Why You Should Care About the GI of Your Food

Carbs have copped a bad rap over the years, but they’re not all unhealthy. Some in fact can be good for you especially if you have diabetes or are trying to lose weight. Surprised? It all comes down to their glycaemic index, or the GI, for short.

What is the glycaemic index?

Simply put, the glycaemic index is a value used to measure the effect of carbs on your blood sugar levels. Using the GI scale, foods are ranked as high, medium or low from 0-100.

There are three GI ratings:

Low: 55 or less

Medium: 56-69

High: 70 or above

Low GI foods are slowly digested, so your blood sugars experience a subtle rise and fall over time, like a gentle wave in the ocean. Some foods with a low GI include wholegrain bread, lentils and sweet potato. Low GI foods can help you feel full for longer and sustain your energy.

If a food has a high GI, it is broken down faster and your blood sugars quickly rise and fall in a shorter period causing your blood sugar to quickly spike and then dramatically fall. That flat feeling you get at 3pm in the afternoons? High GI foods might be the culprit.  High GI foods tend to be high in refined carbs and sugar like sweet breakfast cereals, soft drinks and white bread.

Why should I eat lower GI foods?

There’s so many great reasons to make an effort to lower the GI of your diet! Research has linked eating a low-GI diet to perks like reduced risk of heart disease, bowel cancer and stroke. For those with diabetes, it’s particularly beneficial to help keep your blood sugar levels within a healthy range.  

Plus by balancing your blood sugars you’ll have longer-lasting energy to help to beat the dreaded afternoon slump. Trying you’re trying to whittle your waistline? Low GI foods come in handy here too as they help you feel full for longer, so you’ll be less inclined to overeat.

How to switch to a lower-GI intake

Getting started with low GI foods is easy: it’s all about making some smart food swaps every day. To give you a jump-start here are ten food swaps you can make to lower the GI of your diet.

10 smart swaps to get you started

Try ready-made

If you’re short on time and stuck for low-GI inspiration, ready-made low GI meals may be a great option for you. We love The Good Meal Co’s new range of delicious ready-made certified Low GI meals. With 10 different delish dishes including butter chicken, Bolognese and cottage pie, every meal is not only tasty, but nutritionally balanced and full of gut-loving fibre.

And the good news doesn’t stop there. Although already very cost-effective, for those living with diabetes The Good Meal Co are also an approved NDIS subsidised meal provider, so be sure to mention it to your GP.

The full range can be viewed at their website here: https://goodmeal.com.au/pages/low-gi-meals  and delivered direct to your door in a flash making it oh-so-easy to make the switch to low GI.

This article was created in partnership with The Good Meal Co and was written by a registered dietitian. Prevention only partner with brands we believe in and share our vision to provide science-backed content you can trust.