Nutrition Basics
Nutrition Basics
Healthy nutrition greatly impacts control of your diabetes whether you are pre-diabetic, Type 1 or Type 2.
The amount of carbohydrates you ingest at each meal and snacks should be monitored so you can control your blood sugars. Simple carbohydrates raise it very quickly but complex carbohydrates raise sugars too but not as quickly.
Knowing things such as the glycemic index, carbohydrates in foods, protein, fats and fiber all will help you determine what you should look for when buying food, eating out, attending holiday parties and drinking beverages.
Family, friends and others should be aware of how foods affect you and your self-advocacy about what you can and can't have is essential to keep your sugars in a normal range, which is between 80-130.
If you are too low or too high, then you will have to monitor your diet or check your BS with your blood glucose meter.
Glycemic Index
The glycemic index is a rating system that ranks carbohydrates on a scale of 1 to 100 based on how much foods raise blood sugar.
Processed foods such as candy, breads, cakes and cookies have a high GI, while whole foods such as unrefined grains, non-starchy vegetables, and fruits tend to have a lower glycemic index.
Carbohydrates with a low GI value are digested, absorbed, and metabolized more slowly than their high-GI counterparts. They typically cause a slower rise in blood glucose and, subsequently not as much insulin will be needed to bring down blood sugars.
Foods that are primarily fat or protein are not included in the index because they have a minimal impact on blood sugar levels.
The glycemic values can be broken down into three ranges. Low, medium and high. Foods with a low GI won't raise your blood sugar as much as a food with a medium or high index.
Low GI: 55 or less
Medium GI: 56 to 69
High GI: 70 to 100
Below are some foods and their gylcemic index.
| Low-GI Foods (<55) | |
|---|---|
| Foods | GI |
| Apple | 36 |
| Apple juice | 41 |
| Banana | 51 |
| Barley | 28 |
| Carrots, boiled | 39 |
| Chickpeas | 28 |
| Chocolate | 40 |
| Dates | 42 |
| Ice cream | 51 |
| Kidney beans | 24 |
| Lentils | 32 |
| Mango | 51 |
| Orange | 43 |
| Orange juice | 50 |
| Peaches, canned | 43 |
| Plantain | 55 |
| Rice noodles | 53 |
| Rolled oats | 55 |
| Skim milk | 37 |
| Soya beans | 16 |
| Soy milk | 34 |
| Spaghetti, white | 49 |
| Spaghetti, whole grain | 48 |
| Grain breads | 53 |
| Strawberry jam | 49 |
| Sweet corn | 52 |
| Taro, boiled | 53 |
| Udon noodles | 55 |
| Vegetable soup | 48 |
| Whole milk | 39 |
| Yogurt, fruit | 41 |
| Medium-GI Foods (56 to 69) | |
|---|---|
| Foods | GI |
| Brown rice, boiled | 68 |
| Couscous | 65 |
| French fries | 63 |
| Millet porridge | 67 |
| Muesli | 57 |
| Pineapple | 59 |
| Popcorn | 65 |
| Potato chips | 56 |
| Pumpkin, boiled | 64 |
| Soda, non-diet | 59 |
| Sweet potato, boiled | 63 |
| Wheat biscuits | 69 |
| Wheat roti | 62 |
| High-GI Foods (70 to 100) | |
|---|---|
| Foods | GI |
| Cornflakes | 81 |
| Instant oatmeal | 79 |
| Potato, boiled | 78 |
| Mashed Potatoes | 87 |
| Rice milk | 86 |
| Rice porridge | 78 |
| Rice crackers | 87 |
| Unleavened wheat bread | 70 |
| Watermelon | 76 |
| White rice, boiled | 73 |
| White bread | 75 |
| Whole wheat bread | 74 |
If you are unsure of what is in the food you are eating, there are guides you can find out how much carbohydrates, fat, protein, and fiber is contained in what you are eating.
https://diabetes.org/food-nutrition/understanding-carbs/carb-counting-and-diabetes
Glycemic Index Factors / Influences on blood sugars:
- The type of sugar in the food. Not all sugars have a high GI. The GI of sugar ranges from as low as 23 for fructose to up to 105 for maltose. Therefore, the GI of a food partly depends on the type of sugar it contains.
- The structure of the starch. Starch is a carbohydrate of two molecules — amylose and amylopectin. Amylose is difficult to digest, amylopectin is easily digested. Foods with a higher amylose content will have a lower GI.
- How refined the carbohydrate is. Processing methods such as grinding and rolling disrupt amylose and amylopectin molecules, raising the GI. The more processed a food is, the higher its GI.
- Nutrient composition. Adding protein or fat to a meal can slow digestion and help reduce the glycemic response or quick increases in blood sugars.
- The cook method. Preparation and techniques can affect the GI too. The longer a food is cooked, the faster its sugars will be digested and absorbed, raising the GI.
- Ripeness. Unripe fruit contains complex carbs that break down into sugars as the fruit ripens. The riper the fruit, the higher its GI. For example, an unripe banana has a GI of 30, whereas an overripe banana has a GI of 48.
Glycemic Load
The glycemic load (GL) is a measure of the type and quantity of the carbs you eat. When following a low GI diet, it’s recommended that you keep your daily glycemic load under 100.
The rate at which foods raise blood sugar levels depends on three factors: the types of carbs they contain, their nutrient composition, and the amount you eat.
The glycemic load is a measure of how a carb affects blood sugar levels, taking both the type (GI) and quantity (grams per serving) into account.
Similar to the glycemic Index (GI), the glycemic load (GL) has three classifications:
- Low: 10 or fewer
- Medium: 11–19
- High: 20 or more
The glycemic index (GI) is still the most important factor to consider when following the low GI diet but you should also monitor your GL keeping in mind a total of under 100 by choosing low GI foods and consuming them in moderation.