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Choosing foods with a low Glycemic Index (GI) rating rather than choosing foods with a high GI may help you to control your appetite, blood glucose and cholesterol levels AND lower your risk of getting heart disease and type 2 diabetes.

Not all carbohydrates are the same. Eat a wide variety of foods, but steer toward the foods that have a lower GI rating.

Here's how the Index works:

The Glycemic Index ranks carbohydrate foods by how much they raise blood glucose levels. This is the food's glycemic response. Foods that raise your blood glucose level quickly have a higher GI rating than foods that raise your blood glucose level more slowly.

THE GOAL: Concentrate on lower GI ratings as these are the better quality carbohydrates and all-around healthier choices.

Lower rated GI foods are:
1) known to raise your blood glucose more slowly and less dramatically.
2) usually lower in calories and fat
3) higher in fiber
4) higher in nutrients
5) higher in antioxidants
6) able to help you increase levels of HDL (healthy) cholesterol
7) good for helping you control your appetite by making you feel fuller longer.

LOW GLYCEMIC INDEX FOOD (choose most often) include:
Skim milk Plain Yogurt All-Bran
Soy beverage Oat bran bread Lentils/kidney/baked beans
Apple/plum/orange Converted or Parboiled rice Chick peas
Sweet potato Pumpernickel bread Al dente (firm) pasta

MEDIUM GLYCEMIC INDEX FOODS- (choose more often) include
Banana Shredded wheat cereal Rye bread
Pineapple Brown rice Basmati rice
Raisins Whole wheat bread Couscous
New potatoes Popcorn
Oatmeal Split pea or green pea soup

Higher GLYCEMIC INDEX FOODS (Choose less often) include:
Watermelon Instant rice Dried dates
Instant mashed potatoes Corn Flakes crackers
Baked white potato Rice Krispies Jellybeans
Parsnips Cheerios French fries
Rutabaga White bagel

Here are additional suggestions to lower your Glycemic Index:
1)Try to choose at least one low GI food at each meal.
2)Eat more unprocessed foods that have fiber.
3)Try soups and salad that have beans, legumes, and lentils.
4)Avoid white bread. Eat whole grain, pumpernickel and oat bran breads.
5)Fruits and vegetables have a low GI, so include five to ten servings of fruits and vegetables each day.
6) Eat healthy portion sizes

Lower GI foods are rated at< 55. Intermediate are between 55 and 70. Higher GI foods are rated at 70. At this level, sugar levels spike and that is not good for your system.

Many references and charts are available to expand on the food lists here.

Consider choosing foods with a low GI rating rather than choosing foods with a high GI rating so that you can better control your appetite, blood glucose and cholesterol levels AND lower your risk of getting heart disease and type 2 diabetes.

Learn more about this author, E.M.Robinson.
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