A glycemic index is a measure for food, between 1 and 100, that tells how much a person's blood sugar will raise after 2 hours of eating 50 grams of carbohydrate of that food. 

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A higher glycemic index = the higher the food will raise blood sugar

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Diet Tips:

• Emphasis on fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes and dairy over foods high in sugar, sodium, and fats.

• Eat food with a lower glycemic index instead of foods with a higher glycemic index (eg. brown rice instead of white rice or wheat bread instead of white bread).

• Fiber intake should be 14g/1000 kcal (about 25-38 grams per day)

• Limit sugar and sugary drinks (juice, soda, energy drinks, etc.)

• Sugar substitutes instead of using sugar can be helpful in controlling blood glucose levels as long as it doesn't cause more calories to be consumed.

• No specific diets.  Some suggestions for heart healthy diets or consistent carbohydrate diets and Myplate diet.

• Consistently taking the same amount of carbohydrates at a certain time may help with glycemic control.  Your doctor or nutritionist may suggest a limit to the carbohydrates/calories consumed in a day.

• Using the American Diabetes Association Food exchange system may help to determine serving size

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• Evert, A. B., Boucher, J. L., Cypress, M., Dunbar, S. A., Franz, M. J., Mayer-Davis, E. J., & ... Yancy Jr, W. S. (2013). Nutrition therapy recommendations for the management of adults with diabetes. Diabetes Care, 36(11), 3821-3842. doi:10.2337/dc13-2042

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• http://www.glycemicindex.com/about.php

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• http://care.diabetesjournals.org/content/36/11/3821.long

• https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24107659

• https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/educational/lose_wt/eat/fd_exch.htm

• http://glycemic.com/DiabeticExchange/The%20Diabetic%20Exchange%20List.pdf

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