Low Glycemic Index Diet - Essay Example

?Glycemic Index Glycemic Index is the numeric scale which is used to indicate how high and how fast a particular food can raise our blood glucose level. It is mostly used in case of diabetes patients who needs to analyze the blood glucose level regularly. The GI affects blood glucose level. A low GI diet is high in fiber and protein and has shown benefits to diabetes patients to control blood sugar levels. According to Miles ( 2008,pg1-2)“The ADA's position statement on nutrition concluded that the use of GI and GL may have a modestly greater benefit in controlling diabetes than is observed when total carbohydrate is considered alone”. Low GI diet has proven to effective in many studies as they have less carbohydrate and sugar density food. The Low GI diet recommends on eating healthy carbohydrate which is essential for the health of a diabetes patient. Studies have shown that following a low GI diet with less carbohydrate and sugar dense food have considerably reduced blood sugar levels. Low GI diet emphasize more on vegetables, fruits, nuts and legumes which have significant impact in maintaining blood sugar levels.GI diet contains food that release sugar slowly into body which will not dramatically increase blood sugar level. Low GI foods have a score lesser than 55.Low GI foods have smaller portion of food with all nutrients comprised in it and is found highly effective in controlling and diabetes. As far as possible the blood sugar level should be kept as normal as possible. The healthy range of blood glucose level is 90 and 130 mg/dl before meals and less than 180 mg/dl after meals. Regulating blood glucose is important in ill health like diabetes and infections because it can put the health of a person in danger. The diabetic people are highly sensitive to sugar and always need to keep their blood sugar level in balance. If the glucose in the blood remains high for a longer period it can have serious consequences on the health of a person. According to Kenny(2013) “If your blood glucose level is higher than normal over a long period of time, it can gradually damage your blood vessels”. People with diseases like obesity, cardiovascular problems and in pregnancy condition should regulate blood sugar levels as they are in a sensitive health condition. The problem of not regulating is that it can lead to hypoglycemia where the sugar levels of the blood drop below normal. This is a serious condition where a person can fall to dangerous health situation which can even be fatal. Also a low blood sugar level is not healthy as it can give way to shivering, headache, anxiety, dizziness and impaired vision. As per ADA (2013) “The only sure way to know whether you are experiencing hypoglycemia is to check your blood glucose, if possible.Severe hypoglycemia has the potential to cause accidents, injuries, coma, and death” Especially in case of diabetes, regulating blood sugar level is highly important. A person with diabetes can decrease their blood sugar by decreased GI diet. A decreased GI diet means a food plan which consists of food that has less carbohydrate and sugar. The white foods are known to be high in carbohydrate and sugar content. The example are foods like white rice, potato, sugar. Some other processed foods like cookies, cakes, Jams and soft drink are definitely foods that diabetes patients should avoid. Usually a person with diabetes needs to follow a diet with fiber content like vegetables, fruits and cereals. However, a GI diet is ideal for a person who wants to manage diabetes. As per Mayo Clinic (2012) “The glycolic index diet is not a true low-carbohydrate diet because you don't have to count carbohydrates. Nor is it a low-fat diet. It also doesn't require you to reduce portion sizes or count calories. But the glycemic index diet does steer you toward certain types of carbs”. A GI diet can be a low GI diet or High GI diet as it depends on the need of the patient. As per (Miller,2003,pg2261-2267)“The low-GI diets were defined as those containing most carbohydrates from low-GI sources, such as beans, peas, lentils, pasta, pumpernickel bread, bulgur, parboiled rice, barley, and oats. High-GI diets were essentially standard diabetic diets and contained potato, wheat meal and white bread, and high-GI varieties of breakfast cereals and rice”. When the patient follows a HGI diet were he can get all the required protein, carbohydrate, nutrients and minerals then he can regulate his diabetes in an ideal manner. Usually people with diabetes need to follow GI diet to maintain their blood glucose. The diabetes condition is also are of two types which is Type 1 diabetes and type 2 diabetes. Type 1diabetes is also called juvenile onset diabetes. In this the immune system of the body attacks the cells which produce insulin. Basically, the type 1 diabetes patients produce little or no insulin. It can be seen in any age but usually children are seen to be affected by it. These people need insulin injected to their body everybody and if they lack access to insulin they will die. According to Achenbach( 2005,pg25-31)“Type 1 diabetes is a chronic inflammatory disease caused by a selective destruction of the insulin-producing ?-cells in the islets of Langerhans”. Type 2diabetes is a condition is an adult – onset diabetes and 90 % of diabetes patient fall into this category. It is an insulin deficiency condition and the patients can control the disease by exercise and food control. Mainly obese and overweight people both fall prey to Type 2 diabetes. The GI diet can be confusing to be followed by own and it need a guidance from a doctor or nutritional expert. However the basic principle of GI diet can help this patient to control their blood sugar. However, the GI diet has been more effective on Type 2 diabetes patients who can control their disease with diet and exercise. According to Klodas (2008) “People with type 2 diabetes who ate what is known as a low-glycemic-index diet for six months had greater blood sugar control and fewer heart disease risk factors than those who followed another eating plan”. Another disease which is closely related to diabetes mellitus is metabolic syndrome. A person who has metabolic syndrome has high chance of getting diabetes and stroke. In his book Byrne(2011,Pg.8)“Among people with diabetes, hypertension or coronary heart disease the prevalence of the metabolic syndrome is considered high than among other population”. In metabolic syndrome there is insulin resistance and such people may be benefited from GI diet. Since GI diet helps in controlling blood sugar level people with metabolic syndrome need to follow a less carbohydrate containing food. However, the GI diet needs to be chosen carefully to fit into the medical condition of the patients GI diet is an important food plan which can help people having blood sugar problems as it focuses on good carbohydrate and eliminate bad carbohydrate. People need carbohydrate for health functioning of body and completely avoiding carbohydrate can result in other health problems. Most of the disease is brought to us by the food we eat. If we manage to consume a balanced nutritious diet along with proper exercise many disease can prevented or controlled. In real sense, food itself is the medicine to illness. Apart from controlling blood sugar, the GI diet is also a popular tool to reduce weight which is needed in diabetes patients. Bibliography Achenbach,P. 2005. Natural History of Type 1 Diabetes. American Diabetes Association, 54/2, 25-31. ADA. 2013. Hypoglycemia. [ONLINE] Available at: . [Accessed 27 November 13]. Byrne, C.D, 2011. The Metabolic Syndrome. 2nd ed. Oxford: Blackwell Publishing Ltd.. Klodas,E. 2008. Low-Glycemic Index Diet for Diabetes. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.harvardgenerator.com/references/website. [Accessed 27 November 13]. Kenny,T. 2013. Type 2 Diabetes. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.patient.co.uk/health/type-2-diabetes. [Accessed 27 November 13]. Miles, J.M, 2008. A role for the glycemic index in preventing or treating diabetes?1,2 John M Miles. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 87/1, 1-2. Miller, J.B, 2003. Low–Glycemic Index Diets in the Management of Diabetes. Diabetes Care, 26/8, 2261-2267. Mayoclinic. 2013. Glycemic index diet: What's behind the claims. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/glycemic-index-diet/MY00770. [Accessed 27 November 13]. Read More