Learn about Foods that Raise Blood Sugar

If you have diabetes or any other metabolic disorder, you need to know how to control your blood sugar levels. There are foods that increase blood sugar levels and there are others that decrease it. Also, if you want to fight obesity, control your body weight, or your body weight composition (fat/protein), you will need to understand how different foods affect the level of sugar in your blood. The basic components of the food (carbohydrates, fat, and protein) have a net effect on your blood sugar levels. Let’s examine the effects of each component.

Effects of Carbohydrates, Fat, and Protein on Blood Sugar

Carbohydrates are present in starchy and sweet foods (bread, cereal, potatoes, corn, rice, pasta, fruit, milk, yogurt, and candies). Carbs have a significant effect on blood sugar levels.

Proteins have a very small effect on blood sugar concentration. Food rich in proteins are generally of animal origin (meat, chicken, turkey, dairy products) but beans and nuts also have significant quantities of proteins.

The effect of fat on blood sugar levels is indirect. They can slow down the digestion, thus decreasing the blood sugar level immediately after meals. However, blood sugar levels will increase as the stomach empties. Think of fat as regulators of blood sugar levels over time. While carbs produce a fast increase of blood glucose, fat does it slowly.

Foods that Raise Blood Sugar

In nutrition there is one term called glycemic index. Basically, the glycemic index is a number that denotes of how fast a food increases your blood glucose levels. The highest the glycemic index, the highest the rise in blood sugar. Foods with a low glycemic index have a more gradual effect on blood sugar. You can think of high glycemic index foods as “foods that raise blood sugar” What are some of these foods?

Candies. Candies are pure sugar. They raise blood sugar the most. After a few minutes of eating candy, blood sugar levels soar and all the metabolism is geared toward using that sugar. If you need stable blood sugar levels you can not eat candies.

Cereals (wheat, corn, rice, etc) and cereal products (pasta, bread, rolls, etc). Cereal and cereal products are full of starch, a sugar rich molecule. After eating any cereal, your blood sugar experiences a rapid increase in glucose concentration. The increase is faster as the cereal is more refined. That is, white floury cereal products increase your blood sugar levels the most. If you eat more unrefined cereal products, the rise in blood sugar is more progressive. This is because less refined cereal products contain more fiber which is indigestible and thus do not raise blood sugar.

Fruits and vegetables. There are fruits and vegetables with high glycemic indexes and fruits and vegetable with low glycemic indexes. Cherries, apricots, apples and pears have low glycemic indexes. Pineapple and watermelon have high glycemic indexes.

References

Bell SJ and Sears B. (2003). Low-glycemic-load diets: impact on obesity and chronic diseases. Critical Review in Food Science and Nutrition. 43(4):357-77.

Foster-Powell, K. et al. (2002). International table of glycemic index and glycemic load value: 2002. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 76:1, 5-56.

The Healthiest Diet in the World, By Goldbeck N, Goldbeck D. (2001). Penguin-Putman: NY, USA.

Glycemic Index Food Chart available at https://www.southbeach-diet-plan.com/glycemicfoodchart.htm.