… or at least the concept behind the gylcemic index … I know some of the actual measures for specific foods can be quite variable.
As is often the case with me, my story concerns oatmeal. I just bought oat groats (whole oats) from Amazon because I can’t find it at any stores around here. I try to eat them because they have a lower glycemic index than steel cut oats or rolled oats (I think rolled oats are probably the worst in terms of glycemic index).
Anyway, I can eat a bowl of oat groats, along w brown sugar, bananas and nuts, and whole milk, and, with a bolus, have a much milder increase in blood sugar than I would get using steel cut oats.
That’s the idea behind the glycemic index - that certain foods get converted to glucose faster or slower. You can look up glycemic index numbers easily on the internet, and while they may not be 100% reliable they give you a general idea.
I hope I got the explanation more or less right.
I don’t always follow the glycemic index, but find it to be a useful explainer for blood sugar levels.