The Glycemic Index

The Glycemic Index (GI) is a tool for measuring the speed at which food converts to blood sugar once consumed; the higher the GI, the higher the spike in your blood sugar.

Foods with a high GI contain carbs that digest quickly (net carbs), which the produce a rapid and large rise and fall in the level of blood glucose.  While foods with a low GI contain slowly digested carbs, producing a gradual, low rise in blood glucose levels.

For a healthier diet, cut out foods with a high GI and eat more low GI foods.  

All Extend Nutriton products are made with a unique low glycemic formula.

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Extend Nutrition products fit perfectly into a low glycemic diet.

The unique, patented formula in our Extend Nutrition products was tested at Sydney University and, depending on the flavor, has a Glycemic Index ranging from 32-41.  

All Extend Nutriton products are Low Glycemic.  They are individually packaged and super conveinet to keep on hand for anytime that hunger strikes.

To help you further, here is a low glycemic food list:

We list many common food groups and also show foods with a medium and high glycemic Index, for comparison.

Food Group	Low GI (0-55)	Medium GI (56-69)	High GI (70+)
Breads	9 grain multigrain Oat bran and honey Seeded rye Sourdough	Stone ground whole wheat Pita bread Raisin bread Light rye, no seeds	White bread Whole wheat, from flour Plain white bagel Dinner roll
Cereals	All bran Muesli Frosted Flakes Oat bran Semolina/wheat hot cereal	Special K Nutrigrain Old fashioned oatmeal Granola clusters	Instant oatmeal Bran flakes Puffed rice or wheat Raisin bran Shredded wheat Corn pops
Rice	Long grain, white Uncle Ben’s converted white	Basmati, white Risotto, white Brown rice Wild rice	Instant rice, white Quick cooking brown Jasmine Sticky rice, white
Fruit	Citrus fruits Prunes, Dates, Apples, Bananas, Berries, Grapes, Kiwi, Peaches, Pears, Plums	Cherries Cantaloupe Pineapple Dried cranberries Raisins, Figs	Watermelon
Vegetables	Most vegetables have little to no carbs, so the GI is zero.   Yams, Sweet Potato Carrots, Corn, Peas	Beets	White/New Potato (boiled, baked, mashed) Fava beans Parsnips
Dairy	Cheese Yogurt Milk (whole, 2%, fat-free) Ice cream, Frozen yogurt	Condensed whole milk
Sweeteners	Fructose Pure floral honey	Refined sugar Honey, commercial blend Maple syrup	Glucose

A simple approach – incorporate Extend Bars and Shakes into your low glycemic diet.  

You already know that the entire line of Extend Nutrition products have a low GI and fit perfectly into your low GI diet. So how do you pick other foods to find the right balance of short acting and long acting carbs?  

It can be a hassle to look up GI numbers for each and every food you eat, so here are a handful of simple tips to help steer you toward foods with a lower GI.

Cook less– Cooking makes the carbohydrates in fruits, vegetable and grains easier to digest and raises the GI. So, opt for the uncooked or less-cooked version. Munch on raw or slightly cooked vegetables, instead of fully cooked. Eat your pasta and oatmeal al dente.

Eat whole grains and beans– When you eat grains and beans still in “nature’s packaging” – whole and intact and softened by soaking and cooking - the fibrous coat around them acts as a physical barrier, slowing down digestion.

Look for baked goods made from course flour– Grinding and milling grains breaks the carbohydrates into smaller pieces, making them faster to digest. The smaller the particle size, the higher the GI, which is why many foods made from fine flour have a high GI value. So pick whole grain breads, cereals, and crackers instead of white or the more processed equivalents.

Include soluble fiber in every meal or snack – The soluble fiber found in fruits, vegetables, nuts and legumes (dried beans, peas and lentils) thickens the mixture of food entering the digestive tract and effectively slows down the digestion process. For this reason, foods high in soluble fiber not only have a low GI themselves, but can help to lower the GI of an entire meal.

Eat a piece of fresh fruit instead of drinking fruit juice or eating fruit jellies/jams, to retain as much soluble fiber as possible.

Up the acidity of your meals with vinegar or lemon juice – Acids in foods have been shown to slow down digestion. In several research studies over the last decade, both vinegar and lemon juice, in the form of salad dressing, lowered blood sugar by as much as 30 percent, when consumed with an average meal. So, use vinegar or lemon juice in salad dressing, sauces and marinades, or add several teaspoons of lemon juice to your water, to help lower the GI of your meal.

For the easiest Low Glycemic Snack, simply eat any Extend Nutrition product!