We have learned that the glycemic index is a tool that measures the speed of a specific food into the bloodstream to create insulin. The faster the speed of entry into the bloodstream, the more insulin is secreted and vice versa. Along with a myriad of health problems caused by an over-secretion of insulin, simply ingesting a lot of food quickly will trigger the extra storage of fat. In a nutshell, extra insulin equals extra fat. Perhaps, without realizing it, your parents had a good reason for telling you to "slow down and chew your food slowly." In other words, eating should never be a race against time.

Meats and poultry have not received as much research as it relates to the glycemic chart - actually glycemic Index rates carbohydrates so true meats will have little or no carbs and thus are generally omitted from the chart. This does not mean eat all meats and poultry; fat-free lean meats and skinless poultry are acceptable.

While GI charts are numerous in the search engines, they are all lengthy and vary in their information; some have the low vs. high labels, while others have the numeric label of each food item. Some break the categories down in foods like breads, veggies, etc. In one of my articles on this subject I covered the "Choose vs. Refuse" setup without giving the numeric counts because many fall in the "maybe" category - depending on how it's cooked and the physical makeup of the individual.

Generally speaking, the less processed the food, the lower its GI value. Whole grain products like pasta, rice or breads score low on the GI index while the white product sores high and should be avoided. Because research shows that individuals who eat many high GI foods are more than likely to develop diabetes - why would you continue to do so?

High insulin demand will eventually exhaust the pancreas - a direct route to diabetes. Heart related problems are also a consideration; high blood pressure, increased blood triglycerides, lower HDL (good cholesterol) and a greater tendency for blood-clot formation.

There is reason to celebrate the proven fact that lower GI intake aids weight control. A simple example is teenagers who eat a low-GI breakfast were less hungry and ate 45% fewer calories during the day than they did after eating a high-GI breakfast. This is a remarkable finding, and so simple for us moms to manage.