Kids & Company Blog

What is the Glycemic Index?

Carbs can be a confusing topic. What are ‘good’ carbs versus ‘bad’ carbs and how much should we be eating? The glycemic index is a helpful tool that helps us classify carbs based on how they work in our bodies. Remember, not all carbs are created equal and its important to know the best sources for you and your family!

Carbohydrates that are consumed in the diet are made up of individual units of sugars grouped together. Sugars, and most importantly glucose is the best source of energy for our bodies and the ONLY source of energy for our brain. Without lots of great carbs in our diets we will be left feeling sluggish and lacking energy!

The glycemic index (GI) is a scale from 0-100 that measures how much a food raises your blood sugar. The best carbohydrates are those that raise our blood sugar slightly for a long period of time rather than those that make our blood sugar spike for a short time. We want the first type because we can get sustained energy rather than a quick burst or ‘sugar rush’ of energy. Low GI foods also help keep you feeling full for longer and help promote good health in many ways!

There are tons of great sources of low GI carbohydrates that your children enjoy from the Kidco Kitchen that you can prepare as a family! One great and healthy source of carbohydrates are legumes such as chickpeas, lentils, and kidney beans. Beanny Biryani is a delicious Kidco Kitchen recipe that uses lentils as its base! Another great group of low GI foods are whole grains! Your kiddies love the whole grains that we serve weekly such as barley and brown rice with our hot lunches! There are certain foods however, that should be eaten less often because they are considered high GI foods. Some of these foods include white pasta, white bread and white rice.

Try incorporating these low GI foods in your family meals and snacks more often than high GI foods. Notice the benefits of how these great foods promote good health and help sustain energy for whatever your day may bring!

From our kitchen to yours…… Enjoy!

Don’t forget to follow us on Twitter @kidcochildcare and on Instagram @cheflisaruscica!

Cheers,

Chef Lisa Ruscica

Chief Food Ambassador

Posted on: Wednesday November 22nd, 2017

Posted by: Lisa Ruscica