Guidelines for a low glycemic diet

A diet of low glycemic-load foods is one way diabetics regulate their blood sugar levels. It is also a good way to manage weight because it helps you avoid the cravings for sweets that come when blood sugar is low.

That’s because carbohydrates such as refined sugars and bread are easier for your body to change into glucose, the sugar your body uses for energy, than more slowly digested carbs like those in vegetables and whole grains.
If you’re starting to cut down on heavy-glycemic-load foods, this guide to low-GL drinks, fruits and vegetables will help you get through the day.

Dairy and soy drinks

• Low-fat yogurt with fruit and sugar, 200 mL (7 oz), GL 9
• Soy milk, 250 g (1 c/8 oz), GL 7
• Low-fat chocolate milk, artificially sweetened, 250 mL (8 oz), GL 3
• Low-fat yogurt with fruit, artificially sweetened, 200 mL (7 oz), GL 2

Fruits and vegetables

• Prunes, pitted, chopped, 70 g (1/3 c/2 oz), GL 10
• Apricots, dried, chopped, 60 g (1/3 c/2 oz), GL 9
• Peaches, canned in light syrup, 75 g (1/2 c), GL 9
• Grapes, medium bunch (about 50), 125 g (4 oz), GL 8
• Mango, sliced, 100 g (2/3 c/4 oz), GL 8
• Pineapple, diced100 g (2/3 c/4 oz), GL 7
• Apple, one small, GL 6
• Kiwi, sliced, 125 g (2/3 c/4 oz), GL 6
• Beets, sliced, 100 g (1/2 c), GL 6
• Orange, one small, GL 5
• Peach, one small, GL 5
• Plums, two small, GL 5
• Pear, one small, GL 4
• Strawberries, about six medium-sized, GL 4
• Watermelon, chopped100 g (2/3 c/4 oz), GL 4
• Carrots, raw, one large, GL 3
• Cherries, about 16 (125 g/4 oz), GL 3
• Grapefruit, one-half, GL 3

Beverages

• Orange juice, unsweetened,180 ml (3/4 c/6 oz), GL 10
• Grapefruit juice, unsweetened, 180 ml (3/4 c/6 oz), GL 7
• Tomato juice, 180 ml (3/4 c/6 oz), GL 4

Low-GL sweets and nuts

• M&Ms with peanuts, 25 (30 g/1 oz), GL 6
• Nutella (chocolate hazelnut spread), 60 ml (4 tbsp), GL 4
• Mixed nuts, roasted, 45 g (1/3 c/1.5 oz), GL 4
• Cashews, about 13, (45 g/1.5 oz), GL 3
• Peanuts, 45 g, (1/3 c/1.5 oz), GL 1

The best way to lower the GL of your diet is to figure out which high-GL foods you eat the most and then eat less, either by cutting back on portions or choosing a different food in its place.
In a major study of middle-aged women, five foods were the biggest contributors to GL in the diet: potatoes, breakfast cereal, white bread, muffins, and white rice. Together, they made up about 30% of the GL of the women's entire diets.
Those foods can easily be replaced with another, each of them has a GL that's at least 50% lower than the food it replaces:

• Cooked potatoes can be substituted with pasta.
• Switch cold breakfast cereal with high-fibre cereal.
• Instead of white bread, choose sourdough bread.
• Swap your daily muffin for an apple.
• In the place of white rice choose pearled barley.

The glycemic load of a food is determined by both its glycemic index and its available carbohydrate content per serving. Glycemic index (GI) refers to how quickly the blood sugar spikes after eating a certain food. Calculating the glycemic load (GL) can provide an even more accurate picture of what that food will do to your blood sugar. Diabetics are advised to follow a diet based on foods with GL values as low as possible.
For kids, studies show, the biggest contributors to a high-GL diet are often candy, soft drinks, cakes, cookies and salty snacks. Children require a different strategy to avoid those foods, such as encouraging fruits as snacks and low-fat milk as a beverage.