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The Glycemic Index (GI) can have a major impact on your health if you suffer from Metabolic Syndrome (Syndrome X).
GI ratings show the differing speeds at which different foods break down into sugar or glucose in your digestive system to meet the body's need for energy. Over the years, eating too much food with a high Glycemic Index rating can cause deterioration of your arteries, leading to further damage to your cardiovascular system.
Low GI foods tend to be better for you because they prevent spikes in glucose and insulin in your bloodstream, which can cause cardiovascular disease.
Knowing the speed of the process whereby glucose is broken down and absorbed by the body is important for maximizing general health. It also greatly benefits people who suffer from a variety of other conditions, ranging from obesity and Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) to many forms of arthritis and all forms of Diabetes.
Excess weight and obesity is also thought to raise the chance of developing up to 40% of cancers.
By indexing glucose at 100, foods are calculated against that figure. So cornflakes, for example, have a Glycemic Index of 72 because they digest quickly, whereas yogurt is GI-rated as 14 because it digests much more slowly. Any food rating less than 55 in the GI is regarded as low.
Examples of Glycemic Index (GI) Ratings
| High GI |  | Low GI |
| Glucose/Sugar 100 | Orange 44 |
| Baguette 95 | All Bran 43 |
| Cornflakes 84 | Oatmeal 42 |
| Rice cakes 82 |
Spaghetti 41 |
| Doughnut 76 | Apple 38 |
| Bagel 72 |
Yogurt 14 |
The Glycemic Index rating contributes greatly to nutrition and health for a number of reasons:
- Low GI foods tend to have more nutritional content than high GI, high-carbohydrate foods like non-whole grain bread, sausages and sweetened juice, which are usually processed, resulting in most of the original natural fibre and nutrients being stripped out. Conversely, low GI foods, like most vegetables, fruits, beans and pulses, remain in their natural state with nutritional benefits intact.
- Because low GI foods break down more slowly in your digestive system, they leave you feeling more satisfied for a longer period of time. As a result, you're not so prone to hunger, which is important for losing weight and keeping it off. High GI foods, such as sugary breakfast cereals digest quickly and can leave you hungry by mid-morning and yearning for another sugar fix. On the other hand, traditionally nourishing breakfast porridge oats, which most people haven't eaten since they were a child, have a low GI rating because they digest slowly and can leave you feeling satisfied until lunchtime.
- Low GI foods cause the supply of glucose into the bloodstream to be more gradual, which helps to moderate blood-sugar and insulin levels.
THE GLYCEMIC INDEX AND ITS IMPACT ON CARDIOVASCULAR HEALTH
Once it has formed sufficient mass, fat is an active, living part of your body. Excess abdominal fat is now regarded as a root cause of Metabolic Syndrome (Syndrome X).
The risk factors of this condition range from high blood pressure and abnormal cholesterol levels, such as too much artery-clogging LDL "bad" cholesterol, to the imbalance of blood glucose and insulin called Insulin Resistance, which can also underlie PCOS and both Pre-Diabetes and Type 2 Diabetes.
Food is, in effect, a drug which has a powerful impact on your health and general sense of well-being. Yet many individuals adopt an illogical approach to the health aspects of food.
Most people take a prescribed or non-prescription drug on the basis of the good it can do them, rather than its taste. But when it comes to food, many individuals opt for taste rather than nutritional value, even though the right food can help maintain your health, extend your life span, give you more energy and help you sleep well.
Add a balanced, nutritional diet, which references the GI index, to regular
exercise and you are doing pretty much all you can to lose or manage weight
and keep fit and alert. The rest is down to genes and luck! But healthy living
greatly improves your chance of enjoying a long, happy and fulfilled life.
Heart Disease and Stroke
Although heart disease is primarily a condition of old age, nearly half of those who suffer heart attacks are under the age of 65. The simple if brutal fact is that the more overweight you are, whether male or female, the more likely it is that you will suffer a heart attack or stroke. The two key factors that link those latter severe illnesses are high blood pressure (hypertension) and blood cholesterol.
High blood pressure, which is the early warning sign for both heart disease and stroke, places extra stress on the arterial system. That extra pressure causes arteries and veins to age and deteriorate more rapidly, leading ultimately to damaged arteries and blood clots stemming from cholesterol clogging those arteries. Excess weight and obesity have a major bearing on high blood pressure and eating too much high GI food can worsen this condition by adding to the damage caused to your arteries.
Having a certain degree of cholesterol is vital to the correct functioning of your body's metabolism. But high levels of LDL or "bad" cholesterol are a key ingredient in the creation of plaque than can build up in arteries, eventually cutting off blood supply either to the heart - causing a heart attack - or to the brain - leading to a stroke.
On the other hand, HDL or "good" cholesterol can remove plaque from the blood. So the idea is to boost your body's HDL level while lowering the LDL content.
The villain that raises LDL levels is saturated fats, which come from animal sources and are easily recognizable because they are solid at room temperatures like butter, cheese and fat on meat. Also to be avoided are the hydrogenated or trans-fats variety, which consist of vegetable oils that have been heat-treated to make them thicken at room temperature. They are frequently found in junk food like french fries and snacks.
Conversely, polyunsaturated fat and monounsaturated fats not only lower LDL levels but also actually boost HDL content. The healthiest choice is food high in monounsaturated fats such rapeseed and olive oil. It's why people who live around the Mediterranean, where olive oil is a staple of the diet, have lower rates of heart disease than the U.S.
So some fat is good for you and, indeed, essential. But make sure it's the right kind and related to low Glycemic Index ratings.
| A GUIDE TO GLYCEMIC INDEX RATINGS FOR DIFFERENT FOOD GROUPS |
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Breakfast Cereals
 Pancakes 67
Waffles 76
All Bran with Fiber 38
Bran Buds 47
Oatmeal 49
Muesli 43
Oat Bran 55
Bran Chex 58
Raisin Bran 61
Cream of Wheat 66
Quick (One Minute) Oats 66
Puffed Wheat 67
Special K 69
Bran Flakes 74
Cheerios 74
Cream of Wheat Instant 74
Shredded Wheat 75
Grapenuts 71
Rice Krispies 82
Corn Chex 83
Corn Flakes 92
Fruits
 Cherries 22
Grapefruit 25
Prunes 29
Apricots, dried 30
Apple 38
Peach, canned in juice 38
Pear, fresh 38
Plum 39
Strawberries 40
Orange, Navel 42
Peach, fresh 42
Pear, canned 43
Grapes 46
Papaya 56
Banana 52
Kiwi 58
Fruit Cocktail 55
Mango 51
Apricots, fresh 57
Figs, dried 61
Apricots, canned 64
Raisins 56
Cantaloupe 65
Pineapple, fresh 66
Watermelon 72
Dates 103
Crackers
 Ryvita Crispbread 69
Stoned Wheat Thins 67
Melba Toast 70
Kavli Crispbread 71
Soda Crackers 74
Graham Crackers 74
Water Crackers 78
Rice Cakes 82
Rice Crackers 91
Sweeteners
 Fructose 19
Marmalade 48
Honey 55
Jams 65
Sucrose 68
Pancake Syrup 76
Pasta
 Spaghetti, whole wheat 37
Star Pastina 38
Fettuccini (egg) 32
Spaghetti, white 38
Spiral Pasta 43
Capellini 45
Linguine 46
Macaroni 47
Rice vermicelli 58
Dairy Foods
 Yogurt, artificially sweetened 14
Skim milk 32
Yogurt, sweetened 33
Whole milk 31
Ice cream, low fat 43
Ice cream, premium 38
Snacks
 Hummus 6
Peanuts 15
Walnuts 15
Cashews 22
M & M Peanut Candies 33
Milk Chocolate 43
Kudos Bar 62
Corn Chips 63
Popcorn 72
Jelly Beans 78
Pretzels 83
Potato Chips 54
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Juices
 Tomato 38
Apple 40
Pineapple 46
Grapefruit 48
Orange 53
Cranberry Juice Cocktail 68
Breads
 Pumpernickel 41
Sourdough 53
Stone Ground whole wheat 53
Pita, whole wheat 57
Whole Meal Rye 58
Hamburger bun 61
Whole wheat (100%) 77
Croissant 67
Taco Shell 68
Bagel 72
White 70
Kaiser roll 73
Bread stuffing 74
French Baguette 95
Potato
 Yam 37
Sweet 44
New 57
Canned 65
White skinned mashed 70
French Fries 75
Instant Mashed 86
Red Skinned, boiled 88
Baked 85
Bakery
Sponge Cake 46
Pound Cake 54
Blueberry Muffin 59
Pastry Pie Crust 59
Bran Muffin 60
Carrot Muffin 62
Angel Food Cake 67
Doughnut 76
Scones 92
Cookies
Chocolate Chip 44
Butter 47
Vanilla Crème Filled Wafers 50
Oatmeal 55
Fudge 57
Shortbread 64
Soups
Tomato 38
Minestrone 39
Lentil 44
Black Bean 64
Pea 66
Meals
Fish Stick Fingers 38
Meat Ravioli 39
Cheese Tortellini 50
Pizza 60
Macaroni and Cheese (packaged) 64
Beans and Peas
Chana Dal 8
Chickpeas, dried 28
Kidney Beans, dried 28
Lentils 29
Lima Beans (frozen) 32
Yellow Split Peas 32
Chickpeas, canned 42
Blackeyed Peas, canned 42
Baked Beans 48
Kidney Beans, canned 52
Vegetables
Broccoli 10
Cabbage 10
Lettuce 10
Mushrooms 10
Onions 10
Red Peppers 10
Carrots 49
Green peas 48
Corn, fresh 60
Beets 64
Pumpkin 75
Parsnips 97
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