A good guide to good carbs: The glycemic index

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If you have diabetes, you know all too well that when you eat carbohydrates, your blood sugar goes up. The total amount of carbs you consume at a meal or in a snack mostly determines what your blood sugar will do. But the food itself also plays a role. A serving of white rice has almost the same effect as eating pure table sugar — a quick, high spike in blood sugar. A serving of lentils has a slower, smaller effect.

Picking good sources of carbs can help you control your blood sugar and your weight. Eating healthier carbohydrates can help prevent a host of chronic conditions, especially diabetes, but it can also ward off heart disease and various cancers.

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In this report, Healthy Eating for Type 2 Diabetes, you’ll learn about the components of a healthy diet for people with diabetes, as well as how to work with a dietitian, how to develop a meal plan, and how to fit physical activity into your schedule. You will learn how to recognize portion distortion, make wise choices while dining out, and stay on track with your weight-loss plan. Best of all, we’ve included 40 original recipes so you can put this advice into practice — starting today.

One way to choose foods is with the glycemic index (GI). This tool measures how much a food boosts blood sugar.

The glycemic index rates the effect of a specific amount of a food on blood sugar compared with the same amount of pure glucose. A food with a glycemic index of 28 boosts blood sugar only 28% as much as pure glucose. One with a GI of 95 acts like pure glucose.

Glycemic index chart

High glycemic foods result in a quick spike in insulin and blood sugar (also known as blood glucose). Low glycemic foods have a slower, smaller effect.

Choose low glycemic foods

Using the glycemic index is easy: choose foods in the low GI category instead of those in the high GI category (see below), and go easy on those in between.

Low glycemic index (GI of 55 or less): Most fruits and vegetables, beans, minimally processed grains, pasta, low-fat dairy foods, and nuts.
Moderate glycemic index (GI 56 to 69): White and sweet potatoes, corn, white rice, couscous, breakfast cereals such as Cream of Wheat and Mini Wheats.
High glycemic index (GI of 70 or higher): White bread, rice cakes, most crackers, bagels, cakes, doughnuts, croissants, most packaged breakfast cereals.

SWAPS FOR LOWERING GLYCEMIC INDEX
Instead of this high-glycemic index food	Eat this lower-glycemic index food
White rice	Brown rice or converted rice
Instant oatmeal	Steel-cut oats
Cornflakes	Bran flakes
Baked potato	Pasta, bulgur
White bread	Whole-grain bread
Corn	Peas or leafy greens

For more on healthy diet essentials plus information on managing (and avoiding) Type 2 diabetes, check out Healthy Eating for Type 2 Diabetes by Harvard Medical School.

Healthy Eating for Type 2 Diabetes

Featured content:

•	Understanding diabetes
•	The first-line treatment: Weight loss
•	The elements of a healthy diet
•	Meal-planning basics
•	SPECIAL BONUS SECTION: Healthy recipes
•	... and more!