Health Topics 5 Habits of Health Practice Internal Cleanliness Avoid Carbohydrates Glycemic Index Table

Glycemic Index Table

Glycemic Index is an important consideration whenever choosing which foods to eat.

Avoid the Blood Sugar Level Spike that Causes Health Problems

Whenever sugar levels goes up in the blood it causes the body a large amount of work. With rapid rises in blood sugar, the body essentially goes into a panic mode to get the sugar out of the blood. The reason the body reacts so swiftly to blood sugar level rise is that sugar causes glycation of our proteins, cross-linking proteins and sugars with the result that the protein molecules don’t function perfectly anymore.

This is a significant cause of cellular damage and aging. This is why diabetics statistically have reduced longevity and why diabetics have problems in so many areas — the proteins in diabetics’ bodies are constantly being damaged by sugar.

The way the body gets sugar levels under control is to convert sugar to fat. Insulin is the hormone that helps this occur. There is a high degree of correlation between obesity and high blood sugar levels. Anytime the blood sugar is above 105, the body is going to be storing the excess sugar as fat (unless one’s cells have become insulin resistance, in which case, blood sugar rises and disease results).

Bottom line: A major effort at keeping our bodies healthy is to keep our blood free of excess sugar. This is best done by eating predominately low glycemic foods, and to eat occasional high glycemic foods with a preponderance of low-glycemic foods and to eat smaller portions of food.

Low glycemic index foods promote a slow to moderate rise in blood sugar and insulin as they're digested.  Because of this, appetite is reduced and the body is actually encouraged to burn body fat.

There are great benefits associated with eating virtually exclusively low glycemic foods.

The benefits of eating low glycemic foods include all of the following:

• Reduced risk of heart disease, diabetes, and obesity
• Increased energy & improved metabolism
• Weight loss
• Prevents overeating & reduces hunger pains
• Controls or moderates blood sugar & insulin levels

How To Interpret the Below Glycemic Index Table

1. Foods that have a glycemic index value of up to 40 are Low Glycemic Foods. These are smart foods to eat because they don’t raise blood sugar quickly.
2. Foods that have a Glycemic index value of between 41 to 55 are Moderate Glycemic Foods. These foods are generally safe foods in terms of not spiking blood sugar (except for people with insulin resistance).
3. Foods that have a Glycemic index value between 55 to 70 are High Glycemic Foods. They are best eaten with low or very low glycemic foods in order to help slow blood sugar release; and to eat no more than two servings per day of these foods.
4. Foods that have a Glycemic value above 70 are Very High Glycemic Foods and should be eaten no more than one serving a few times per month and always with low and moderate glycemic foods.

Glycemic Index of Cereals Kellogg's All Bran 51 Kellogg's Bran Buds 45 Kellogg's Cornflakes 84 Kellogg's Rice Krispies 82 Kellogg's Special K 54 Oatmeal 49 Shredded Wheat 67 Quaker Puffed Wheat 67 Glycemic Index of Grains Buckwheat 54 Bulgur 48 Basmati Rice 58 Brown Rice 55 Long grain White Rice 56 Short grain White Rice 72 Uncle Ben's Converted 44 Noodles (instant) 46 Taco Shells 68 Glycemic Index of Fruit Apple 38 Banana 55 Cantaloupe 65 Cherries 22 Grapefruit 25 Grapes 46 Kiwi 52 Mango 55 Orange 44 Papaya 58 Pear 38 Pineapple 66 Plum 39 Watermelon 103 Glycemic Index of Vegetables Beets 69 Broccoli 10 Cabbage 10 Carrots 49 Corn 55 Green Peas 48 Lettuce 10 Mushrooms 10 Onions 10 Parsnips 97 Potato (baked) 93 Potato (mashed, instant) 86 Potato (new) 62 Potato (french fries) 75 Red Peppers 10 Pumpkin 75 Sweet Potato 54 Glycemic Index of Beans Baked Beans 48 Broad Beans 79 Cannellini Beans 31 Garbanzo Beans (Chickpeas) 33 Lentils 30 Lima Beans 32 Navy Beans 38 Pinto Beans 39 Red Kidney Beans 27 Soy Beans 18 White Beans 31

Glycemic Index of Pasta Spaghetti 43 Ravioli (meat) 39 Fettuccini (egg) 32 Spiral Pasta 43 Capellini 45 Linguine 46 Macaroni 47 Rice vermicelli 58 Glycemic Index of Breads inc. Muffins & Cakes Bagel 72 Blueberry Muffin 59 Croissant 67 Donut 76 Pita Bread 57 Pumpernickel Bread 51 Rye Bread 76 Sour Dough Bread 52 Sponge Cake 46 Stone Ground Whole wheat bread 53 Waffles 76 White Bread 70 Whole Wheat Bread 69 Glycemic Index of Dairy Milk (whole) 22 Milk (skimmed) 32 Milk (chocolate flavored) 34 Ice Cream (whole) 61 Ice cream (low-fat) 50 Yogurt (low-fat) 33 Glycemic Index of Snacks Cashews 22 Chocolate Bar 49 Corn Chips 72 Jelly Beans 80 Peanuts 14 Popcorn 55 Potato Chips 55 Pretzels 83 Snickers Bar 41 Walnuts 15 Glycemic Index of Cookies Graham Crackers 74 Kavli Crispbread 71 Melba Toast 70 Oatmeal Cookies 55 Rice Cakes 82 Rice Crackers 91 Ryvita Crispbread 69 Soda Crackers 74 Shortbread Cookies 64 Stoned Wheat Thins 67 Water crackers 78 Glycemic Index of Sugars Fructose 23 Glucose 100 Honey 58 Lactose 46 Maltose 105 Sucrose 65