Dear Sue,

I am looking for a thorough list of foods and their Glycemic Index. I am a Diabetic on an insulin pump and I have found that the Glycemic Index is critical in blood glucose control. I would appreciate any help! Thanks!
Sincerely, Kammy

Dear Kammy,

As you probably know, the Glycemic Index (GI) of a food is a measure of its ability to raise blood sugar levels, relative to the ability of glucose to do so. Glucose is a simple sugar that travels around in our blood stream, and it gives the most potent blood sugar rises; thus it is given at GI measure of 100. The higher a food's GI score, the greater its ability to spike blood sugar.

Until the late 1970's and early 1980's, it was believed that simple carbohydrates (e.g. sugars, candy bars,etc) were more powerful at producing rapid rises than complex carbohydrates (fruit, vegetables, legumes) which are more slowly absorbed. But more recent research found most rapid rises were by carrots, potatoes, and processed cereal. The GI for carrots, parsnips, potatoes, and honey is 80 to 90! Some foods lower on the GI are apple (38), and oatmeal cookies (55). This myth debunker was important information for diabetics wishing to control their blood sugar levels via diet.

Knowing the GI index of foods can help everyone in several ways. For diabetics, like yourself, it is important to choose food with GIs to try and maintain constant blood sugar levels, avoiding rapid rises and falls. For athletes, it can be useful so that they can pick foods to eat that will provide energy when they need it, depending if they are sprinters or endurance athletes. For someone who merely wants to make it to lunch without major blood sugar swings, it is helpful to know which breakfast cereals will be "time released."

The concept is complicated somewhat by the fact that you seldom eat a single food, but rather a combination. And different foods interact to produce a GI that cannot necessarily be predicted from the separate GIs. While research continues on this front, diabetic individuals will need to build their own knowledge about their particular response to meals by keeping records.

Rather than reproduce here for you a list of the GI of several foods, I will refer you to some good web sites that do just that. The first one, Diabetesnet.com will provide you with a short GI list of foods.

Thank you for a question that is pertinent not only to those with diabetes, but to anyone who wants to further their knowledge about how the foods they eat effect them.

Sincerely,
Sue Gilbert

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