With your current diet we will examine to see what you might think is healthy may actually be quite high on the Glycemic Index. When you had your bowl of corn flakes for breakfast this morning did you think that you were eating a healthy meal? Surprise! Corn flakes rank quite high on the Glycemic Index at a whopping 83 of a 100.
But if you're reaching for another serial; like Rice Krispies G.I. of 82 or Puffed Wheat with a G.I. of 74 you can see that what we thought was healthy ranks high on the G.I. (Glycemic Index). That is the reason why we need to check the G.I. for cereals that rank below 50.Why? Because if you have diabetes type 2 like me, then these high glycemic load foods are not the best for us to eat. These foods create glucose spikes in our blood and then our bodies carry around too much of the stuff to remain in good shape. An all-American summertime food that is really a surprise is watermelon with a G.I. of 72. There are many candy bars that score lower than that! When you take potatoes and fry or bake them - you will end up spiking your insulin levels. For example baking a potato has a G.I. of 85, whereas French fries come in at 75. Both are high on the G.I. but shows you fat can help slow the absorption of glucose in the blood. As much as I like baguette, French bread, I have to say no because it ranks 95 out of 100 on the Glycemic Index. For a diabetic like me, eating baguette can be disastrous to the way I feel later in the day, so instead of setting myself up for another bad day, I now refuse to eat it even though I really love to.
Even if it was a bit hard at first, some foods I have had to scrap from my diabetes menu, as I have learned that it is better for me to love my health rather than the taste of some foods I eat. In the end, my better health tells me changing eating habits that are bad for me is not that hard after all. You will find that many seemingly harmless foods have perfectly sinful GI scores, including pretzels, with a whopping 81 on the Glycemic Index. When it comes to food choices there are some no-brainers. Donuts come in at a hefty 76 on the index, as do waffles. White dinner rolls don't fare any better coming in at 73. But the good news is there are good tasting bakery products that will rank less than 50 on the Glycemic Index. By using the Glycemic Index I can visualize a healthy you. Make today the first day of the rest of your healthy life.