by Rita Lazar

Created on: May 03, 2007   Last Updated: September 19, 2008

It seems that just recently the health world has been abuzz with this seemingly new diet trend called the "Glycemic Index". However, the truth is that research has been done on this health breakthrough since 1981. This system of tracking the effect of food on blood sugar levels was created by Dr. David Jenkins of the University of Toronto.

The Glycemic Index is actually a method of timing when carbohydrates release glucose into the bloodstream during digestion. The faster this happens, the higher your blood sugar levels become and the quicker your pancreas goes into panic mode and releases insulin to regulate your blood sugar levels back to normal. The simpler the sugars, (such as in processed carbohydrates) the more intense the effect. The healthier, lower glycemic foods are indexed from 1-55. Foods that are high in glycemic are indexed from 55-100.

So for example if you eat a dough-nut, your blood sugar levels spike very high and very quickly, as opposed to eating oatmeal (a complex carbohydrate and grain) and the sugars are released at a much slower rate, keeping your blood sugar stable. Along with maintaining blood sugar stability, your sense of satiety is maintained as well. This is the opposite of the blood sugar spike, because when your pancreas releases insulin, it releases a bit too much to compensate for the high blood sugar levels, and then comes the opposite effect, your blood sugar is now too low and you feel like you are starving.

From eating just one dough-nut you cause a roller-coaster effect inside your body.

But you might be wondering: "Well, if it's the pancreas' job to release insulin to regulate blood sugar, then why is it a problem to eat high-glycemic carbohydrates?" Even though the pancreas is well equipped for this physiological trauma, it is still a huge problem because the more often the pancreas has to do this, the less the released insulin will have an impact on your blood sugar levels. This is called insulin resistance and it almost always foreshadows Diabetes.

To prevent this from happening, avoid eating over-processed carbohydrates such as bakery junk foods like croissants and dough-nuts, high-fructose corn syrup found in many sodas, sliced breads, and cereals, and of course over-consumption of chocolate and candy. Also note, however that when you eat a very large meal this also creates an insulin spike, even if your entire meal was comprised of low-glycemic foods. And if you do have something that you know to be a high-glycemic food, eat it with either a lean protein or fiber, or both. Fiber and protein reduce the effect of a high-glycemic food on your blood sugar. One way I personally achieve this is by adding rice bran to my food. It is extremely low-glycemic (indexed at under 20) and has a breadcrumb consistency making it very easy to add to anything on your plate.

Of course the key to any healthy way of life is moderation and balance. Have some chocolate here and there but not so much that you end up trapping yourself in habits that will endanger your health.

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