans | brown rice | |
| radish | cherry plum | dietary fiber | cereals | kiwi | |
| spinach | blackberry | yogurt 1.5% | wholemeal pasta | spaghetti | |
| black currant | plum | cream 10% | grape | bulgur | |
| fat-free soy flour | lemon | soy milk | fresh green peas | sherbet | |
| tofu cheese | pearl barley porridge on the water | natural milk | white beans | ||
| Champignon mushrooms | low-fat kefir | cottage cheese 9% | Rye bread | ||
| hazelnut | peeled barley | low-fat cottage cheese | buckwheat | ||
| physalis | blueberries | wholemeal bread |
Sunflower seeds, parsley, basil, cinnamon and vanillin also have a low glycemic index (less than 10%).
It is interesting:all about asparagus
Low GI Slimming Products: List
Following a healthy diet for weight loss, you need to pay attention to the glycemic index of food. Foods that have low GI can be eaten calmly.
These include:
- fresh green vegetables;
- meat products (except for the liver);
- milk products;
- greenery;
- whole grain steamed cereals;
- mushrooms.
It is difficult to change taste preferences at once during a diet. But it was proved empirically that a strong craving for habitual food passes through 3-4 weeks, if you maintain this period, then it will be easier.Then, observing the selected diet and limiting the use of harmful foods for another 8 months, you can defeat addiction to sweets and starchy foods.
Looking at the amount of carbohydrates in a product, it is impossible to determine its glycemic index. For this concept, it is not quantity that matters, but the quality of carbohydrates. If they are simple, quickly cleavable, then a product with high GI. The presence of complex carbohydrates indicates an average or low GI. With an equal amount of carbohydrates in foods, preference should be given to the one in which carbohydrates are complex.
Table for diabetics
Patients with diabetes should not eat sweets. Sugar is bad for the health of all people who monitor their health. Instead, stevia and sucralose are suitable for creating a sweet taste - these are natural sweeteners that can be consumed even by children and pregnant women.
Low GI Diabetic Table
| Low GI 10-40% | Average GI 40-50% | High GI Over 50% |
|---|---|---|
| cabbage | beans | corn |
| onion | peas | fried zucchini |
| tomatoes | kiwi | boiled, fried potato, chips |
| pepper | grape | boiled carrots |
| mushrooms | raisins | pumpkin, melon, watermelon |
| radish | bran | bananas, mangoes, pineapple |
| cucumbers | bran bread | dates |
| salad | liver | dumplings |
| black olives | Red wine | spaghetti |
| lentils | cakes, cookies, buns | |
| raspberry | ice cream, condensed milk | |
| apples | beer, shop juices, sugary drinks | |
| pears | honey | |
| apricots | chocolate | |
| peaches | jam | |
| plums | halva | |
| Strawberry | Hot Dog | |
| cherry | fast food dishes |
The table containing the glycemic indices of all products included in the daily menu must always hang on the refrigerator door. This will help a person with diabetes to effectively control their blood sugar. The lowest glycemic index for fresh vegetables, herbs, mushrooms, spices. In addition, there are foods that lower blood sugar due to the special chemical composition.
These include blueberries, table vinegar and cinnamon. A very small amount of black berries (about 1 tbsp. L.) Is needed to make the body's cells more susceptible to the produced insulin. Half a teaspoon of cinnamon per day also has a beneficial effect on sugar levels and the state of the vessels of the body. Salads can be seasoned with vinegar to reduce glycemia after eating foods that contain carbohydrates.
Low GI, High Nutrition Index Products
It is difficult to understand immediately what the nutritional value of foods is. Some people find nutritious, fatty and sweet foods high in calories. But from the point of view of nutritionists, this is not true. Especially harmful is the simultaneous use of sweet and fatty for those who want to lose weight, all the extra calories will be successfully deposited in the body's fat reserves.
The nutritional value of the product is its vitamins, mineral salts, antioxidants. The content of proteins and fats in this concept is not taken into account.
The highest nutritional index of such foods;
- fresh vegetables of green color;
- leaf salads;
- greens;
- green peas;
- white radish.
Green and leafy vegetables also have the lowest GI, they can be included in the daily diet for weight loss. In the healthy diet menu, these foods take pride of place for the most nutritious.
Create a menu for weight loss will help the GI table. Preferring products with a low glycemic index and high nutritional value, you can lose weight, gaining health instead of extra pounds.
