George: Why is the glycemic index important? 

Megan: The glycemic index (GI)  is a number that informs us of how fast the body digests certain foods and converts them into sugar (glucose). Numbers can range from 0 to 100. A GI of 55 and under is considered low, mid-range is 56 to 69, and high is 70 or more. GI number largely depends on the type of carbohydrate the food is. Lower GI numbers mean the food affects your blood sugar level less. This is very important for managing sugar in the body, so someone who has diabetes would definitely want to be aware of their food selections considering their GI numbers. For example. low GI foods would be nuts and vegetables. High GI foods would be something like white bread or candy. You might even think of it as overall, processed foods have higher GI numbers. We really should think about how food affects our body and health. Unfortunately, this information is not included on nutrition labels.  

If you have a question for Dr. FIT, email her at everybodysfit@gmail.com and be sure to check out her website: Every BODY’s Fit – Exercise is Medicine by ACSM (everybodysfitoceanside.com)as well as the rest of her resources: