Monitoring the glycemic index of different foods is often important. This is something you may have to do if you have coronary heart disease, any type of diabetes, or a variety of other medical conditions.
If you have any of these medical problems or are worried you are at risk, then staying considerate of your dietary intake is essential.
This goes way beyond just making sure you eat enough, but not too much, and get a sufficient amount of all your essential vitamins and minerals. You actually have to make sure your food intake supports an appropriate glycemic index for your health profile.
A Quick Look At The Low Glycemic Foods List
The actual list of low glycemic foods runs on for quite a while. To make it easier, we will look at a list of the more noteworthy foods that feature a low GI reading.
Green vegetables are one of the best choices when looking for low GI foods. These are also healthy for many other reasons. In fact, all vegetables tend to be good except for beets, corn, leeks, potatoes, and sweet potatoes. Potatoes are a major no-no for those that have to severely lock down on their GI levels.
Fruits are also good, but you have to be careful here. Most fruits are just considered to be low GI. There are a few that are high GI, which may sneak past you. This list includes apricots, cantaloupe, figs, kiwifruit, papaya, pineapple, raisins, and, surprisingly, watermelon!
Things become more selective when you cross into other types of foods. Almonds, cashews, peanuts, and walnuts are all low GI, but many other types of nuts are not.
Most types of beans are low GI; tofu is very low GI. Seafood isn’t always the best for low GI levels, but cod, salmon, sardines, scallops, shrimp, and tuna, are all safe options. For meat, stick to grass-fed beef and lamb, and pasture-raised chicken and turkey.
It’s okay to have grass-fed cheese, pasture-raised eggs, grass-fed cow’s milk, and grass-fed yogurt for dairy. Grains are fairly versatile, as you can use barley, brown rice, oats, quinoa, rye, whole wheat, and more. Many spices and herbs are also a safe option, but feel free to research them individually to be certain.
Heavy-hitting foods, basically those with higher caloric counts, should be assessed on an individual basis. No one list is completely accurate and the difference in specific types of foods can impact the GI reading, as well.
Be extremely cautious when dealing with borderline GI foods; if you aren’t balancing with incredibly low GI foods, it’s easy to accidentally cause an imbalance in the wrong direction.
How to Incorporate the Low Glycemic Foods List
You can take this list of foods that are low GI and compile them into a meal schedule. This will make it easier to ensure your entire diet is consistent with an overall low GI profile.
It’s not realistic to avoid all foods that aren’t just severely low in GI. After all, that would cut you back quite a bit in the fat and protein department.
Use the low glycemic foods list to make your grocery shopping list properly or make sure each meal contains a low-to-moderate GI reading.
