What are the effects of fibers on blood sugar and glycemic index?

The glycemic index, which measures how fast the glucose is spiked in your blood. The second is the glycemic load, which is a measure of the quantity of carbohydrates in a particular food item. And it’s offset by fiber; so, if a certain food contains carbohydrates but most of it is fiber, that food would be on the low side.

Let’s compare a carrot and a potato. The glycemic index of a carrot is 72, which is fairly high. A potato has a glycemic index of 60 to 110. It’s potentially lower than a carrot if the potato is boiled. But if you further mash it or otherwise break it down, the potato’s score will go higher. The glycemic load of a boiled potato is 31, which is high. Anything over 20 is high. A carrot’s glycemic load is 3, which is very low. (Anything below 10 is low.) The potato has ten times the glycemic load, because of the fiber content of the carrot, which puts its load so low.

Carrots are much safer! When you read food labels, be sure to check the sugar content along with the carb content. If the sugar content is low, chances are that food has a low glycemic load. When you eat food with a low glycemic load, it’s often due to its fiber content, and it won’t cause your blood sugar to spike.