You must be wondering, what is the GI way? Basically, GI ie Glycemic Index, is a tool that ranks carbs depending on how quickly they lead to an increase in our blood glucose level. First lets talk about blood glucose and its purpose. The blood glucose level measures how much sugar is being transported by the bloodstream to all the cells of the body. This sugar is being carried for energy supply, ie when carbohydrates are converted into glucose and then used as energy.
The carbs that rapidly increase the blood sugar level are considered dangerous for our health as consuming them in large amounts can lead to number of diseases like obesity, diabetes etc. This is because as blood sugar levels get higher and higher, they lead to inflammation in the blood vessels which causes clogging.
It is very important to chose those carbs which cause a low, slow and steady increase in our blood glucose level, as opposed to those which will cause a sudden insulin spike! These carbs are nothing fancy, they’re just what we call GOOD CARBS from a nutritional point of view.
We need to carefully choose these carbs in order to have optimal health. Here are some examples of good carbs:
- Whole grains: ragi, whole wheat flour, bajra, brown rice, jowar etc.
- Leafy vegetables: spinach, methi leaves etc.
- Lentils: dals & legumes.
Eating the GI way has been a blessing to those who are on weight loss regime, and especially to those suffering from diabetes or any heart related diseases. So if you fall in any of the above categories, its time to start thinking the GI way!