Contents:
- Medical Video: How to Determine the Glycemic Index of Food
- What is the glycemic index?
- How do experts determine the glycemic index of a food?
- Some examples of food glycemic index values
- What are the factors that influence the value of the glycemic index?
- What is the effect of the glycemic index on health?
Medical Video: How to Determine the Glycemic Index of Food
What is the glycemic index?
The Glycemic Index (IG) is a measure used to indicate how fast carbohydrates contained in food can be converted into sugar by the human body. This size is a scale from 0-100. For example, pure sugar, for example, has a glycemic index number of 100, this means that carbohydrates in pure sugar are very quickly converted by the body into sugar for energy for the body. The glycemic index can also inform how food influences blood sugar and insulin levels. The lower the glycemic index value, the less effect on insulin level and blood sugar levels.
At first, carbohydrates are classified into two, simple carbohydrates and complex carbohydrates depending on how much simple sugar is contained in the molecule. Carbohydrates consisting of one or two simple sugars (like fructose or sucrose) are called simple carbohydrates. While starchy foods are called complex carbohydrates because starch is composed of a long chain of simple sugars, namely glucose.
The suggestion to consume more complex carbohydrates than simple carbohydrates comes from the assumption that starchy foods only raise a little blood sugar levels after being digested compared to simple sugars. This assumption is considered inappropriate because the response of blood sugar to each type of food with complex hydrophobia varies. So from that the concept of the glycemic index was triggered where each food was measured how much effect it had on blood sugar levels.
How do experts determine the glycemic index of a food?
To determine the glycemic index value of a food, volunteers in good health will be asked to consume foods that want to be measured for their glycemic index, this food must contain at least 50 grams of carbohydrates. Then volunteers will be asked to consume control foods (in the form of bread or pure glucose) with the same amount of carbohydrates. After that, blood sugar levels will be measured regularly. Changes in blood sugar levels after consuming both types of food will be calculated and compared to find the glycemic index number.
Some examples of food glycemic index values
The smaller the glycemic index number, the smaller the impact on your blood sugar level will be. The glycemic index is grouped into:
- <55: low
- 56-69: moderate
- > 70: high
Examples of glycemic index values for some foods include:
- Fresh bread: every 30 grams of the glycemic index value is 71 (high)
- Banana: every 120 grams of the glycemic index value is 60 (medium)
- Honey: every 25 grams of the glycemic index value is 61 (medium)
- Canned tomato juice: every 250 ml the glycemic index value is 38 (low)
- Oatmeal: every 250 grams of the glycemic index value is 55 (low)
- Apples: every 120 grams the value of the glycemic index is 39 (low)
- Soybeans: every 150 grams of the glycemic index value is 15 (low)
- Carrots: every 80 grams of the glycemic index value is 35 (low)
What are the factors that influence the value of the glycemic index?
The glycemic index of a food is not always the same value. Some factors that influence the value of the glycemic index are:
- How to process or prepare food: Some components in foods such as fat, fiber, and acid (which are found in lemon or vinegar) generally reduce levels of the glycemic index. The longer you cook starchy foods, like pasta for example, the higher the glycemic index.
- Maturity level: in fruits, especially, the level of maturity will greatly affect the value of the glycemic index. For example, the more mature the banana, the higher the glycemic index value.
- Other foods you eat: the value of the glycemic index is determined based on each type of food. But in reality, we tend to consume more and more types of food at once. This can affect how the body digest carbohydrates. If you eat foods that have a high glycemic index value, it is recommended to mix them with foods with a low glycemic index value.
- Body condition: age, physical activity, and how fast your body digests food also influences how your body digests and reacts to carbohydrates.
What is the effect of the glycemic index on health?
Although the glycemic index is a parameter that can be used to control your blood sugar levels, the glycemic index should not be used as the only parameter to choose the type of food you will consume. For example, potato chips have a low glycemic index value but when viewed from saturated fat levels, potato chips have high saturated fat levels. So in addition to the value of the glycemic index, you must also pay attention to the other nutritional content contained in the food you consume.
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