Glycemic index of indian foods.pdf

A Glycemic index (GI) is basically a ranking system of our carbohydrates that describes how quickly your food will influence your blood sugar level.
This GI tool gives an idea of the rate of absorption and digestion of your carbohydrates.
The GI has been classified in three categories - low, medium and high GI.
The high glycemic index foods are quickly broken down in your intestine and cause a rapid spike in blood sugar levels after consumption.
The moderate glycemic index foods get broken slightly slow in your intestine than high GI. These foods may also spike your blood sugar but not instantly.
Low-GI foods are best for your health if you want to stay healthy and lean.
The purpose of a low GI diet is to provide sustained energy levels and prevent the instant rise of blood glucose levels.
Low GI foods do not spike your blood sugar. Because of this, they reduce the risk of having diabetes.
The glycemic index only tells what food increases blood glucose but fails to describe how much food we should take at a particular time.
Therefore, Glycemic Index is not a perfect system but a helpful tool for calculating glycemic load.
Glycemic load gives a more accurate picture of your food. It describes the effect of a specific amount of carbohydrates on blood glucose levels.
Overall, glycemic load minimizes the limitation of glycemic index.

1. KnowGlycemicIndexofIndianFoodsfor
DiabetesReversal:non-pharmacological
managementofDiabetes
PostedBySUMITSHARMA
Contents
●Introduction
●Whatdoesglycemicindexmean,andwhyisitimportantinDiabetes?
●WhichIndianfoodshaveahighglycemicindex?
●Whatfoodsareamoderateglycemicindex?
●WhichIndianfoodhasalowestglycemicindex?
●Whatarethelimitationsofglycemicindex?Whyistheglycemicindexsometimesmisleading?
●Howtoovercomethelimitationofglycemicindex?
●WhatIndianfoodisOKforDiabetics?

2. 1.Glycemicloadofwatermelon
2.Glycemicloadofmango
3.Glycemicloadofbanana
4.GlycemicloadofPaneer
●Conclusion
●FAQ
Q1.Whatfoodshavea0glycemicindex?
Q2.CanIeatBananaifIhaveDiabetes?
Q3.Ispapayalowglycemic?
Q4.Ispomegranatelowglycemic?
Q5.Isguavagoodfordiabetes?
Introduction
Diabetescaseshavebeenincreasinginrecenttimes.InIndia,themajorculpritof
diabetesistoconsumingrefinedcarbohydrates.So,itisessentialtounderstandthe
glycemicindexofIndianfoods.
CarbohydratesareconsideredabaseofIndianfoods.Theyarepowerfulstimulants
forinsulinsecretionthatcausesinsulinresistance.
Weallknowthatinsulinresistanceisthemainreasonfordevelopingdiabetes.

3. Shouldwestopeatingcarbohydrates?
Everyoneneedscarbohydrates,butitdoesn’tmeanweshouldeatanythinginour
food.
Ourbodyisdesignedtoeatgoodandhealthynutrients.
Allcarbohydratesarenotsimilar.Someareagoodsourceofcarbs,andsomeare
badcarbs.
Goodcarbsarealsocalledcomplexcarbohydrates,whereasbadcarbsarecalled
simplecarbohydrates.
Simplecarbohydratesareeasilydigestibleandabsorbable,whichspikesyour
bloodsugarlevel.Onthecontrary,complexcarbohydratesareslowlydigestible
andabsorbablethatdonotspikeyourbloodsugarlevel.
Aglycemicindexisatoolthattellswhatelsecarbohydratemakesyourblood
sugarriseordecrease.
Usingtheglycemicindex,youcanfindyourbestcarbohydratetocontroldiabetes.
Therefore,itisessentialtoknoweverythingaboutglycemicindex,andweshould
alsounderstandwhatlowglycemicindexofIndianfoodsthatcontrolsdiabetes
mellitus.
Letthearticlebestarted.

4. Whatdoesglycemicindexmean,andwhyisitimportant
inDiabetes?
AGlycemicindex(GI)isbasicallyarankingsystemofourcarbohydratesthat
describeshowquicklyyourfoodwillinfluenceyourbloodsugarlevel.
Letmeexplaininanutshell.
TheGIdoesnotpresentinfatandprotein.Itispresentincarbohydrates,giving
informationonlyaboutcarbohydratefood.
Whateverweeatcarbohydratesinourdailyroutine,itgetsconvertedintoglucose.
Eventually,wegetenergyintheformofATP.
Thosecarbohydratesarequicklydigestedandabsorbed;theyshootupyourblood
sugar,whichisbadfordiabetesmellitus.
Whilesomecarbohydratesaregoodfordiabetesandtheydonotspikeyourblood
sugarlevel.
ThisGItoolgivesanideaoftherateofabsorptionanddigestionofyour
carbohydrates.
TheconceptofGIwasintroducedin1981byDavidJ.Jenkinsandco-workersto
controlDiabetes.
AccordingtoastudyofNCBI,theGIrepresentsthescalefrom0to100,andithas
beenclassifiedintothreecategories–
GlycemicIndexRange
Lessthan55 LowGlycemicIndex

5. 56to69 ModerateGlycemicIndex
Morethan70 HighGlycemicIndex

6. WhichIndianfoodshaveahighglycemicindex?
Thehighglycemicindexfoodsarequicklybrokendowninyourintestineand
causearapidspikeinbloodsugarlevelsafterconsumption.
ThiselevatedPPBS(postprandialbloodsugar)levelisunsuitableforyourhealth.
Thesecarbohydrateshavemorethan70GIvalues.
ManyobservationalstudiessuggesthighGIfoodsarestronglyassociatedwith
diabetesmellitus,obesity,coronaryheartdiseaseandcancer.
Sometimes,thesehigh-GIfoodscanbebeneficialtothosewhoneedinstant
energy.Forexample,athletes,dancers,sportspeopleandhypoglycaemia
conditions.
Let’sseethehighGlycemicIndexchartofIndianfoods–
HighGlycemicIndexChartofIndianfoods(>70GI)

7. S.No. FoodItems GIvalue
1. GlycemicIndexofmaltodextrin 95
2. GlycemicIndexofinstantmashedPotato88
3. GlycemicIndexofCornFlakes 85
4. GlycemicIndexofJaggery 84
5. GlycemicIndexofboiledPotato82
6. GlycemicIndexofWhiteBread 81
7. GlycemicIndexofRegularWhiteRice(waxy
orstickyriceaftercooking)
79
8. GlycemicIndexofWatermelon 72
9. GlycemicIndexofNaan(whitefloor)71
10. GlycemicIndexofSweetPotato 70

8. 11. GlycemicIndexofBiscuitsandCookies70
Here,Maltodextrinisusedasafoodadditiveinmanyproducts,including
processedfoods,sauces,beverages,andsportsdrinks.
Asfarasthewaxyriceisconcerned,theyhaveahighamountofamylopectinand
alowamountofamylose.Thishighamylopectinisnotsuitableforhealththat
spikesbloodsugarlevels.
Whatfoodsareamoderateglycemicindex?
Themoderateglycemicindexfoodsgetbrokenslightlyslowinyourintestinethan
highGI.Thesefoodsmayalsospikeyourbloodsugarbutnotinstantly.
Theyhaveglycemicnumbersrangingfrom56to69.Therearesomeexamplesof
moderateGIfoods–
ModerateGlycemicIndexChartof
Indianfoods(56to69GI)
S.
No.
FoodItemsGI
value
1.GlycemicIndex
ofPineapple
59

9. 2.GlycemicIndex
ofPapaya
60
3.GlycemicIndex
ofSugarysoft
drinks
60
4.GlycemicIndex
ofHoney
60
5.GlycemicIndex
ofWholewheat
chapati
62
6.GlycemicIndex
ofCornChips
63
7.GlycemicIndex
ofTableSugar
65
8.GlycemicIndex
ofPumpkin
65
9.GlycemicIndex
ofSuji
66

10. 10.GlycemicIndex
ofHamburger
66
WhichIndianfoodhasalowestglycemicindex?
Ifyouaretakinghigh-GIfoods,youmuststopandthink!Isittherightfoodfor
youornot?
YoumightchoosemoderateGIfoodsbutshouldalwayspreferlowGIfoods.
Low-GIfoodsarebestforyourhealthifyouwanttostayhealthyandlean.
ThepurposeofalowGIdietistoprovidesustainedenergylevelsandpreventthe
instantriseofbloodglucoselevels.
LowGIfoodsdonotspikeyourbloodsugar.Becauseofthis,theyreducetherisk
ofhavingdiabetes.
Moreover,alowGIfoodmayalsobebeneficialincertainconditions–
●Decreaseriskofheartdiseaseandstroke
●IncreasesensitivityofInsulinreceptors
●Decreaseobesityormaintainahealthyweight
●Controlyourappetite
●Controlyourcholesterollevel(↓LDL&↑HDLlevel)
●Resolveyouracneproblems

11. Here,IhavementionedthelowglycemicindexofIndianfoodsindifferent
categories–
Table1
LowGlycemicIndexChartofFruits(<55GI)
S.No. FoodItems GIvalue
1. GlycemicIndexofGuava 12-24
2. GlycemicIndexofCherry 20
3. GlycemicIndexofPomegranate35
4. GlycemicIndexofPear 38
5. GlycemicIndexofApple 39
6. GlycemicIndexofOrange&Plum40
7. GlycemicIndexofPeach 42
8. GlycemicIndexofBanana 51

12. 9. GlycemicIndexofMango,Grapesand
Blueberries
53
10. GlycemicIndexofCustardApple54
Table2
LowGlycemicIndexChartofGrains(<55GI)
S.No. FoodItems GIvalue
1. GlycemicIndexofIndianPulses8to51
2. GlycemicIndexofcookedBulgur(Dalia)46
3. GlycemicIndexofMultigrainBread48
4. GlycemicIndexofWholegrainBasmatirice
(longgrainvarieties)
50to58
5. Glycemicindexofsweetcorn 52

13. 6. GlycemicIndexofBrownRice 55
7. GlycemicIndexofJowarRoti(Sorghum)<55
8. GlycemicIndexofPoha <55
Here,Brownriceandlong-grainwhitebasmatiricehaveahighamountofamylose
andalowamountofamylopectin.ThisratioisgoodforDiabetes.
Table3
LowGlycemicIndexChartofVegetables(<55GI)
S.No.FoodItems GIvalue
1. GlycemicIndexofCauliflower,Cabbage,
Cucumber,radishandBroccoli
15
2. GlycemicIndexofLadyFinger20
3. GlycemicIndexofTomato,Carrots,and
Beetroot
30

14. Table4
LowGlycemicIndexChartofDairyProducts(<55GI)
S.No. FoodItems GIvalue
1. GlycemicIndexofPlainYogurt14
2. GlycemicIndexofMilk 30to37
3. GlycemicIndexoflow-fatVanillaIce
cream
46
Clickhere–LowglycemicIndexIndianfoodsListPDF
Whatarethelimitationsofglycemicindex?Whyisthe
glycemicindexsometimesmisleading?
HavingalowGIdoesn’tmeanthefoodisnutrient-denseorhealthy.
GItoolisonlyusedtomeasuretheglycemicresponse(PPBSlevel)after
consumingcarbohydrate-containingfoods.TherewillbenoGIoffoodsthatdonot
containcarbs.
GItoolisnotalways100%accurate.

15. BecauseGIdoesnottellusthequantityofcarbohydratesmeanshowmuch
carbohydratesweshouldtakeinourmeal.
SupposeafoodhasaverylowGI;itdoesnotmeanwekeepeatingforawhole
day.
Let’sunderstandwithanexample–
IfyouseethenutritionalvaluesofChinesenoodles.IthasalowGI(35),butit
containsveryhighcarbs(67g)in100gnoodles.
ThisfoodindicatesalowGIfoodcanhavehighcarbs.Eatingalargeportionofa
low-GImealcanalsoincreaseyourbloodsugarlevel.
Similarly,ahigh-GIfoodcanhavealowamountofcarbs.
Forexample,watermelonhasahighGI(72)butcontainsmuchfewercarbs(7gin
100gwatermelon).Watermelonfruitcontains92%water.
InsteadofhavingahighGIofwatermelon,Diabetespeoplecaneatwatermelon
becauseitcontainssignificantlyfewercarbs.
Thus,GItheoriesarenotgivingclaritybecauseitdoesnotreflectthequantityof
carbs.
Anotherlimitationisthatitdoesnotdescribetheinsulinproductioninourbody,
whichcanbemeasuredbytheinsulinindex.
Moreover,severalfactorsinfluencethevalueofglycemicindex–
1.Ripening
ExcessrippedfruitmayhavehighGI.Forexample,theGIofBananafruitgoesup
astheystartripening.
●Banana(green,unripe)–LowGI
●Banana(ripe,yellow)–MediumGI

16. ●Banana(overripe,brown)–HighGI
2.Processingorcooking
GIofcarbsmaybealteredinprocessedfood.Overcookingmayalsoincreasethe
GIoffood.Thelongeryoucookfoodorstarcheslikepasta.Then,GIwillbe
higher.
Forexample,
Unprocessedfood(e.g.,boiledsweetcorn)hasalowGI.Whileroastingorbaking
foods(e.g.,crisppotatoes)willbeahighGI.
3.Particlesize
FruitjuicehasahighGIratherthancompletefruit.Forexample,thewholeorange
fruithasalowGI.WhileGIcanbeincreasedinorangejuice.
4.Varietiesoffood
Brownriceorlong-grainbasmatiricehasalowGI,whereasregularwaxywhite
ricehasahighGI.
Howtoovercomethelimitationofglycemicindex?
ResearchershavefoundtheGlycemicLoadformulatoaddressthelimitationof
glycemicindex.
ThisGlycemicload(GL)tooltellshowmuchcarbohydratewillraisebloodsugar
levels.Inshort,itdescribesthequantityandqualityoffood.

17. Tocalculateglycemicload,youmustknowtheglycemicindexandcarbohydrate
contentofaparticularportionoffood.Then,youneedtomultiplyitscarbohydrate
contentbyitsglycemicindexanddivideby100.
GlycemicLoad(GL)=GIofcarbsXamountofcarbs(g)/100
Accordingtoastudy,theglycemicloadhasbeenclassifiedintothreecategories–
GlycemicLoadRange
LowGlycemicLoad 0to10
MediumGlycemicload 11to19
HighGlycemicload 20andover

18. WhatIndianfoodisOKforDiabetics?
Ifyouhavediabetes,youneedtoselectyourfoodbyyourself.
TomanageDiabetes,youstillneedahealthymealplanthatincludesproteinand
fat.
Theglycemicloadtoolisthebestwaytofindyourfoodtomanagediabetes.
Itwouldalwaysbebettertoconsideralowglycemicloadoffoodinyourdiabetic
dietbecauseitdoesnotincreaseyourbloodglucose.
Glycemicloadtellswhatfoodisgoodforyouandhowmuchyoushouldtakein
yourdiet.LowGLisasaferange.Youshouldkeepyourfoodinlessthan10GL
range.
Diabetespeoplearealwaysinadilemmaaboutwhatfoodandhowmuchfoodwe
shouldtake.
Let’stakeexamplesofsomefoodsandcalculatetheirGLvalue.
1.Glycemicloadofwatermelon
TocalculatetheGLofwatermelon,youwillrequiretoknowtheglycemicindex
andcarbohydratecontentofaparticularportionofwatermelon.
Supposewehavetaken100gmwatermelon,anditscarbohydratecontentis8g.
Theglycemicindexofwatermelonis72.
Itwouldhelpifyouputthesevaluesintheglycemicloadformula.

19. GlycemicLoad(GL)=GIofwatermelonxcarbscontentof100gwatermelon
/100
=72x8/100
=5.7(lowGL)
Here,youhaveseenthattheglycemicloadisaround5(lowGL)of100gm
watermelon,whichissafeindiabetes.
2.Glycemicloadofmango
InIndia,theMangofruithasalsobeencontroversialwhendiscussingthisfruitin
Diabetes.
Let’sknowthetruthandfindouttheglycemicloadofmango.
GlycemicLoad(GL)=GIofmangoxcarbscontentof100gmmango/100

20. =52x15
=7.8(lowGL)
Youcanseetheglycemicloadof100gmangoisaround8,whichisconsidereda
lowGLrange.
Therewillbenospikeinbloodglucoselevelsifyouconsumeupto100gramsof
mangodaily.
3.Glycemicloadofbanana
BananasareahealthyadditiontoabalanceddietforpeoplewithDiabeteswhen
eateninmoderation.
GlycemicLoad(GL)=GIofBananaxcarbscontentof100gbanana/100

21. =51x23/100
=11.73(moderateGL)
IfyouconsumeBananainmoderationorlessthan100g,thenitwillnotspikeyour
bloodsugarlevel.
4.GlycemicloadofPaneer
IfyouseethenutritionalvalueofPaneer,itcontains–
●Lowglycemicindex
●Highprotein
●Highfat

22. ●Negligiblecarbohydrates
TheglycemicindexofPaneeris30.Ifyoutake100gpaneer,youwillget4g
carbohydrates.
GlycemicLoad(GL)=GIofPaneerxcarbscontentof100gPaneer/100
=30x4/100

23. =1.2(VerylowGL)
So,Paneerisanexcellentfoodchoicefordiabetesbecauseitdoesnotshootup
bloodglucose.
Similarly,youcanfindtheGLvalueofanyfoodandconsideritinyourdietto
controlDiabetes.
Conclusion
WehaveseenthedifferentcategoriesofGlycemicIndexofIndianFoods.
Theglycemicindexonlytellswhatfoodincreasesbloodglucosebutfailsto
describehowmuchfoodweshouldtakeataparticulartime.
Therefore,GlycemicIndexisnotaperfectsystembutahelpfultoolforcalculating
glycemicload.
Glycemicloadgivesamoreaccuratepictureofyourfood.Itdescribestheeffectof
aspecificamountofcarbohydratesonbloodglucoselevels.
Overall,glycemicloadminimizesthelimitationofglycemicindex.
Ifyouhavediabetes,youshouldkeepyourfoodinthelowglycemicloadcategory.
Ihopeyoufoundthisarticleinformative.ItwillhelptoreverseyourDiabetes.
FAQ
Q1.Whatfoodshavea0glycemicindex?
Theglycemicindexisabsentinfoodsthatdonotcontaincarbohydrates,suchas
oil,fish,chicken,meats,etc.

24. Q2.CanIeatBananaifIhaveDiabetes?
TheglycemicloadofaBananais11,whichismoderateGL.Youcanaddbanana
fruittoyourdiabeticdietinmoderation.
Q3.Ispapayalowglycemic?
TheglycemicindexofPapayais60,whichismoderateGI.Itisabsolutelysafein
diabetesbecauseifyoucalculatetheglycemicloadof100gpapaya,thenitwould
bearound4(lowGL).\
Q4.Ispomegranatelowglycemic?
Yes.Theglycemicindexofpomegranateis35,whichislowGIandcarbohydrate
contentof100gpomegranateis17g.Ifyoucalculateglycemicloadof
pomegranante,itwouldbearound6(lowGL).
Q5.Isguavagoodfordiabetes?
Yes.Guavacanbeagreatfruitchoiceindiabetes.Theglycemicindexofguavais
18andcarbscontentof100gguavais14g.Ifyoucalculateglycemicloadof
guava,itwouldbearound2(lowGL).