Carbohydrate, also known as carbohydrate, is one of the "three major" nutrients needed by human body and the main energy provider.

There are three kinds of saccharides that can be absorbed by human body, namely monosaccharide, disaccharide and digestible polysaccharide (starch).

These substances will eventually be converted into glucose (monosaccharide) after entering the human body. When glucose enters the blood, it is called blood sugar, which provides energy for human tissues and cells.

Generally speaking, human blood sugar is the lowest on an empty stomach, the highest within 1 hour after meals, and it begins to fall back 2 hours after meals, and generally it can return to normal level within 3 hours.

However, the speed of blood sugar rising after eating is different for different foods. Even for the same person, the speed of blood sugar rising after meals will be different because of the different foods eaten.

what is the glycemic index?

The glycemic index is called "glycemic index" and is denoted by "GI"; It reflects the speed and ability of a certain food to raise blood sugar compared with glucose; It is an index reflecting the degree of blood sugar increase caused by eating.

The food with high GI can be digested quickly and absorbed well after entering the intestine, and glucose can enter the blood quickly, so the blood sugar rises quickly. However, foods with low GI stay in the intestine for a long time and release slowly, and the peak value of glucose after entering the blood is lower, and the postprandial blood sugar fluctuates less, so the insulin required is correspondingly reduced.

for people with high blood sugar after meals, reasonable food collocation can not only meet the human body's energy demand, but also effectively control blood sugar.

which foods have higher glycemic index?

Generally speaking, monosaccharide has a higher glycemic index than disaccharide; For example, the glycemic index of glucose is usually set at 1. In addition, there are fructose, galactose, etc., all of which belong to monosaccharides.

disaccharide has a higher glycemic index than digestible polysaccharide; It is our common sweets such as white sugar, brown sugar, rock sugar and maltose.

polysaccharide is what we often call starch, or food rich in starch. For example, all kinds of cereals, potatoes, etc., of course, some fruits and vegetables, as well as meat foods will also contain some sugar substances.

what factors will affect the glycemic index?

1. Dietary fiber: Generally speaking, high dietary fiber content can slow down the digestion and absorption rate of sugar substances and reduce the GI of food; Conversely, the less dietary fiber content, the higher GI will be.

For example, whole grains (without husks removed) will have a lower glycemic index than polished rice.

2. Physical state of starch: For example, eating corn paste will increase blood sugar faster than eating corn kernels.

3. The gelatinization degree of starch: the higher the gelatinization degree, the higher the GI; For example, the same apple, drinking apple juice will increase blood sugar faster than eating apples.

4. Fat and protein content: The increase can reduce the gastric emptying rate and intestinal digestion and absorption, and the GI is lower.

Table of glycemic index of food:

Low glycemic index food: The glycemic index of 55 is low glycemic index food. They stay in the gastrointestinal tract for a long time, have low absorption rate, slow conversion to glucose, and slow blood sugar rise, so that the human body has enough time to adjust the release and synthesis of insulin, so that blood sugar will not soar.

whole grains: whole wheat flour, buckwheat flour, vermicelli, black rice, black rice porridge, millet, macaroni, lotus root starch and Ge Fen

vegetables: konjac, Chinese cabbage, cucumber, bitter gourd, celery, eggplant, kelp, Flammulina velutipes, mushrooms, spinach, bean sprouts, asparagus, cauliflower.

beans and bean products: soybeans, eyebrow beans, heart beans, tofu, beans, mung beans, lentils and green beans.

fresh fruit: apple, Sydney, orange, peach, raisin, Shatian pomelo, Sydney, grapefruit, strawberry, cherry and papaya.

beverages: milk, low-fat milk, skim milk, low-fat cheese, yogurt and sugar-free soybean milk.

medium-rising sugar food: 55L sugar index 7

Grains: red rice, brown rice, sago, wheat flour noodles, cereal and oatmeal

Vegetables: sweet potato, taro, potato chips, lotus root

Meat: fish, chicken, duck, pork, mutton, beef and crab.

Fruits: papaya, dried raisins, pineapple, banana, mango, cantaloupe, kiwi fruit and Liu Ding.

high-sugar food: glycemic index >; 7 is a food with high glycemic index. After they enter the gastrointestinal tract, they digest quickly, have high absorption rate, convert into glucose quickly, and their blood sugar rises rapidly.

five grains: rice, steamed bread, fried dough sticks, glutinous rice, white bread, Lamian Noodles and fried rice.

meat: meatballs and sausages.

vegetables: mashed potatoes, pumpkins and baked potatoes.

Fresh fruits: watermelon, litchi, longan and pineapple.

sugar and sugar alcohols: glucose, granulated sugar, maltose, soda, orange juice, honey.

In theory, food does not have the function of lowering blood sugar. For diabetic patients, it is necessary to follow the doctor's advice and use drugs reasonably.

However, for people with high blood sugar, in addition to the staple food (grains), try to eat less high-sugar foods; It is very beneficial to control sugar to eat more low-sugar foods and reasonably eat some medium-sugar foods.

Don't drink alcoholic beverages, and try to avoid bad eating habits such as overeating and sleeping when full. Maintain good sleep habits, pay attention to the combination of work and rest, and avoid being in a state of fatigue for a long time; At the same time, it is more conducive to the stability of blood sugar and human health to insist on physical exercise or engage in appropriate physical labor.