Low glycemic index foods are more preferred to high glycemic index foods. Foods with a glycemic index (GI) of 55 or less are said to be low GI foods. Those with a GI of 56-69 are moderate GI foods and those that have a GI that is greater than 70 are high GI foods. There are several factors that influence the glycemic index of foods.

Fats and proteins cause carbohydrates to be digested more slowly. This changes the overall glycemic index of a meal.

If you eat chicken with rice and cabbage, you get a lower glycemic index than if you ate rice alone.

Fruits which may taste very sweet t may have a lower glycemic index than other sweet foods because they contain fructose which is broken down more slowly in the body than the common sweet foods such as cakes and muffins or table sugar.

Basmati rice has low glycemic index relative to jasmine rice because it has a type of starch called amylose. Amylose is harder to digest than its counterpart called amylopectin. Amylopectin is easier to digest. Foods that are rich in amylose have low glycemic index.

The acid content of food also slows down the digestion. For example bread made by slow fermentation of flour by yeast contains more organic acids resulting in a low GI

The more soluble the fiber in a carbohydrate, the lower the GI. Soluble fiber swells with water and causes the food to breakdown more slowly into sugar. This is one reason that whole grains tend to contain more soluble fiber and low GI.

Cooking does affect the GI of foods. For example cooking causes the starch to swell and therefore easier to digest. Longer cooking tends to cause an increase in GI. This explains why raw carrots have lower GI than cooked carrots. We also know that highly processed foods tend to have a high GI.

The tables below show examples of foods that can be used to lose weight or maintain in low blood glucose. Foods that have high GI should be combined with those of low GI.

FRUITS AND VEGETABLES

Apples (fresh and dried), 30

Apricots, fresh, 82

Broccoli, 10

Cantaloupe, 65

Carrots, 70

Grape fruit, 25

Grapes, 46

Kiwi fruit, 52

Mango, 80

Oranges, 43

Papaya, 58

Pears, 58

Plums, 55

Ripe banana,51

Apples, broccholi, grapes and oranges have low GI and are good for weight loss and overall blood glucose maintenance.

PASTA PRODUCTS

Spaghetti, protein enriched, 87

Macaroni, 46

Spaghetti, boiled 5 min , 52

Macaroni and spaghetti if eaten in moderation can can be used during weight loss as they have low glycemic index.

ROOT TUBERS OR ROOT VEGETABLES

Arrowroot, 95

Sweet potatoes, 77

Yams, 73

COMMON LEGUMES<br< h3=””>

Chick peas, curry canned, 58

Haricot beans, 29

Mung/kidney beans, 34

Soybeans, 25

Pinto beans, 85

Split peas, 45

Haricot beans, mung beans , kidney beans and split peas are great low GI foods but pinto beans and chick peas should be taken less frequently.

MISCELLANEOUS AND INDIGENEOUS FOODS

Barley chapatti, 61

basmati rice 56-69

Coarse barley bread,27

Hamburger bun,87
<
Ice cream,low fat,71

jasmine rice(white long grain),109

Long grain rice,56

Maize chapatti,89

Milk full fat,39

Milk skim,46

Oatmeal,48

Peppers,10

Pita bread,white,82

Popcorn, 79

sweet corn, 60

Wheat bread,high fibre,97

Your best choice for weight loss are coarse barley bread and oatmeal because of their low GI.