Glycemic Index of cereals

For many people, it is very important to determine the Glycemic Index of cereals. Cereals form a very large part of people's diet. Many people, for instance, like having cereals for breakfast - as a matter of fact, they may eat cereals practically all the time in the mornings, thus making it important to determine the Glycemic Index or GI of the cereals they consume. However, one should realize something important - namely, that the term "cereal" applies only to breakfast cereals such as oats in common usage. In reality, it covers a great many other foodstuffs, the consumption of many of which is not strictly limited to morning hours. And in addition, in many countries, cereals make up the majority of the food that is eaten (which may not be the case in Western nations, where consumption is more varied). So it really is exceedingly important to learn more about how healthy these foodstuffs are and what their effect on the body is.

But first a brief backgrounder on cereals. They are the edible parts of the seeds of certain types of grasses, and due to the fact that they make up a considerable part of the diet of mankind nowadays, are considered a staple crop. Cereals can be eaten either raw (unprocessed), or can be processed or refined. When raw, known as "whole grains", they can be extremely nutritive and can supply such nutrients as proteins, minerals, vitamins, fats, and of course carbohydrates. But after processing many of these nutrients are lost and what is left supplies mostly carbohydrates, which is why for the most part cereals are best eaten with protein-rich foods to round out a meal. Popular kinds of cereal include corn or maize, rice, oats, wheat, millet, barley; there are plenty of less-popular and/or less well-known kinds of cereal, such as wild rice, durum wheat (used in semolina flour, which is itself used to make pasta), teff, which is a tiny grain popular in Ethiopia but almost unknown everywhere else, and quinoa.

If you need to determine the GI of your favorite kind of cereal and/or any other sorts that you may be considering eating, you need to realize two things first. One, that a high GI is not necessarily a sign that a foodstuff is particularly bad; many high GI foodstuffs are actually rich in nutrients and can greatly contribute to health if eaten. Secondly, a low GI doesn't also mean that a foodstuff is automatically good for you. Many low GI foods are laden with cholesterol and fat, so even if they do not raise your blood sugar all that much, they can still be bad for you.

With that in mind, let's now look at the GI figures of some kinds of cereal and cereal products. Corn flakes is high at 92; Rice Krispies at 82; and Bran Flakes at 74. Special K is 69; and Raisin Bran 61. Toasted muesli is 43 and oat bran 55. Baked and cooked goods like pancakes and muffins range between 55 and 80; white bread between 70 and 73. Rice varies wildly, between 50 to 93 depending on the type; boiled cornmeal, 69; processed wheat as high as 69; and oatmeal, 58.



Sabrina Rocca
Author: Proven Weight Loss with the Glycemic Index
For more information on weight loss using the glycemic index, visit http://www.glycemic-index.ca. Sign up for your FREE newsletter and receive the following bonuses: "How to Kick Bad Habits out of Your Life", a 10-day course on the glycemic index and access to glycemic index articles, ressources and much, much more.