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How knowing your carbs can help you manage diabetes

By Laura A. Magnifico

Choosing the healthiest carbohydrates as part of a balanced meal plan is an essential part of diabetes management. Once you understand a bit more about the types of carbs you may be eating, you may want to consider their glycemic index (GI). This is one measure people with diabetes may use to help them find the best carb options. Here's a quick course in carbs — and how GI values can help you choose healthful carbs and better stabilize your blood sugar levels. 

Some carbs break down faster than others, having a speedier effect on blood glucose. So-called “simple” carbs are made of sugars. Some sugars are naturally found in fruit and milk products, but most are added to foods (called “added sugar”), such as baked goods. The body rapidly breaks down the simple chemical structure of these carbs, resulting in a spike in your blood glucose. Complex carbs, on the other hand, have more complicated chemical structures. They are mostly fiber and starches, which take longer to digest, resulting in a steadier, more gradual rise in blood glucose.

That’s where GI comes in: it’s a rating assigned to carbohydrates, from 0 to 100, that tells how fast they raise blood glucose levels after they’re eaten. As Amber Taylor, MD, director of the diabetes center at Mercy Medical Center in Baltimore explains, “it is a way of determining how your body will respond to carbohydrates. Some foods will cause the blood sugar to rise rapidly, others cause a more gradual rise.” 

The higher the GI number a food is assigned, the faster it’s digested and converted into glucose, resulting in undesired blood sugar spikes. In general, “when choosing carbohydrates, the lower GI foods are better,” Taylor notes. Here are some examples:

GI can be most helpful for snacks, which are typically eaten on their own, making it easier to tell by the GI value how that food will affect your blood sugar. But, remember, GI isn't the only indicator to use when choosing foods. For example, fruits tend to have high GI, but are still nutritious — and necessary — additions to your diet. And portion sizes and total carbohydrates matter, too, Taylor says.

Also, not all foods have a GI value. A food has to be tested to get one. And if something doesn't contain carbohydrates (such as beef or tea), it won't have a GI value. The University of Sydney in Australia maintains a glycemic index database that can be convenient for researching your favorite foods. 

Finding the balance between fueling your body and maintaining stable glucose levels can be tricky — but it's not impossible. By becoming more informed about concepts like the glycemic index, you're taking a significant step toward that balance. 

Published on March 12, 2015. Updated on February 18, 2016.

Laura A. Magnifico is a freelance writer living in Stamford, CT. 

Additional reporting by Paula Ford-Martin.