General Health

If you thought keeping sugars at bay or avoiding anything that contains sugar is enough to keep your blood sugar levels under check, then you may need to rethink. There’s more to just sugar/jaggery or honey content of foods that have an impact on your blood sugar levels. It is the Glycemic index of foods that decides whether it will spike up your blood sugar levels or not. Making conscious and mindful food choices is essential, whether you have diabetes, wish to lose weight or wish to live a fit & healthy life. Today’s blog will help you make smarter food choices by understanding the concept of the Glycemic Index.

What is the Glycemic Index?

The glycemic index is the measure of how quickly a particular food can raise your blood sugar levels. As per the glycemic index, foods are ranked between 0-100, depending on their capacity to spike your sugar levels in the blood. A higher glycemic index of a particular food means it gets absorbed quickly in the body and does not stay for longer causing an instant sugar surge, whereas low GI foods are absorbed gradually and stay in your body for longer keeping you fuller and leading to the gradual release of sugar. High GI foods may not always be sweet in taste, although they may raise your blood sugar level. This sugar is released by the breakdown of carbohydrates in the food. Hence the GI of food usually depends on the amount & type of carbohydrate [present in that food. One slice of bread has a higher glycemic index than a sweet apple. It's not the sweetness but the glycemic index of the food that decides how much sugar will be released and reflected in your bloodstream. Hence, it can be quite useful for people with diabetes to make the right choices of food that won't spike their blood sugar levels.

Foods are classified into 3 categories based on their GI :

High GI foods- Foods having a high between 70-100 are considered as high GI foods.

Medium GI foods- Foods having a GI ranging between 56 - 69 are considered medium GI foods.

Low GI Foods- Foods with GI  between 0-55  are classified as low GI foods.

Eating high GI foods frequently can put you at risk of diabetes, obesity and other metabolic disorders. Hence, knowing the glycemic index of foods is not just beneficial for diabetics but for everyone.

Why select LOW GI foods over HIGH GI foods?

Blood Sugar Management - High GI foods are absorbed quickly and lead to an instant spike of sugar in the blood which leads to the pancreas producing excess insulin. As a result, this sugar spike is also followed by an immediate sugar drop causing a sugar crash. Thus selecting low-GI foods helps. 

Preserve Heart Health- Frequent high GI foods have a direct impact on blood lipid levels, especially triglycerides. By increasing bad cholesterol such as triglycerides, and LDL and decreasing good cholesterol such as HDL, High GI foods increase the risk of heart disorders.

Prevention of Obesity- Excess sugar released by high GI foods is not immediately used up by the body but stored as fat instead. By increasing fat deposits in the liver and fatty tissues. Frequent high GI food intake can lead to overweight and obesity.

Here are some high, moderate and low glycemic foods list as per their glycemic index chart

Fact Check- One of the major reasons, processed and junk foods have a negative impact on human health is their high GI response.

Glycemic Index v/s Glycemic Load 

While glycemic index is a broader term, the glycemic load of particular foods is a much better indicator of a food's ability to impact blood sugar levels. The glycemic index is calculated based on how quickly the digestible carbohydrate from a particular food is able to raise blood sugar levels, whereas Glycemic load takes into consideration of portion size of total carbohydrates present in a particular serving of food. For instance, watermelon has a very high glycemic index but when eaten as 1 small serve its glycemic load is lower. Similarly high GI foods when combined with high fiber or high protein foods tend to provide a lower glycemic load of the entire meal. High fiber and high protein foods owing to their fiber and complex nature slow down the release of sugar from the food combination.

Managing Blood sugar spikes through foods & Herbs

By selecting Low Glycemic foods over High Glycemic foods, or combining high GI foods with components(high fiber/high protein) that lower the overall GL of the meal, diabetics can ensure better sugar control. While we may struggle to make the right food choices with low GI foods, nature has also blessed us with many natural foods & herbs:

Gymnemma- Numerous studies have confirmed the positive effects of Gymnemma herb on blood sugar levels. Popularly known as a sugar-destroying herb in Ayurvedic medicine, has the potential to reduce blood sugar spikes reduce sugar cravings and enhance insulin secretion. It does so by binding to sweet receptors on the tongue making sweet foods less appetizing, thereby reducing sugar cravings. Insulin is responsible for reducing sugar levels in the blood by transporting sugar molecules from the blood into the cells. By increasing insulin secretion, gymnemmic acid from gynemma helps reduce blood sugar spikes.
 
Jamun- Apart from having a low GI index, the active compounds of jamun fruit jamboline and ellagic acid delay the release of sugar from starch leading to a lower blood sugar spike. Jamun seeds are also rich in certain alkaloids that help the pancreatic cells improve their function thereby improving overall blood sugar response.

Fenugreek seeds-The soluble fiber galactomannan in fenugreek seeds helps in stabilizing the blood sugar levels by slowing down the release and absorption of sugar molecules. The antioxidant compound of fenugreek seeds also protects cells of the pancreas that produce insulin, which is responsible for lowering blood sugar levels.

Bittergourd- Karela is another food that helps with lowering blood sugar levels. Charantin compounds from bitter gourd are known to mimic the process of insulin, transporting glucose molecules from the blood inside cells of the body. It also helps stabilise blood sugar levels by improving insulin secretion from the pancreas.

Summary

Blood sugar control is not just important for people with diabetes but also for individuals to lead a healthy & fit lifestyle. Blood glucose spikes can be effectively managed by understanding the Glycemic response of foods. Additionally, the incidence of high blood glucose can be reduced by opting for low-GI foods and consuming foods & herbs that help with blood sugar management.  The above article explores the GI Index for common Indian foods, along with superfoods for better glucose control.