The problem of diabetes and its resulting complications and diseases is growing at an alarming rate. In addition to treatment, in diabetes food is crucial for the body. If a person suffering from diabetes does not eat within acceptable limits for his condition, his life expectancy is significantly shortened, unfortunately.
For diabetics very suitable diets based on the glycemic index. They generally discriminate against carbohydrates, and in particular those that cause a sharp spike in blood sugar, such as potatoes, white bread, sweets.
The good thing about this diet is that it can be followed by people who have no problems with blood sugar and insulin but and they are overweight or suffer from metabolic syndrome. These people fall into the risk group, hiding the danger of developing diabetes and cardiovascular diseases
With the glycemic index diet, foods that cause a rapid rise in sugar are excluded. These are all fast carbs that produce a sustained spike in blood sugar and contain no fiber.
Does the glycemic index diet help?
The glycemic index diet is certainly effective in reducing the levels of glucose in the blood, as its beneficial effect on the cardiovascular system has been proven.
However, it is not fully established whether it necessarily leads to weight loss because according to some studies this type of eating is more effective in people with low glycemic index More research is needed to prove this pattern, writes WebMD.
What can you consume?
We will present you with a synthesis table in which foods are grouped into groups rated with indexes from 0 to 100 depending on how much they raise the blood sugar level.
High glycemic index (70 or higher) – white rice, white bread, pretzels, pretzels, baked potatoes, crackers, sugary and sweetened drinks.
Medium glycemic index (56-69) – bananas, grapes, spaghetti, ice cream, raisins, corn.
Low glycemic index (55 and under) – oats, peanuts, peas, carrots, beans, hummus, skim milk, most fruits (except those listed above plus watermelon).
This type of nutrition tolerates the avoidance of foods with a higher glycemic index and encourages the consumption of products whose carbohydrates are broken down as slowly as possible in the body.
Effort Level
If you decide to follow this diet, you won't make a particularly exhausting effort. This diet does not involve counting calories and fasting, so it is easily tolerated.
The confusing thing here is that sometimes some products turn out to have a higher glycemic index but at the same time they are useful and do not cause he alth problems. For example, parsnip has a higher index (52) than vanilla cake (42), but it should not be excluded from the diet because it has a number of beneficial properties, unlike cake.
