The Glycemic Index is a tool that helps you to choose the right type of carbohydrate.
The Glycemic Index or GI is the measure of carbohydrate quality and the effect this has on your blood sugar levels.
The index has a scale of 0 to 100, which reflects how fast the carbohydrates in the foods you eat hit your bloodstream.
A low GI food contains carbohydrate of 55 or less which has less effect on your blood glucose levels and a high GI food contains carbohydrate of 70 or more which has a greater effect on your blood sugar levels.
The most important aspect to remember is that the GI compares foods not by per 100 grams of food, but by per gram of carbohydrate.
Low GI foods help to control blood glucose levels by slow digestion and by the gradual increase and decrease in the blood glucose response after eating.
The health of your heart improves with lower glucose levels throughout the course of the day.
High insulin levels result from eating high GI carbohydrate foods and these promote high blood fats and also high blood pressure, which increases your risk of a heart attack.
Following are a few tips on making sure that you are eating enough carbohydrate as well as the right carbohydrate:

• Add at least one low GI food to each meal
• Eat lots of vegetables, try to add vegetables to your meals twice a day
• Eat fruit at least twice a day

By substituting high GI foods with low GI foods you will see amazing results and feel the benefits, a few examples of foods you can substitute are: High GI food - Low GI food Potato - Sweet potato, yams, chestnuts or taro Sugar - Lower the quantity and consider fructose as an alternative sweetener Lollies - Nuts, dried apricots as well as other dried fruits and sultanas Cakes and Pastries - Fruit loaf, raisin toast, and fruit buns (try choosing the wholegrain Varieties) Breakfast Cereals - Rolled oats, muesli and brands that display the GI symbol Following are a few tips for a healthy low GI diet that can be easily adapted:

• Eat on a regular basis, try to eat at the same time each day
• Try eating at least seven servings of fruit and vegetables each day
• Add legumes to your diet, these can include beans, lentils and chickpeas
• Add low fat dairy foods to your diet, soy products that are calcium enriched are beneficial
• Add a low GI version of breads and cereals to your diet
• Add nuts on a regular basis
• Add omega-3 fats to your diet which include fish and seafood
• Make sure you choose meat that is lean
• Reduce your salt intake, and
• Limit the amount of alcohol you drink

It may seem overwhelming at first, but once you get into the habit of incorporating these tips into your daily diet, you can see the benefits on how a low GI diet can help to reverse diabetes and allow you to achieve optimum health.