What is the Glycemic Index (GI)?
ANSWER: The glycemic index (GI) ranks foods on how they affect our blood sugar level. It is about foods high in carbohydrates. This index measures how much your blood glucose increases in the two or three hours after eating.
Not all carbohydrates act the same. Some foods are quickly broken down and absorbed from the intestines, causing the blood glucose level to rise rapidly. These carbohydrates have a high glycemic index. The GI value tells you only how rapidly a particular carbohydrate turns into glucose. It doesn't tell you how much of that carbohydrate is in a serving of a particular food, nor does it predict how that one food as part of a mixed meal will ultimately affect your blood sugar.
For your specific nutritional needs, talk to your doctor or a registered dietitian in your area. A registered dietitian can help you with meal planning to meet your individual needs. For a registered dietitian in your area, call 1 800/877-1600 extension 5000 or visit www.eatright.org and click on Find a Nutrition Professional on the home page.
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What are the exchanges that I have heard about?
ANSWER: Formulated by the American Diabetes Association and the American Diabetic Association, the diabetic exchange system is useful for diabetic management and weight loss/management. The system is based on a completely balanced diet with foods from each of three groups: the carbohydrate group, the meat and meat substitutes group, and the fat group.
The dietary exchange system allows you to monitor your calorie intake and portion sizes based on these groups, and foods on a particular list can be substituted only for foods on the same exchange list.
The exchange food lists include:
Carbohydrate group: the starch, fruit, milk, other carbohydrates and vegetable lists.
Meat and meat substitutes group: the very lean, lean, medium-fat and high-fat lists.
Fat group: the monounsaturated, polyunsaturated and saturated fat lists.
The exchange system is too detailed to explain here, but you may contact a dietitian. For a registered dietitian in your area, call 1 800/877-1600 extension 5000 or visit www.eatright.org and click on Find a Nutrition Professional on the home page.
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