the glycemic 
                                               
                                               
                                               
                                         index 
                                               
                                               
                                         The glycemic index (GI) is a scale from 0 to 100 that ranks foods based on how quickly that food raises your 
                                               
                                         blood sugar.  There are 3 categories: low GI, medium GI, and high GI. 
                                               
                      e                        
                                               
                      d                  All carbohydrates that we eat will break down into sugar in our bodies, but they can affect our blood sugar  
                                               
                      i                  levels in very different ways. We can use the glycemic index to help us manage our blood sugars. 
                      ux                       
                      ge                       
                                               
                      ld                   |  low GI foods                                                                                                                                        |  high GI foods 
                                               
                                           Low GI foods break down into 
                      ain                                                                                                                                                                         High GI foods break down very 
                                           sugar more slowly after we eat 
                      vi                                                                                                                                                                          quickly into sugar after we eat 
                                           them, so our blood sugar does 
                      vc                                                                                                                                                                          them, and they cause our blood 
                      ri                   not     spike up as high.                                                                                                                              sugar to spike very high. 
                                               
                      u                    These foods are usually higher in                                                                                                                      These foods are usually very 
                                               
                      sm                   fibre and are often more                                                                                                                               processed and are less nutritious 
                                               
                       |e                  nutritious for us.                                                                                                                                     for us. 
                                               
                       c                   It is best to choose low GI foods                                                                                                                      It is best to avoid high GI foods as 
                                               
                      sy                   as much as possible.                                                                                                                                   much as possible. 
                      el                       
                                                                                                                                                                                                   
                      tg                  |  how it can help 
                      e                        
                                          Choosing low GI foods more often will help you: 
                      bo                       
                      at                          keep your blood sugars under control, especially post meals 
                      i                           reduce the stress put on your body to try to manage sudden 
                      de                           spikes 
                       d                          feel full after meals and keep your hunger levels in control 
                       i                          improve your cholesterol levels 
                       u                       
                                               
                                          |  what affects the GI? 
                       g                       
                                                  cooking time: cooking breaks down the carbohydrates in food into smaller pieces, and if we cook 
                       C                           foods for too long, our blood sugar can spike up very quickly. 
                                                  fibre: foods with more fibre break down into sugar slowly and give us more energy for longer 
                       M                          balanced meals: including protein and healthy fat can slow down the breakdown of carbohydrates in 
                       L                           our bodies, and keep us feeling fuller for longer. 
                                               
                                                                                                                                                    choose low GI foods as often as possible 
                                               
what                                      the bottom line                                                                                           don’t forget to consider the quality of the food itself – 
                                               
                                                                                                                                                     even though it is low GI, is it still a healthy choice? 
about                                                                                                                                               portion control still matters with low GI foods 
                                                                                                                                                    look for easy ways to add low GI foods to your diet: 
alcohol?                                                                                                                                                     o  choose whole fruit instead of juice 
                                                                                                                                                             o  make all of your grains whole grains 
                                                                                                                                                             o  get creative with bean & legume recipes 
                                                                                                                                                             o  swap out cereal for oatmeal in the morning 
                                                                                                                                                             o  enjoy plenty of vegetables with meals & snacks 
           2| guide | glycemic index 
                                        low GI                                        medium GI                                              high GI 
                                     choose more often                                       (56-69)                                       choose less often 
                                         (55 or less)                                                                                        (70 or more) 
          breads       100% whole grain bread                            whole wheat bread           pita bread             white bread              waffles 
                       sourdough bread                                   chappati                    pumpernickel           bagels                   pancakes 
ed                     rye bread                                         roti                                               french bread 
iu        cereals      All-Bran™               Oat Bran™                 Bran Buds™                shredded wheat           Bran Flakes™             Weetabix™ 
g                      Bran Buds with          oatmeal (rolled oats or  puffed wheat                                        Rice Krispies™           Cheerios™ 
 l                     psyllium™               steel-cut oats)           muesli                                             Raisin Bran™             Grapenuts™ 
a                                                                                                                           Corn Flakes™             instant oatmeal 
vi                                                                                                                          Special K™               Cream of Wheat™ 
vr                                                                                                                                                   (instant) 
u         grains       buckwheat               barley                    long-grain white rice     couscous                 millet 
s                      parboiled or            bulgur                    basmati rice              rice noodles             short-grain rice 
 |                     converted rice          quinoa                    brown rice                                         instant rice 
 s                     pasta                   egg noodles 
et        fruits       apricot (fresh or       berries                   banana                    raisins                  watermelon 
e                      dried)                  apple                     kiwi                      figs (dried) 
b                      peach                   dates (dried)             cantaloupe                cherries 
ai                     mango                   pear                      papaya                    pineapple 
d                      orange 
          other        cassava                 kidney beans              ripe plantains                                     tapioca                  pretzels 
          starches     green plantains         navy beans                sweet corn                                         white or Russet          soda crackers 
                       yam                     split peas                Ryvita™ rye crackers                               potatoes                 rice cakes or rice 
                       popcorn                 lentils                                                                      mashed potatoes          crackers 
                       sweet potato            chickpeas                                                                    French fries             Melba toast 
                       soybeans                 
           
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