Since it was developed by a team of scientists at the University of Toronto around 30 years ago, many type 2 diabetics have benefitted from following the guidelines surrounding the glycemic index.
For those who might be considering this as a tool in their diabetes management, I would like to share some advice and information based on the 16 years I used the index.
First of all, unlike a ketogenic or Atkins style diet, you cannot manage your blood sugars using the glycemic index alone. But unlike the ketogenic or Atkins style diet, it allows for a generous amount of carbohydrates in your mealplan, and therefore, for many people, is sustainable.
I read somewhere that the typical Atkins follower is off the diet after two months. To a certain degree that may be because many use that diet as a quick way to lose weight e.g. before the summer bathing suit season. But. it may also be that for many of us, carbs are an extremely attractive, tasty and essential part of a mealplan and very hard to do totally without.
As for the GI diet not being suitable as an only tool for managing blood sugars, the reason is quite simple. The good carbs included in the glycemic index are the ones that rate low on the GI scale - i.e. those that take the longest to digest and convert to blood sugars after we eat. But eventually they will convert and have the potential to raise your BGs just like any other carbs. (This incidentally is why this diet is not particularly suited for type 1s who need to bolus and get frustrated if they are not sure when their bgs are going to rise.)
For a type 2 that is motivated to and capable of a certain amount of activity and exercise, this has a very clear advantage. That is, it gives them a reasonable long window of time after they eat to do something physical - walk, swim, work out, exercise , call it what you want - and burn off the excess blood sugars.
The amount of activity required will vary from individual to individual, hence we need to test our blood sugars frequently after starting on a GI diet. Personally I settled on a 40 minute brisk walk three times a day, following each of my three major meals. If someone is on diabetes medications they probably could get away with less.
The result for me was that I was able to keep my hba1c below 6.0 for 16 years without taking any medications and after being diagnosed with an hba1c of 8.7 in 1998. As well I was able to lose 50 lbs off my weight when I started (from 224 lbs to 172 lbs.)
For more information on this topic I would strongly recommend the books The Glucose Revolution and The Glucose Revolution life plan. As well,David Mendosa has an excellent website devoted to managing diabetes and with a section on the Glycemic Index.
I have just never found it useful, personally. It allows waaay too many carbs for me. But it may very well be a stepping stone and an educational tool for some folks—in the reading of labels, if nothing else…
Within a few months of dx a decade ago, I just went with Bernstein’s 30 carbs or less/day…And never looked back. I eat royally and never miss the carbs. So many substitutions possible. So many ways to adapt old favorite recipes—from pizza to truffles to lasagna…
Eat to your meter is still the best approach. If the glycemic index gives you good numbers, go for it!..
Well Judith as I said it is only suitable to individuals who are willing to combine a dietary regime with one of activity. If you do not want to go the walk then low G\I is not suitable and better to look at zero carbs options.
I wanted to add that in my opinion what the low GI and exercise option adds in terms of stimulation and fresh air is quite fantastic.
I think the glycemic index has it’s place. If you have pre-diabetes or diabetes and still have a phase II insulin response you may find that a meal with 50 grams of carbs with a high glycemic index is intolerable, but that you can tolerate 50 grams of low glycemic carbs. Low glycemic are foods that have a lower area under the curve in their effect on blood sugar over two hours. If you have a slower absorption then your phase II response can ramp up better to match what you eat and this can be helpful.
Many people on insulin may find that lower glycemic index foods can help them gauge how slow the meal will digest. So if you know you will be having a low glycemic meal you can count your carbs but you might use an extended bolus of some kind.
This may tell you how stupid it is
http://www.csrsugar.com.au/csr-sugar/our-products/better-you/logicane-low-gi-sugar
http://www.gisymbol.com/cms/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/sugar.png
All that tells me is that you will find stupid ads in every area of life.
"Low GI symbol and a Low GI rating of just 50"
GI of 50 is in the low glycemic index group
glycemic load is better. AKA carb counting
Which kind of brings us back to the ADA recommendations of the 1960s when all carbs were considered equal and before mountains of research pointing to more sophisticated ways to manage blood sugars through diet had been researched and discovered.
Glycemic load is simply how much the food will raise your blood sugar. It is essentially the same as “carb count.”
What the glycemic index enables you to do is to make intelligent choices when deciding what carbs to eat if any.
For example, without the GI who would know that Uncle Bens parboiled rice has a low GI rating (38) making it far preferable to other common rice choices like Basmati. Or that barley has a GI rating of 21 making it one of the best sources of carbs for anyone managing diabetes with diet and exercise.
However, as I pointed out in my first posting on this subject, this is not for the ‘just give me a pill or a diet fix for it doctor’ people with diabetes, it is for those who are motivated enough to do the walk and exercise and want a diet that compliments that plan.
Given that the root cause of diabetes type 2 in many IFnot all cases leads back to an inactive lifestyle and unhealthy eating habits, this leads to a way of making restitution to our bodies.
Some food for thought…
Is the Glycemic Index a Scam? by @Jenny/Blood Sugar 101
What About Dietary Fiber? by Dr. Richard K. Bernstein
All I know is from my personal experience and that is that by following a strict low GI diet combined with after meal exercise for 16 years, I consistently maintained less than 6 in hba1c and lost around 60 lbs.
The only people I know of who have consistently opposed using the GI index are American dietician who I believe assume that Americans are more stoopid than the populations of the hundreds of countries that have now adopted the GI index as their main dietary defence against type 2 diabetes. (E.g. they claim it is too complicated for most people to follow).
I exercise 60 to 90 minutes every single day—in spite of chronic pain and a cane…So, as I said, I eat to my meter and my meter says—count carbs and eat 30 or less/day…Period