Do not stress on the Gylcemic index (GI) of foods unless diabetic

We all have have had that dietitian or trainer saying to us not to eat specific foods because they cause an insulin spike and have a high glycemic index.I was also a victim of this back in the day.Well i am here to free you of your stress.Do not worry about glycemic index of foods unless you are a diabetic or a pre-diabetic and a sedentary person who doesn't do any sort of a physical activity.

What is glycemic index ? it is a relative ranking of carbohydrate in foods according to how they affect blood glucose levels. Carbohydrates with a low GI value (55 or less) are more slowly digested, absorbed and metabolized and cause a lower and slower rise in blood glucose and are categorized into 3 categories.

The categories are as follows:

Low = GI value 55 or less

Medium = GI value of 56 – 69 inclusive

High = GI 70 or more.

Everyone comes up to me and says this has this many grams of sugar can i eat it,this has this many grams of complex carbs,Guys it doesn't matter.Me for example,i don't care about sugar when bulking and when i cut i make sure i don't go overboard with the sugar.That is all.One of my carb sources during a cut is watermelon and i eat 2 pounds of it everyday.It has sugar and i am still loosing weight.Always remember Calories in vs Calories out . Enjoy yourselves first.You got only one life.But at the same time remember too much of anything is good for nothing.

Glycemic index varies with food as a whole (proteins,carbs,fats) vs carbs alone(say eating sugar alone). The initial study determined the glycemic index of individual foods like sugar,rice etc.We as humans don't eat sugar alone or rice alone practically.So stop stressing on it. Glycemic index of sugar is different from a food as a whole having sugar.Here are some of the studies on glycemic index and its effect on blood sugar levels.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/7794876

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4370345/

http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/87/1/269S.long

"The Glycemic index concept should in principle be used to classify carbohydrate-rich foods and is only meaningful when comparing foods within a comparable food group, ie, breads, fruit, and different types of cereal foods. GI values should not be used in isolation but should be interpreted in relation to other relevant food characteristics, ie, energy content, amount of other macronutrients, available carbohydrates, and dietary fiber"

- Role of glycemic index and glycemic load in the healthy state, in prediabetes, and in diabetes1,2,3,4,5 (Gabriele Riccardi, Angela A Rivellese, and Rosalba Giacco-2008)

The third article puts a nail in the coffin.So next time you eat don't care about the sugar.Just eat and enjoy.Just don't go overboard.

When to use Glycemic index ? When you are pre-diabetic or is a diabetic then it is safe to look up for foods with low GI or low sugar and high fiber as its shown to be beneficial as indicated in the third study mentioned above.

DISCLAIMER: ALL THE INFO PROVIDED IS BASED ON RESEARCH . THIS IS NOT INTENDED TO BE A DIAGNOSIS FOR DIABETES.