You may have glanced through the charts and tables and made some adjustments to your diet. But did you know that your food preparation methods may be affecting the glycemic index of the food you eat? The more your food is modified, the higher its glycemic index will be.
In the extreme case, imagine that you are eating a handful of wheat heads directly from the field. Probably not pleasant, but you could if you wanted to. Now imagine eating a tablespoon of flour. The very act of turning the wheat into the soft, fine flour removes almost all of the fiber, and the flour will raise your blood sugar much faster than the handful of natural wheat will.
In the same way, although to a lesser degree, grinding and cooking our food raises its glycemic index.
Some examples of ways to maximize the fiber in your foods and keep the glycemic index as low as possible:
- When you cook pasta, cook it for the minimum possible time. It should still be firm, not mushy.
- When preparing vegetables or fruit, use the skin or peel if you can.
- When possible, eat your vegetables raw (lots of salads).
- When cooking vegetables, allow them to retain a little of their crunch—imagine the best stir fry you have ever eaten—and you will keep some their fiber, too.
Although the carbohydrates you eat have each been assigned a number on the glycemic index, remember that you have some control over just how quickly or how slowly they turn into sugar in your body.
