Diabetes and the Glycemic Index
What is the Glycemic Index?
The Glycemic Index (GI) is a scale from 0 to 100 that measures carbohydrates based on how quickly they raise blood sugar levels. The higher the number on the GI, the quicker the food will raise your blood sugar. The lower the number on the GI, the slower the food will raise your blood sugar. High-GI foods are often processed foods such as candy, fried food, and pastries. Low-GI foods include beans, leafy greens, and berries. See the chart below for a list of low, medium, and high GI foods. For people with type 2 diabetes, it is crucial to control blood sugar. Following a diet full of low-GI foods can be beneficial for people with prediabetes and type 2 diabetes because it can aid in weight loss and blood sugar management.
Carbohydrates that digest quickly have a higher GI, and those that digest slower have a lower GI. When following a low-GI diet, it’s important to focus on foods high in fiber because fiber passes through the body without being broken down. High-fiber foods are also known to keep you fuller for longer, which can aid in weight loss for those with type 2 diabetes.
Low-GI Foods and Diabetes Management
Around 90% of all patients with diabetes have type 2 diabetes, in which the body doesn’t respond to insulin correctly. If the body resists insulin, blood glucose levels rise, creating several problems and resulting in hyperglycemia: high blood glucose. This is why people with type 2 diabetes must pay attention to the foods they consume. Ensuring that most carbohydrate sources come from low-GI foods can help prevent unnecessary blood sugar spikes.
Swapping high-GI foods for low-GI alternatives can be a great way to start managing blood sugar. Try opting for beans or vegetables as a side for dinner instead of instant rice or mashed potatoes. When reading the nutrition labels on food, pay attention to the carbohydrate-to-fiber ratio by dividing the grams of carbohydrate by the grams of fiber. According to the American Heart Association, it’s best to aim for a ratio of less than 10:1. Below are nutrition labels for two cereals: Fruit Loops (left) and All-Bran (right). Fruit Loops has a carb: fiber ratio of 18.5:1, whereas All-bran has a ratio of 2.7:1. All-Bran would be a better choice for breakfast when aiming to control blood sugar levels.
Accessibility of Low-GI Foods
Due to the fact that low-GI foods include a lot of fresh produce items, it can be difficult for people who need them in their diets to access them. As you’ve learned, low-GI foods are essential for keeping blood sugar levels under control in individuals with diabetes, but when these individuals are also food insecure, a bigger problem is created. At Food Equality Initiative, we believe that food is medicine and that those who need specific kinds of foods to keep them healthy should have access to them as a basic human right.
Healthy Shelves is an organization similar to ours based in Wisconsin. They have created a “Diabetes-Friendly Pantry Rx” for food-insecure diabetes patients to bring to food pantries. This easy-to-follow grocery list aims to make the food pantry experience more manageable for patients with diabetes by giving them low-GI options that food pantries will have. They offer a printable version of the list, as pictured below, which can be customized to fit specific dietary needs prescribed by medical providers.
Food Equality Initiative is dedicated to increasing access to nutritious food for those facing food insecurity. For food assistance resources and to find a local food pantry near you, please visit our page here. If you are the director or volunteer of a food pantry and would like information on how to improve your pantry, take our self-paced course Empowering Pantries: Nourishing Communities.