What diabetics need to be concerned, is not the sweetness of a food, but the glycemic index (G.I).
The Glycemic Index rates how food will affect the blood sugar level in our body, on the scale of 0 – 100.
Diabetics need to eat foods with a low glycemic index so that they will not experience spikes in their blood sugar levels.
For example, white rice does not taste sweet, yet it has a high G.I of 89. Brown rice on the other hand has a lower G.I of 50. This means that brown rice will cause a lower and slower increase in blood sugar levels. This is because brown rice contains more fiber, and fiber can help to temper the increase in blood sugar.
Another example is boiled potato and apple. Apple tastes sweeter than a boiled potato. But their G.I are 34 and 87 respectively! An apple has more fiber than a potato and despite sweeter, it has a smaller effect on blood sugar than a potato.
Different sugars have different G.I. Glucose has the highest glycemic index of 100. Sucrose G.I is 65 and Fructose’s glycemic index is only 19.
In other words, though Fructose is sweet, it does not have a large effect on blood sugar and will not cause sharp spikes in our blood sugar levels.
What is one nutrient that Diabetics should take to help control blood sugar levels?
Dietary fiber is one nutrient that most people are lacking in. It can help slow the absorption of sugar and aid in controlling blood sugar levels. For people without diabetes, a healthy diet that contains fiber can lower the risk of developing type 2 diabetes.
