If you have diabetes or are concerned about high blood sugar, you may benefit from tweaking your diet. One important aspect of this is understanding the glycemic index of the foods you eat. Although most fruits and vegetables have a low glycemic index, understanding which ones have the lowest glycemic index values can help you optimize your diet.
Glycemic Index Identification
The glycemic index is a measurement of how a food affects your blood glucose levels. Foods with a high glycemic index can cause your blood glucose levels to rise faster and higher than foods with a lower glycemic index, the Mayo Clinic explains. By following a diet that utilizes low glycemic index foods as staples, you can help keep your blood glucose levels under control.
Fruits and Vegetables
As a general rule, fruits and vegetables have a low glycemic index. For example, fruits such as cherries, grapefruit, apples, pears, plums and strawberries all have glycemic index values of 40 or lower, according to WeightLossForAll.com. Most nonstarchy vegetables also have low glycemic indexes. For example, broccoli, asparagus, artichokes, cabbage, cauliflower, lettuce, Brussels sprouts, bell peppers, mushrooms, green beans and onions all have glycemic index values under 20.
Fiber
One of the reasons why many fruits and vegetables have low glycemic indexes is the amount of fiber they contain. Foods high in fiber reduce the speed at which carbohydrates are digested. The slower the release of carbohydrates, the less effect the carbohydrate content of a food has on blood glucose levels. Thus, by virtue of their high fiber content, many fruits and vegetables not only have low glycemic index values, but when eaten with higher glycemic index foods, also can help mitigate the increase in blood glucose levels that these higher-index foods can cause.
Acid
Some fruits can affect glycemic index in another way -- through their acid. The acids in lemon juice and lime juice, for example, reduce the glycemic index of other foods, HealthCastle says, because when acid is added to a meal, the stomach holds onto the food longer, so the food is digested more slowly. By slowing digestion, acid can slow the rate at which carbohydrates are broken down, resulting in a lowered glycemic index.
Considerations
Although fruits and vegetables typically have a low glycemic index, the way in which they are prepared impacts their glycemic index. As a general rule, the more cooked or processed a food is, the higher its glycemic index. This means raw fruits and vegetables have a lower glycemic index than when cooked.
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