The most heard English word for diabetics is probably GI, and almost all doctors will tell us that eating less foods with high GI helps control blood sugar.
A recent review by the top journal BMJ (British Medical Journal) summarizes the latest evidence for low-GI dietary patterns through 29 randomized controlled trials (1617 people with type 1 and type 2 diabetes): for people with diabetes, adherence to a low-GI/GL diet not only improves blood sugar, but also helps control other risk factors such as blood lipids, obesity and inflammation.
Compared with the control, a low-GI diet lasting more than 3 weeks significantly reduced glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c) (difference of -0.31%), fasting blood glucose, LDL-C, non-HDL-C, apolipoprotein B, triglycerides, body weight, BMI, and CRP (C-reactive protein, an inflammatory marker), but did not significantly improve blood insulin, HDL-C, waist circumference, and blood pressure; among them, the evidence for improvement in HbA1c in a low-GI diet was more certain.
Chronic inflammation has always been considered to be a common mechanism of hyperglycemia, hyperlipidemia, obesity and other metabolic syndromes, low GI diet may be because of the reduction of inflammation, only to produce many effects, in short, again, diabetic patients long-term use of low GI diet as an adjunctive treatment, may help to better achieve the comprehensive treatment goals.
The Glycemic Index (GI) is the ratio of the glycemic-raising effect of a food to the glycemic-increasing effect of a standard food (usually glucose), which usually reflects the ability of a food to cause the body's blood sugar to rise. The GI of glucose is set at 100, and the GI≤ 55 is defined as a low GI diet, 56 to 69 is a moderate GI diet, and the ≥ 70 is a high GI diet.
Xiaobian has collected the GI values of some common foods for your reference, in general, the GI values of vegetables and meats are relatively low.
Low GI foods
Five grains: quinoa, whole grain (whole grain) noodles, soba noodles, vermicelli, black rice, black rice porridge, corn
Vegetables: Konjac, Chinese cabbage, cucumber, bitter melon, celery, eggplant, green pepper, kelp, egg, enoki mushroom, shiitake mushroom, spinach, tomato, bean sprouts, asparagus, cauliflower, onions, lettuce
Beans and soy products: soybeans, eyebrow beans, chicken heart beans, tofu, beans, mung beans, lentils, four seasons beans
Fruits: prunes, apples, pears, oranges, peaches, pickles, shatin grapefruit, sydney pears, cherry, grapefruit, strawberries, cherries, kumquats, grapes, papayas
Beverages: milk, low-fat milk, skim milk, low-fat cheese, black tea, yogurt, sugar-free soy milk
Other: shrimp
Medium GI food
Five grains: red rice, brown rice, sago, wheat flour noodles, wheat buns (wheat flour brown sugar), cereal, oatmeal
Vegetables: sweet potatoes, taro, potato chips, lotus root, burdock
Meat: fish, chicken, duck, pork, lamb, beef, crab
Soy and dairy products: baked beans, winter flour, cream, condensed milk, fresh creamer
Fruits: Papaya, dried, pineapples, bananas, mangoes, cantaloupes, kiwifruit, willow diced
High GI foods
Five grains: rice, steamed buns, fritters, sticky rice, white bread, ramen, fried rice, popcorn, macaroni, lotus flour
Meat: tribute balls, fatty sausages, egg dumplings
Vegetables: minced potatoes, pumpkins, baked potatoes
Fruits: watermelon, lychee, longan, pineapple, jujube
Pay attention to the cooking method and collocation of food can also reduce the GI value of food, such as the softer the rice is cooked, the higher the GI value; adding some grains to the rice will reduce the total GI value; flour plus greens and meat into dumplings can also reduce the total GI value.
Of course, there is no need to completely abandon high-GI foods, they also contain many other nutrients, and in moderation, these foods can also be part of the dietary pattern, which can promote a healthy weight and reduce the risk of disease.
Let's pay attention to the improvement effect of diet and nutrition on diseases, and stay away from drugs!