Carbohydrates and glycemic index (GI)
Everybody, including people with diabetes are advised to include carbohydrate foods in their eating plan as they provide the body with energy. Carbohydrates are broken down in the intestine and enter the blood stream as glucose. For optimal blood glucose management, it is important to have regular meals each day and always eat breakfast. This will help to prevent large rises and falls in your blood glucose level.
Carbohydrate foods include
- Bread
- Rice
- Pasta and noodles
- Grains
- Cereals
- Legumes such as beans, lentils and chickpeas
- Starchy vegetables such as potato, sweet potato and corn
- Fruit and fruit juices
- Milk and yoghurt
- Biscuits, crackers and cakes
- Sugar (including confectionary and sugary drinks)
Not all carbohydrate foods are the same. Some are digested and enter the blood stream more quickly than others. This is due to the type of carbohydrate or other nutrients in the food, such as fibre, fat and protein. How quickly or slowly foods raise the blood glucose level is referred to as their ‘Glycaemic Index’ (GI). Including foods with a low glycaemic index in your eating plan can help to control blood glucose levels. The GI can be a guide to which foods are better choices. However, the GI is not the only answer and other ingredients, such as the saturated fat and sodium content need to be looked at too.
A dietitian can explain to you how to use the GI to help you control your diabetes. There are also many books available to read. Click here to see books that are available from DA-Vic.
More information
Find out more information about carbohydrate foods and the glycemic index (PDF)
