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Low Glycemic Cooking

The American Diabetes Association recommends using the glycemic index as a tool for meal planning. The glycemic index measures how a carbohydrate raises blood sugar. High glycemic foods quickly absorb into the blood stream and are able to cause blood-sugar fluctuations. By using this meal-planning tool, you are able to maintain steady blood sugar. Find out how using low-glycemic cooking can benefit your diabetes symptoms and weight-loss goals.

  1. The Glycemic Index

    • Plan meals by pairing high-glycemic foods with low-glycemic foods to prevent dipping blood-glucose levels. Several factors contribute to how food will rate on the glycemic index. Carbohydrates containing both fat and fiber tend to be lower on the scale. Ripe fruits and vegetables and highly processed foods have a higher rating, while the longer a food is cooked, the lower the rating. Examples of low-glycemic foods consist of legumes, whole grains, non-starchy vegetables, cereals and the majority of fruits. High-glycemic food would be refined flour, processed foods, fried foods and sugary foods. By combining a high-glycemic food with a low-glycemic food, you are able to slow down the digestion of the sugar.

    How to Use the Glycemic Index

    • Studies published by the Harvard School of Public Health indicate that a low GI diet can greatly reduce heart disease and type 2 diabetes. The glycemic ranking is from 0-100. An example of a food with a 0 ranking would be protein, because it doesn't contain any carbohydrates. Foods with a ranking lower than 55 are considered having low GI. Any foods with rankings from 55-69 are in the moderate range, and anything above that is high. Plan your diet to revolve around low-GI foods. Limit medium-GI foods and avoid high-GI foods.

    Meal Planning

    • A number of books available have lists of the glycemic index of foods. Purchase a book like "The Glucose Revolution" by Dr. Thomas M.S. Wolever or "The New Glucose Revolution Shopper's Guide" by Dr. Jennie Brand-Miller. Keep the book handy for eating out or make a list of your favorite foods that are on the low or moderate range for index. Write down breakfast, lunch, dinner and snack ideas. If you are diabetic, you should eat at least two snacks a day. The glycemic index only indicates the rate a food is absorbed in the blood stream, which means it does not factor in how many carbohydrates a food contains. Many diabetics stick to 55-65 grams of carbohydrates a meal. Ask your doctor how many carbohydrates you need and portion out serving sizes to meet these goals.

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