If you have diabetes or are concerned about blood sugar levels, you should consider the glycemic index of the foods and meals you eat. The glycemic index of a food is a measurement of how much the food causes your blood sugar to rise. By cooking according to a glycemic index plan, you can help keep your blood glucose levels from spiking after meals, which can help you manage or prevent diabetes. Many cookbooks offer low glycemic index meal plans, but you can also follow a low glycemic index diet by observing some basic cooking guidelines.
Step 1
Eat high glycemic foods only in moderation. In general, foods that have added sugar, like breakfast cereals, or have a high carbohydrate content, such as potatoes, white bread and pizza dough, have high glycemic index values. For more specific information, look up foods on charts and guides that list the glycemic index of specific foods. Harvard Medical School has a chart that gives the glycemic index of many common foods.
Step 2
Substitute low glycemic index foods whenever possible. Instead of consuming white bread and pasta, which are high on the glycemic index, choose bread and pasta made with whole grains. Cereals made with whole grains also have a lower glycemic index than those that contain processed grains. Look to see if "whole grains" or "whole wheat" are listed among the first ingredients on a product's label. As a rule, the more soluble fiber a food has, the lower its glycemic index.
Step 3
Minimize the amount of cooking and processing done to foods. As a general rule, the more cooking or processing you do to a food, such as boiling or grinding, the higher its glycemic index, the Utah State University Cooperative Extension explains. Foods cooked longer or broken down are digested more quickly, which causes the carbohydrates to be released more rapidly into the bloodstream. Cooking pasta al dente, for example, lowers its glycemic index.
Step 4
Add acid to foods. Adding lemon juice or vinegar to foods can lower their glycemic index values, RecipeTips.com reports.
Step 5
Consume fat and protein along with starches. When you eat foods containing fats and proteins along with carbohydrate-heavy foods, the glycemic index of the high-carbohydrate food is lowered. The presence of other nutrients slows the conversion of the carbohydrates into blood glucose.
