Glycemic Index

And It's Impact on Blood Glucose

By: SaRene Brooks

Glycemic Index Values

Low = 0-55

Moderate = 56-69

High = 70-100

Glycemic index (GI) is an assigned value that reflects how quickly a food containing carbohydrates will make your blood glucose rise.

Low GI foods:

· Release glucose slow and steady

· Foster weight loss

· Contribute to better post-meal blood glucose control

High GI foods:

· Release glucose quickly

· Help with energy recovery following exercise

· Used to correct hypoglycemia (low blood sugars)

Meal Planning

When planning a meal there are several things to keep in mind that will impact blood sugars and overall nutrition of food intake:

· Combining high GI foods with low GI

foods tends to create a balance of the

effect on blood glucose levels. Look at

your overall meal composition when determining the timing of insulin dosing.

· Be as accurate as possible with carbohydrate counting regardless of the GI.

· Low GI does not mean low calorie or low carb. Pay attention to portion size and calories.

· Generally speaking, processed foods have a higher GI. For example, apple juice has a higher GI than

a whole apple.

· GI in fruit tends to increase with ripeness.

· Cooking can affect GI. For example, al dente pasta has a lower GI than fully-cooked pasta.

· High fiber and/or fat foods tend to be low GI.

· Pay attention to the various foods within the same class. For example, short-grain white rice has a

higher GI than brown rice.

· Choose a variety of foods that will increase the nutritional value of the meal.

· Remember that some high GI foods are also high in nutrients.

· High GI foods do not need to be avoided or eliminated. Pay attention to how certain foods impact

YOUR blood sugar so you can adjust insulin timing accordingly.

Insulin timing

It is important to consider pre-meal blood glucose values along with the GI of the Carbohydrates you are about to eat.

EXAMPLES:

· If you are above target and you are eating a high GI food you may want to take your insulin 30 minutes before eating so you can adjust for the high blood sugars and have active insulin to catch the quick rise of the food you are about to eat.

· On the other end of the spectrum, if your blood sugars are below target and you are eating a high GI food, you may want to dose your insulin 5-10 minutes before eating so the insulin will not drop your blood sugars too quickly prior to the food absorption.

Be sure to pay attention to how carbohydrates impact your blood sugars after they are consumed. It will help you determine when to dose your insulin. You can find the GI values online as well as learning how foods impact you individually.

We offer education sessions focused on insulin timing tailored to the needs of each individual.

If you are new to Goal Nutrition and Diabetes Specialty,

just schedule a complimentary Meet-Up through our website

and we can find a plan that will work for YOU!

Or just ask to discuss this at our next session.

We want to find strategies that will make your diabetes management easier for you.

SaRene Brooks is a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist (RDN) and Certified Diabetes Care and Education Specialist (CDCES). She is a mom of 3 boys who are now married which added 3 girls to her family. 2 of her sons live with type 1 diabetes (T1D). She specializes in helping families who are impacted by type 1 to adjust and make it a part of their everyday life , while enjoying the things they love.

She is the wife of an avid outdoorsman and loves spending time with him in the mountains. She is a grandma, creative cook, educator and loves to help individuals and families meet their health and nutrition goals.