5 simple ways to lower the Glycemic Index of food

Author: Valeria Meleshina - personal trainer and nutritionist.
2017-04-08

To reduce the glycemic index (GI)* of food, various methods can be utilized. Today, we will discuss my favorite ways.

*GI or glycemic index is an indicator of how your body will respond to food intake concerning the increase in blood glucose levels. In other words: the faster your body processes the food into glucose, the higher the glycemic index of the product.

There is a common classification into high, medium, and low GI levels. The maximum GI of glucose is 100, and everything is relative to this number. Low is up to 50; medium is from 51 to 70; and above 71 is considered high.

FIRST METHOD. Avoid overcooking or finely chopping food!

The reason is that the smaller we chop the food, the faster it is absorbed. This means it will be converted into glucose more quickly! We want the opposite effect; therefore, we do not overcook cereals, cook pasta "al dente," and do not finely chop salads!

It's also important to note that the finer we chop vegetables, the less fiber remains in them. We will talk more about fiber later. For now, just remember that it's better to cut vegetable salads into larger pieces and avoid using a grater.

SECOND METHOD. Whenever possible, eat raw vegetables!

The glycemic index of boiled carrots is almost 2.5 times higher than that of raw carrots. This indicates that many starchy vegetables can and should be eaten raw or unboiled. However, potatoes are better cooked.

This is all about starch. Starch in food exists in the form of amylose and amylopectin. When interacting with water, the starch molecules absorb water, causing them to swell. As a result, we get a more or less viscous structure of the product. This process is called gelatinization of starch.

The degree of cooking a product will depend on the ratio of amylose to amylopectin. The less amylose in the product, the more it will be cooked. If the starch is too gelatinized, it converts into glucose more easily under the influence of digestive enzymes in the gastrointestinal tract. This means we will raise blood sugar levels more quickly.

THIRD METHOD. Add fiber to your meals! Whether from vegetables (refer to the first two points) or from bulk fiber from the pharmacy or sports store.

The fact is that fiber gives us a feeling of fullness and binds food in the stomach. Due to its slow digestibility, it allows other food to be digested more slowly. This means glucose levels will rise more gradually.

Additionally, fiber prevents enzymes in the gastrointestinal tract, particularly amylases, from digesting glucose. It "holds" it in the product. This gives us an advantage in preventing spikes in blood sugar levels.

FOURTH METHOD. In addition to fiber, we can add protein to every carbohydrate meal.

Proteins are absorbed more slowly in the gastrointestinal tract but help stabilize blood sugar levels. They prevent sharp spikes, which is what we aim for.

Moreover, the combination of proteins and carbohydrates (preferably complex ones) will help both proteins and carbohydrates be absorbed better. The synthesis of proteins in the body occurs with the help of the carbohydrate absorption cycle. If you exclude carbohydrates, your body will absorb proteins less effectively. The same is true for carbohydrates. Therefore, we combine these two products to maximize their benefits.

FIFTH METHOD. Add fats to carbohydrate-rich foods.

We know that fats are digested the slowest in the gastrointestinal tract. It is this property of fats that we will use to decrease the digestibility of carbohydrates. The main point to remember is "not too much fat." For instance, for a plate of porridge (50-70 g of dry product), 3-5 g of butter is quite sufficient. More is unnecessary.

Which method do you prefer? Which one will you use?