How Different Foods Rank: Understanding the Glycemic Index Chart

If you're not sure about all the terminology, the glycemic index chart can be quite mystifying. It was originally devised for doctors and their patients, to help them understand more what the patient is actually eating. The problem is if you're not totally aware of what all the numbers mean, it won't really be much use to you.

Try not to be intimidated, the glycemic index chart can be a really useful tool. It will help you better understand what exactly you’re eating, and help you to improve your health.

Numbers: low medium and high and everything in between!

Take a look at the glycemic index chart and you will see a whole lot of different numbers that correspond with the listed foods.  These will range from between 0 - 100, again depending on the food that is listed.

Basically, the numbers are an indication as to how much your blood sugar may spike, for example, a food with a value of 93 will be quickly digested into your system and raise your blood sugar quickly. Foods with a lower value will be digested more slowly; this is much healthier and particularly important for diabetics.

Going through all these numbers can be a bit laborious, but fortunately understanding them is quite simple. Most charts rate anything below 55 as low.  Anything between 56 and 69 is considered medium.  And anything above 70 as high

Most charts tend not to list foods according to their index number, they are more likely listed into food groups or types of food, each chart is different, but basically the same principle applies.

Why some foods are lower than others.

It's quite easy to get confused when you look at some of the foods on the glycemic index. For example, a Snickers bar has a number in the 40s, whereas a bagel is rated in the 70s, so what exactly is going on here?

What you have to remember is that the Snickers bar is not just made of chocolate, it also contains peanuts, and peanuts have lots of protein. This protein will slow down the digestion of the bar.

That's the one thing to bear in mind with the glycemic index.  If you eat something that is high on the GI, you should always eat it with protein. So that’s why it's always a good idea to eat peanut butter with your toast.  And why a tuna sandwich is always a good idea!

This is why a lot of foods may seem to be ranked oddly, if you weren’t aware of what was going on, it could all look quite random.

The GI is used by many groups of people nowadays, not just diabetics, and mastering the index will give you a real advantage in the fight for good health and longevity.

The glycemic index chart may take some time to fully understand, but you should always try to eat accordingly; and remember, we all learn from experience.