The need to follow a low glycaemic index diet can be overwhelming at first. It is difficult to give up many favourite foods overnight.
Fortunately, you don’t have to turn your diet upside down. For people with carbohydrate metabolism disorders (diabetes, insulin resistance), the glycaemic load is a very useful indicator!
Discover how you can effectively reduce your glycaemic load and take care of your health by making small changes.
But what exactly are the glycemic index and glycemic load?
The glycaemic index (GI) shows how blood sugar levels change after eating a product containing 50 g of digestible carbohydrates.
The glycemic load (GL) is a measure of the effect of food on blood glucose levels. It is a better indicator than the glycemic index because it takes into account both the glycemic index and the amount of carbohydrates consumed in a serving. The glycaemic load adjusts the index to the actual portions served on the plate.
The glycemic load can be:
- low (<10)
- medium (11-19)
- high (>20)
The easiest way to explain GI and GL is with the example of a watermelon.
The glycemic index of watermelon is 72 (i.e. high, quickly raises blood glucose levels). However, it should be remembered that this is the glycemic index given for almost 1 kg of watermelon.
However, a standard 150 g serving of watermelon contains only 11 g of digestible carbohydrates.
We calculate the GL using the following formula:
GL = (GI X amount of carbohydrates in a serving) / 100
that is:
The GI for 150 g of watermelon is: (72 x 11)/100 = 7.9, which means that the glycaemic load for this portion of watermelon is low.
As you can see, the glycaemic index can be a useful guide, but only translating it into actual portions will show you how much of a given product you should eat.
The above calculations reveal the first key issue: how to modulate the GI without having to add many products to the prohibited list. The key factor for the glycaemic load is the portion size. It is not the specific product itself that is ‘bad’ for glycaemia, but rather consuming too much of it. If something has a high glycaemic index, then to take care of our blood sugar levels, we should eat only a small amount of it.
What other changes can you make to lower your glycaemic load?
– Blend less, chew more. The degree of grinding affects the glycemic load. Blended meals, such as smoothies, cream soups and mashed potatoes, will have a higher GL than the same unblended meal.
– Eat more raw vegetables and fruit, remembering that heat treatment increases the LG, as cooked vegetables are easier for us to digest. Try to add even a small portion of raw vegetables or fruit to your meals.
– Make sure you eat plenty of fibre. Fibre plays a crucial role in reducing the glycaemic load. Therefore, in addition to vegetables and fruit, it is important to choose whole grain products. Replace white bread with graham bread, regular pasta with whole grain pasta or pasta with a low GI. Also remember to include legumes, groats and nuts in your diet.
– When composing a meal, do not forget to add protein and fat. Their presence will have a positive effect not only on the glycaemic load, but also on satiety. It is worth ensuring that even the simplest meals, such as sandwiches, include a source of protein, e.g. eggs or cottage cheese, and a source of fat, preferably unsaturated, such as avocado, nuts, olive oil and other unrefined oils.
– Don’t forget about pickled foods and fermented products – they help lower blood sugar levels – this is one of the reasons why it is worth choosing sourdough bread.
– You don’t have to give up fruit. The GI of fruit depends on the size of the portion and how ripe it is – a slightly green banana is preferable in a diet for people who are watching their glycaemic index. However, when it comes to fruit, you don’t have to deny yourself anything. If a fruit is very ripe or very sweet (this usually applies to tropical fruits such as bananas, melons, pineapples and mangoes), simply eat less of it.
And best of all, incorporate it into a balanced meal.
– Cooling previously cooked cereal products will cause the formation of resistant starch, which will slightly lower the GI and have a beneficial effect on your microbiota.
– The way you eat your meal, specifically the order in which you eat the individual components of the meal, will affect the overall glycaemic load. Therefore, if possible, it is best to start your meal with a portion of vegetables (preferably fresh or pickled), followed by a protein product such as meat or fish, and finally carbohydrates such as potatoes or groats. However, the most important thing is to compose meals so that they are nutritious and provide adequate nutrition. The order in which you eat the products is secondary. However, it is a good idea to get into the habit of eating even a small amount of fresh vegetables before a meal. This is especially true for meals that contain large amounts of carbohydrates.
In summary, you have many options for supporting your health and blood sugar levels by reducing your glycaemic load.
Try to compose your meals so that they contain all macronutrients, i.e. carbohydrates, proteins and fats. Make sure to include vegetables and fruit. Look for whole grain products that you like and that will provide you with an additional portion of fibre, which is so important for health and stable blood sugar levels.
What about sweets? Everyone knows that while they are delicious, they are also bad for your health. Therefore, if you must have them, eat them in small amounts, preferably right after a well-balanced meal.
