Low glycemic recipes are ever a lot more popular these days due to the continued epidemic of obesity around the world, particularly in the United States. That’s simply because low glycemic foods do not affect blood sugar levels as wildly as high glycemic foods so, and so do not elevate insulin levels, which in turn encourages the human body to store significantly more fat. low glycemic meals also give individuals that drowsy after-dinner feeling, which is particularly inconvenient right after lunch when you have to get back to work!

As can well be imagined, a low glycemic recipe revolves around low glycemic foods. Such meals include those with complex carbohyrdates like rye and whole wheat breads, and, interestingly, pasta – but not rice, neither brown nor white (contrary to popular belief, brown rice does not have a lower glycemic index than white rice). Proper low glycemic recipes should also encourage proper cooking techniques. Cooking the low glycemic way means not overcooking rice, for example, which would lead to an even higher glycemic response in blood sugar levels!

Indeed, there are lots of variables that determine the glycemic index, from the time of harvest and any processing it’s undergone to the age of the specific food and its specific nutritional profile. But the nature of the food itself is the primary factor, in particular its amount of amylose. Amylose is a plant sugar and as such is harder for the human digestive system to handle, resulting in slower digestion that does not flood the bloodstream, causing an insulin spike. Meals high in amylose are foods low on the glycemic index!

But it’s all much more complicated than this introduction can even begin to cover. As an example, did you know that the same person could have different blood sugar responses towards the same meal on different days? Interested readers are urged to do a lot more research, including consultations with the relevant licensed and/or otherwise qualified professionals!