When carbohydrates are digested into glucose and absorbed into our blood, the body releases a hormone called insulin which is produced by the pancreas. Insulin basically pushes glucose into cells to be used as energy. As glucose is pushed into cells with the help of insulin, our blood glucose level starts to fall. If glucose is in excess, insulin promotes the storage of glucose as fat (lipogenesis).
Researchers have discovered that certain carbohydrates stimulate the release of more insulin than others and have created a ranking of carbohydrates according to how rapidly the blood glucose rises (glycemic index).
The Glycemic Index (GI) is categorized into low (GI of 0-55), moderate (56-69), and high (70 or more).
High glycemic index foods raises the blood sugar rapidly. We often experience this with intake of sweet foodstuff as a sudden burst of energy (sugar high). However, our body immediately releases a large amount of insulin, pushing the glucose into cells. The sudden surge of large amounts of insulin causes an overshoot effect resulting in a period of relatively low blood sugar (hypoglycemia) which causes lethargy and low energy. The diagram above illustrates this. Low glycemic food in contrast raises the blood sugar gradually and the glucose level is more sustained.
Low glycemic foods include: kidney beans, nuts, chick peas, soy(beware that some contain sugar),milk, apricot, cherries and berries.
Moderate Glycemic foods include: Oranges, peaches, plums, pears, apples, yam, peas.
High glycemic foods: White rice, bread, most cookies, all sweets (except those sweetened with fructose, xylitol and splenda), potatoes, bananas, pineapple, mango, and papaya.
Note: The glycemic index does not list foods such as vegetables, meat, seeds and dairy products because these foods have an extremely low insulin effect.
For a database of glycemic index for food kindly refer to www.glycemicindex.com
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