Refined rice and white flour have a high glycemic index. Here are six ways to deal with it!

The glycemic index reflects the speed and ability of a certain food to raise blood sugar. Foods with a high glycemic index can be quickly converted into glucose after entering the digestive tract and raise blood sugar.

There is no doubt that the consumption of foods with a high glycemic index is associated with the risk of type 2 diabetes, insulin resistance, and metabolic syndrome.

The latest analysis data from the PURE study published in the New England Journal of Medicine some time ago suggests that people who eat more "poor quality" foods with a high glycemic index have a 25% increased risk of death and major cardiovascular disease events.

What are foods with a high glycemic index? Recently, a Singaporean scholar published an article that listed the glycemic index of 940 foods (including single meals and mixed meals) in Eastern countries such as Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, India, China, Japan, and South Korea, including 145 foods from China.

A glycemic index of ≥70 is considered high, a glycemic index of 56–69 (inclusive) is considered medium, and a glycemic index of ≤55 is considered low, with the glycemic index of glucose being 100.

The article points out that in the Oriental diet which is mainly composed of refined rice and white flour, the staple foods are rice, bread, noodles, steamed buns, cakes and the like with a high glycemic index, which are rich in carbohydrates and have a high glycemic index.

The article offers six suggestions for lowering the glycemic index of carbohydrate-rich foods.

1 Add olive oil, peanut oil, butter, etc. to white bread or rice.

2 Add beans and high-fiber vegetables.

3 Choose parboiled rice instead of processed white rice.

4 Eat foods rich in protein such as meat, fish, eggs, etc. Protein will lower the glycemic index.

5. Add condiments such as cinnamon, vinegar, ginger, etc. that can lower blood sugar.

6 Replace refined flour with whole grains.

The article points out that these food ingredients and food combinations can be used to reduce the effect of refined rice and flour staples in raising blood sugar.

Source: Henry CJ, Quek RYC, Kaur B, Shyam S, Singh HKG. A glycaemic index compendium of non-western foods. Nutr Diabetes. 2021 Jan 6;11(1):2.

Reprint: Please indicate "China Circulation Magazine"