Low GI Diabetic Rice

Diabetes Mellitus (DM) is one of the degenerative diseases which its prevalence continues to increase. Now Bangladesh ranked 10th in the world as a country with over 7 (seven) million diabetic patients and a growth of 5% - 6 % per year. The alarming fact is that over half the number of patients is still undiagnosed, though the disease can be controlled in around 70 per cent of the cases. Strict diet is often done to control blood glucose levels by reducing and even avoiding rice consumption because rice is considered as hyperglycemic food (can raise blood glucose level quickly) and replacing it with tubers. Whereas rice has a range of Glycemic Index value (GI), from low to high GI depending on the species and varieties. Rices that raise blood glucose level quickly have high GI levels, whereas with low GI will raise blood glucose levels slowly.

Glycemic Index (GI)
The number listed next to each food is its glycemic index. This is a value obtained by monitoring a person’s blood sugar after eating the food. The value can vary slightly from person to person and from one type or brand of food and another. A noticeable difference is the GI rating of Special-K which produced considerably different results in tests in the US and Australia, most likely resulting from different ingredients in each location. Despite this slight variation, the index provides a good guide to which foods you should be eating and which foods to avoid.

The glycemic index range is as follows:
|Low GI = 55 or less |
|Medium GI = 56 - 69 |
|High GI = 70 or more |

The glycemic index was researched by Sydney University in conjunction with the CSIRO, based on original research by the University of Toronto, Canada. Sydney University’s great glycemic index website is here http://www.glycemicindex.com/.

Choosing low GI carbs - the