Low Glycemic Foods
As GI refers to how quickly a food causes blood sugar to rise, low glycemic foods like yogurt, spinach, tomatoes, alfalfa sprouts and high-fiber grains create a more gradual increase in blood sugar.
With a diet full of nutritious low GI foods, you will be healthier and less likely to put on weight. You will end up feeling full for longer between meals, which means less snacking and hunger with fewer cravings for unhealthier foods.
Because your body is using the blood sugar better with low glycemic foods, you will feel more energy and stay satisfied. Burning fat is almost impossible with high blood glucose levels, by using low glycemic foods you create an environment for consistent energy combined with maximum fat burning effects.
Glycemic index and glycemic load are very helpful guides when choosing healthy carbs, but your choice of healthy foods can’t be based solely on these concepts, quality and concentration of nutrients of foods have to be factored in this as well.
Let’s have a look at some of the most popular and common low glycemic foods:
1. Avocado:
Noble fruit avocado as one of the main low glycemic foods is rising in popularity due to its versatility and health benefits not offered by other fruits. It has a nutty flavour and is rich in vitamins- C, B6, K, E, minerals- potassium, magnesium, copper, highest content of monounsaturated good fats and protein of any fruit. It is higher in calories but helps in losing and maintaining weight and is very high in nutrients.
2. Cherries:
Cherries are known as the ‘super fruit’ these days with extraordinary health benefits: Cancer, heart disease and stroke prevention, treating pain from arthritis and similar conditions (10 times more active than aspirin without side effects), decreasing exercise-induced muscle damage, reducing blood cholesterol, enhancing sleep as they contain melatonin.
3. Yogurt:
Yogurt is made by adding bacterial cultures to make it much thicker than milk. It provides the intestinal system with the friendly bacteria that it needs to fight the digestion issues. It is loaded with vitamins, protein and calcium. It tends to lower the bad cholesterol in your body and it can help you maximize loss of fat and minimize loss of muscle. But avoid buying presweetened and flavoured yogurts as they tend to be loaded with sugars and obviously not a low glycemic food in that form.
4. Apples:
An apple a day will keep the doctor away… Apples are very rich in antioxidants, good for your heart as they keep the bad cholesterol down , rich in fiber and prevent constipation. They have no fat, cholesterol or sodium and contain small amounts of potassium. Pectin in apples helps lower the body’s need for insulin and may help in the management of diabetes.
5. Oats:
Oats have significant amount of soluble (helpful in lowering cholesterol) and insoluble dietary fibre (keeping bowel movements regular) and are high in protein. They contain certain phytochemicals which are believed to decrease the risk of getting cancer. Oats may make you feel full longer and may help weight loss. They are believed to enhance performance significantly when taken less than an hour before the exercise.
Like other types of beans , chickpeas are very high in fiber content that helps prevent digestive disorders. Their magnesium content makes them good for improving blood flow in veins and arteries and reducing heart attack risk. They help lower bad cholesterol and improve blood sugar levels. Chickpeas are extremely low in fat, high in protein and are classified as ‘low glycemic food’.
7. Strawberries:
Rich in Vitamin C, antioxidants, phytonutrients, manganese, iodine and dietary fiber, strawberries are nutritionally very good and they contribute to a healthy immune system. They are recommended for rheumatism, skin cancer, constipation and high blood pressure and have skin cleansing features.
8. Onions:
Onions have antifungal and antibacterial properties, they are believed to fight off skin problems. Regular consumption may help with lowering bad cholesterol and high blood pressure in the body. They are rich in chromium, vitamin C and dietary fiber. Onion extracts are acknowledged to provide relief in the treatment of colds and coughs.
9. Tomatoes:
Health benefits of tomatoes are quite phenomenal. A great source of vitamin C and a good source of vitamins A and K, they contain lycopene– a type of phytonutrient that has been studied extensively for its cancer (such as colon, stomach, mouth, cervical and prostate)- preventing and antioxidant properties. A glass of tomato juice per day may potentially keep someone healthy for life.
10. Beans:
All type of beans have high fibre contents, they are low in GI, have decent amount of protein and are available year round as dried or canned. As low glycemic food with high fibre content beans stop blood glucose level from rising rapidly. Best to have them with lower GI rice, such as basmati or brown rice. They also have a cholesterol lowering nature.
11. Carrots:
As the richest source of Vitamin A, carrots promote good vision. They contain a very complete nutrition: good source of fiber, vitamin B1, B2, B6, C, K, folic acid, calcium and iron. Studies suggest that a diet including one carrot a day may cut the rate of lung cancer in half. Carrots, as ‘aphrodisiac food‘, are also believed to improve impotence and sexual dysfunction.
12. Broccoli:
With potent cancer-fighting components, broccoli comes on top of the list of healthiest foods. When boiled, it has more vitamin C than an orange– an immune system booster and as much calcium as a glass of milk-stronger bones. It is also very rich in vitamins A-healthy eyes and K-blood clotting.
13. Stevia:
While technically not considered food, the stevia sweetener deserves a mention here because it is an all-natural sugar substitute that not only is 200-300 times sweeter than sugar, but also has zero calories and a glycemic index of zero. Diabetes and stevia are sworn enemies and therefore, it is a popular and healthy alternative for those suffering from the disease!
14. Spirulina:
Spirulina is a spiral shaped algae first found in natural alkaline lakes of South America and Africa. It is a completely natural and a highly nutritious micro salt water plant that is currently quite hot for its therapeutic applications. It has already been proven that it can be quite beneficial for your body. And as a consumer it is not unusual for you to wonder whether there are bad spirulina side effects or not, even though it has been praised as the best superfood so many times due to its high antioxidant content.
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