Page 65 - FoodFocusThailand No.162 September 2019

SOMETH
SOMETHING ABOUT FOODING ABOUT FOOD

Glycemic

Index in Foods

Carbohydrate is one source that provides
essential energy to humans. Flour and starch
are considered a kind of carbohydrate that
when consumed, human digestive system will
digest starch and turn it into glucose in the
bloodstream. Therefore, consuming a large
quantity of food that is high-carb or contains
a lot of starch could spike a blood sugar level
suddenly and be a cause of type 2 diabetes.

Glycemic Index (GI) is an index that assesses the quality
of carbohydrate food. After carbohydrate food is consumed
into the digestive system, its ability to increase the blood
sugar level can be assessed in comparison with a standard
example, which is glucose or white bread (Jerkins et al,
1981). Food with high glycemic index is food that can be
quickly and easily digested by enzymes in the digestive
system which then causes the blood sugar spike.
Conversely, food with low glycemic index can be digested
slowly which causes a slow and constant rise in the blood
sugar level. Low glycemic index food contains the same
diet energy as usual. It is not the reduced-energy food.
Generally, carbohydrate food is divided into three
groups according to their glycemic index. The first group is
a high glycemic index food (GI ≥ 70), such as white bread,
fried potato, and ice-cream. The second group is a medium
glycemic index food (GI = 56-69), such as brown rice,

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