The diabetes glycemic index measures how carbohydrate-containing food raises blood sugar levels. The way foods are ranked in this diabetes index is by how they compare to a reference food, which is either glucose or white bread. A food with a high GI in the diabetes glycemic index raises the level more than that of a low GI.
This index diabetes tool is used for choosing the foods that you eat. Combining foods with a high GI with that of a low GI can help you to make sure that you are eating a well balance meal. Meats don’t have a GI rating in the diabetes glycemic index because they don’t contain carbohydrates.
Diabetes GI Index
According to the American Diabetes Association, there are a number of things that a person should consider when using a diabetes glycemic index. First is the fact that the ripeness and storage time of fruits and vegetables affect the GI rating. The more ripe a fruit or vegetable is the higher the GI will be. Juice is always at a higher GI than the fruit it is derived from, a whole baked potato has a lower GI than a mashed potato, and stone ground whole wheat bread has a lower GI than regular whole wheat bread. In addition, long-grain white rice has a lower GI than brown rice, but short-grain white rice has a higher GI than brown rice.
Keep in mind, the length of time that food is cooked affect the diabetes glycemic index ranking. For example al dente pasta has a lower GI than soft-cooked pasta does. Another thing to consider when using the diabetes glycemic index is that many nutritious foods have a higher GI than foods with no nutritional value. For example, the GI of oatmeal is higher than that of chocolate. There is also no reference to portion sizes. It is important to have a good knowledge of basic nutritional principles and healthy portion sizes when using the diabetes glycemic index.
Body Mass Index Diabetes
The ADA provides a body mass index (BMI) calculator on their website, Diabetes.org, if you ever need one. The body mass index is a tool used to determine if a person is overweight, underweight, or obese. There is also a body mass index chart provided by the National Institutes of Health’s website, NIH.gov.
On the chart the height is on the left-hand side, and your current weight goes across. Tracing your finger to the point where the columns meet will give you your BMI. According to Diabetes.about.com (which also provides a BMI chart), if your number falls between 25 and 30 you are overweight. If it is over 30, then you are obese and if it is over 40 then you are morbidly obese. Ratings between 18 and 25 are considered normal.
