Lower Blood Sugar Using the GI Index: 10 Rules You Can Live With

Knowing how to lower blood sugar is very important for people who want to lose weight or who have blood sugar imbalances. The simplest way to do this is with the glycemic index.

The glycemic or gi index of a food is a measure of it's ability to spike your blood sugar. The higher the GI index, the quicker you will have a spike in your blood sugar.

As a result of the rise in blood sugar levels, your body compensates by releasing insulin, which then can cause low blood sugar levels. Awareness of the glycemic index and eating low GI foods assists in preventing large peaks in blood glucose levels.

Knowing how to avoid this phenomenon is important for people who are wanting to lose weight or prevent low blood sugar, to reduce blood cholesterol levels, and help improve physical endurance.

There are many lists of foods and their glycemic index including this list of glycemic

As a rule of thumb use this scale to help determine where a food lies: Low-GI Foods (below 55) Intermediate-GI Foods (between 55 and 70) High-GI Foods (more than 70)

As a rule of thumb, the higher the fiber content, the lower the GI index.

Rules to Lower Blood Sugar

By following the following rules, you will be able to lower the glycemic index of your diet and lower blood sugar, without having to refer to a specific list of foods.

1. Eat foods in their natural state, as often as possible. That means, if safe to do so, eat the food raw. For example, a raw carrot is a low glycemic food (35 GI index) but once cooked it becomes moderately glycemic (65).
2. Eat foods that are harder to digest which results in a slower release of the sugars, resulting in slower release of insulin and storage as fat.
3. Eat foods that are high in fiber. These foods contribute to a feeling of fullness resulting in eating fewer calories. Also, they help clean out your colon and contribute to overall health.

   Choose whole grain bread and pasta instead of those that are processed.

4. Avoid artificial sweeteners that may confuse normal signals to your brain and can lead to slowing down the fat burning process. Much evidence exists that questions the safety of these chemicals.

Sweeteners including high fructose corn syrup are either intermediate or high glycemic. So minimize these in your diet.

5. Limit fried foods. Not only are these foods high calorie but they add lots of stress on your pancreas.
6. Avoid white foods. This rule is related to eating lots of fiber. White foods are usually low in fiber and are have a high glycemic index. White potatoes are one of the highest glycemic foods (85-98) Compare this to sugar which has an index of 100.
7. Always drink lots of pure water. Hydration is important for flushing out wastes and being dehydrated can be confused with hunger, resulting in consuming too many calories.
8. Be sure to eat 3 regular meals. Never skip meals. Not only will this help lower blood sugar but helps with proper elimination.
   
   
9. Avoid fad dieting. Rarely does it result in long term weight loss or improved health. For long lasting health benefits lifestyle change must happen.
   
   Eating the low glycemic way will result in better blood sugar control, help with weight management and is a diet that can be maintained over the course of your life.
10. Lastly, make the commitment to be healthy for life. It really is all about your lifestyle. This new way of life must be adopted for life. Otherwise, you will not reach your goal of being healthy and fit. Otherwise you will be doomed to yo-yo dieting.

Other Resources and Related Articles:

For a list of foods and their glycemic index

Fad Dieting: Is it Healthy or Effective?

return from lower blood sugar to Nutritional Supplements That Won't Risk Your Health or Harm Your Family?