THE GLYCEMIC INDEX (GI) AND PRE-DIABETES

Knowing about the Glycemic Index (GI) of food can be crucial to helping you manage and reverse Pre-Diabetes.

Food breaks down into sugar or glucose in our digestive system at differing speeds to meet the body's need for energy. The Glycemic Index is a medical term for the various rates at which different food completes that process.

Low Glycemic Index foods are important aids for managing Pre-Diabetes, where the control of blood sugar levels is essential. GI foods with a low rating cause the supply of glucose into the bloodstream to be more gradual, which helps to moderate blood sugar and insulin.

High Glycemic Index food can cause spikes in blood sugar and insulin, which, over the years, damage the arterial system and can lead to a variety of serious conditions like cardiovascular and kidney disease, blindness and the need for amputation.

The GI rating of a food contributes greatly to nutrition and health for a number of other reasons:

- Low Glycemic Index foods tend to have more nutritional content than high GI, low carbohydrate foods like non-whole grain bread, sausages and sweetened juice, which are usually processed, with the result that most of the original natural fiber and nutrients are stripped out. Conversely, low GI foods, like most vegetables, fruits, beans and pulses, remain in their natural state with nutritional benefits intact.

- Because low Glycemic Index foods break down more slowly in your digestive system, they leave you feeling more satisfied for a longer period of time. As a result, you're not so prone to hunger, which is crucial for losing weight and keeping it off. High GI foods, such as sugary breakfast cereals digest quickly and can leave you hungry by mid-morning and yearning for another sugar fix. On the other hand, breakfast porridge oats, which most people haven't eaten since they were a child, have a low GI rating because they digest slowly and can leave you feel satisfied until lunchtime.

By indexing glucose at 100, foods are calculated against that index. So cornflakes, for example, have a Glycemic Index of 72 because they digest quickly, whereas yogurt is GI-rated as 14 because it digests much more slowly. Any food rating less than 55 in the GI is regarded as low.

Examples of GI Ratings

High GI		Low GI
Glucose/Sugar 100		Orange 44
Baguette 95		All Bran 43
Cornflakes 84		Oatmeal 42
Rice cakes 82		Spaghetti 41
Doughnut 76		Apple 38
Bagel 72		Yogurt 14

THE GLYCEMIC INDEX AND ITS IMPACT ON PRE-DIABETES

Once it has formed sufficient mass, fat is an active, living part of your body. Excess abdominal fat is now regarded as a root cause of Pre-Diabetes.

Food is, in effect, a drug which has a powerful impact on your health and general sense of well-being. Yet many individuals adopt an illogical approach to the health aspects of food.

Most people take a prescribed or non-prescription drug on the basis of the good it can do them, rather than its taste. But when it comes to food, many opt for taste rather than nutritional value, even though the right food can help maintain your health, extend your life span, give you more energy and help you sleep well.

Add a healthy, nutritional diet, which references the Glycemic Index, to regular exercise and you are doing pretty much all you can to lose or manage weight and keep fit and alert. The rest is down to genes and luck! But healthy living greatly improves your chance of enjoying a long, happy and fulfilled life.

Pre-Diabetes is the condition that arises when blood sugar levels are higher than normal but not elevated enough for a diagnosis of Type 2 Diabetes. An underlying cause of Pre-Diabetes is the imbalance of blood glucose and insulin called Insulin Resistance, which can lead to excess weight and obesity. Insulin Resistance and weight gain can be reversed by a healthy diet and regular exercise, resulting in weight loss. In turn, blood and glucose levels can return to normal and the symptoms of Pre-Diabetes can disappear.

Control of blood-sugar is essential to the management and reversal of Pre-Diabetes and preventing the condition from returning and possibly developing into irreversible Type 2 Diabetes.

A low GI diet helps the management of blood sugar by preventing "spikes" in glucose and insulin in your bloodstream. As a result, blood sugar can remain within a normal healthy range.

A GUIDE TO GLYCEMIC INDEX RATINGS FOR DIFFERENT FOOD GROUPS
Breakfast Cereals Pancakes 67 Waffles 76 All Bran with Fiber 38 Bran Buds 47 Oatmeal 49 Muesli 43 Oat Bran 55 Bran Chex 58 Raisin Bran 61 Cream of Wheat 66 Quick (One Minute) Oats 66 Puffed Wheat 67 Special K 69 Bran Flakes 74 Cheerios 74 Cream of Wheat Instant 74 Shredded Wheat 75 Grapenuts 71 Rice Krispies 82 Corn Chex 83 Corn Flakes 92   Fruits Cherries 22 Grapefruit 25 Prunes 29 Apricots, dried 30 Apple 38 Peach, canned in juice 38 Pear, fresh 38 Plum 39 Strawberries 40 Orange, Navel 42 Peach, fresh 42 Pear, canned 43 Grapes 46 Papaya 56 Banana 52 Kiwi 58 Fruit Cocktail 55 Mango 51 Apricots, fresh 57 Figs, dried 61 Apricots, canned 64 Raisins 56 Cantaloupe 65 Pineapple, fresh 66 Watermelon 72 Dates 103   Crackers Ryvita Crispbread 69 Stoned Wheat Thins 67 Melba Toast 70 Kavli Crispbread 71 Soda Crackers 74 Graham Crackers 74 Water Crackers 78 Rice Cakes 82 Rice Crackers 91   Sweeteners Fructose 19 Marmalade 48 Honey 55 Jams 65 Sucrose 68 Pancake Syrup 76   Pasta Spaghetti, whole wheat 37 Star Pastina 38 Fettuccini (egg) 32 Spaghetti, white 38 Spiral Pasta 43 Capellini 45 Linguine 46 Macaroni 47 Rice vermicelli 58   Dairy Foods Yogurt, artificially sweetened 14 Skim milk 32 Yogurt, sweetened 33 Whole milk 31 Ice cream, low fat 43 Ice cream, premium 38   Snacks Hummus 6 Peanuts 15 Walnuts 15 Cashews 22 M & M Peanut Candies 33 Milk Chocolate 43 Kudos Bar 62 Corn Chips 63 Popcorn 72 Jelly Beans 78 Pretzels 83 Potato Chips 54				Juices Tomato 38 Apple 40 Pineapple 46 Grapefruit 48 Orange 53 Cranberry Juice Cocktail 68   Breads Pumpernickel 41 Sourdough 53 Stone Ground whole wheat 53 Pita, whole wheat 57 Whole Meal Rye 58 Hamburger bun 61 Whole wheat (100%) 77 Croissant 67 Taco Shell 68 Bagel 72 White 70 Kaiser roll 73 Bread stuffing 74 French Baguette 95   Potato Yam 37 Sweet 44 New 57 Canned 65 White skinned mashed 70 French Fries 75 Instant Mashed 86 Red Skinned, boiled 88 Baked 85   Bakery Sponge Cake 46 Pound Cake 54 Blueberry Muffin 59 Pastry Pie Crust 59 Bran Muffin 60 Carrot Muffin 62 Angel Food Cake 67 Doughnut 76 Scones 92   Cookies Chocolate Chip 44 Butter 47 Vanilla Crème Filled Wafers 50 Oatmeal 55 Fudge 57 Shortbread 64   Soups Tomato 38 Minestrone 39 Lentil 44 Black Bean 64 Pea 66   Meals Fish Stick Fingers 38 Meat Ravioli 39 Cheese Tortellini 50 Pizza 60 Macaroni and Cheese (packaged) 64   Beans and Peas Chana Dal 8 Chickpeas, dried 28 Kidney Beans, dried 28 Lentils 29 Lima Beans (frozen) 32 Yellow Split Peas 32 Chickpeas, canned 42 Blackeyed Peas, canned 42 Baked Beans 48 Kidney Beans, canned 52   Vegetables Broccoli 10 Cabbage 10 Lettuce 10 Mushrooms 10 Onions 10 Red Peppers 10 Carrots 49 Green peas 48 Corn, fresh 60 Beets 64 Pumpkin 75 Parsnips 97

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