Foods That Rate High On The Glycemic Index
It was Dr. David Jenkins from the University of Toronto who first ranked carbohydrates according to the time it took for them to get digested and absorbed in the body. This was way back in 1981 but this index is still very much in use to this day when it comes to looking at which carbohydrates are good and which are not. The ones with a low rating meant that they were slower to break down and when they did, the glucose was released very slowly into the blood. This is the natural way that carbohydrates are supposed to behave and a diabetic can handle this better.
The ones rated high on the other hand, tend to release the glucose into the blood soon after they are ingested and this is not a good thing as far as diabetics are concerned. These carbohydrates have their uses too and are necessary when a person is extremely tired or has hypoglycemia which calls for quick glucose. For diabetics however, whether Type I or Type II, these foods are highly avoidable. White sugar, white rice, white flour, potatoes, etc are the foods that rank high and should be avoided by people suffering from diabetes. The ‘white poisons' are the ones that you really need to turn your back on and no doubt the doctor will put this down on his list of highly avoidable things to eat. So a lot of the pasta, breads and pastries that include white flour and sugar will just have to go.
Why are high glycemic foods such a problem? It's basically because they take a long time to digest and stay in the blood without being properly processed. This has its own set of problems and many organs in the body get affected. One side effect is that the diabetic will have to pass urine much more often than a normal person. He will also perspire more and feel a lot more thirsty.
It doesn't end there. From what are just irritating symptoms, the damage goes on to affect the kidneys and they do not function well. This could lead to the presence of blood in the urine and result in confusion, losing consciousness or even going into a coma which could just be fatal.
This is why it is so vital to keep tabs on which glycemic foods are good for you and the ones that are not. Most diabetics can go through a normal life provided they take a few precautions. They need to be under the care of a doctor to prescribe insulin or medication, they need their blood sugar levels monitored regularly and they need to watch what they eat. Just a little care and everything can go on smoothly. If these rules are not respected, then the consequences can be life threatening and one cannot hope to life a life without illnesses and complications. Diabetes is just a condition – it all depends how each one who suffers from it manages it.