Food Groups and Glycemic Index
Food is any material eaten to supply nutrition to an organism. The word ‘food’ can also be used in a more restricted sense, referring to the products of food production. Generally, food is of plant, animal, or fungi origin, and consists of essential nutrients, including proteins, carbohydrates, vitamins, or minerals, which are essential for life. Plants secrete food through their leaves, stalks, roots, rhizomes and seeds. Animals secrete food through their saliva, urine, digestive tracts, and digestive tracts. Fungi secrete food by spores that live on plants, in leaves, in the stems and on the flowers of plants, and in soils.
The major categories of food are vegetable and animal, with the remaining categories being man-made and organic. Vegetable food comprises all those foods that are consumed directly by the plants and animals intended to feed them; these include: beans, peas, corn, cotton, lentils, millet, mung beans, squash, spinach, beans, potatoes, summer peas, triticale, kamut, halibut, salmon, trout, halibut, whitefish, tuna, mozzarella, cream cheese, dairy products (cheese, yoghurt, butter, cream, condensed milk, sour cream), honey, molasses, condiments (jellies, mayonnaise, salad dressings), alcoholic beverages, salt, herbs and spices, confectionery (candy, chocolate, mints, dried fruits), sweets, salt substitutes, tinned food products, and drugs. Animal food comprises those foods that are consumed by the animals intended to be eaten by humans; these include: eggs, milk, meat, fish, meats, dairy products, vegetables, legumes (peas, beans, cowpeas, buckwheat), fruits, vegetables, dairy products (cheese, yoghurt, butter, cream, condensed milk, sour cream), spices (hot and cold spices, garlic, cumin, black pepper), honey, jams, jellies, ice cream, processed foods, junk foods, ready mixes, tinned food products, snack foods, instant foods, processed cereals, dry foods, bread, pastas, noodles, rice, pasta dishes, pickles, curry, spicy foods, pickled food, mustard, dried fruits, vinegar, citrus juices, liqueurs, liqueur bottles.
Diabetic food groups consist of the simple sugars which are included in products like corn syrup, chocolate, candy bars, desserts, and chewing gum. Simple sugars can be bought from the market in the forms of honey, glucose, maple syrups, cane sugar, dextrose, corn starch, lactose, sucrose, orange juice, lemonade, jams, jellies, and fruit juices. These foods are low in glycemic index and are safe for diabetics. A diabetic should always choose the diabetic diet plan with the help of a diet chart.
Vegetarian food groups consist of all the food types that are required by the body in the process of feeding. It should be remembered that a vegetarian diet does not contain any dairy products or protein because all these ingredients are not required by the body in digesting them. All the food types that make up a vegetarian diet are rich in fibre and have a low glycemic index. The best thing about a vegetarian diet is that it helps to regulate the blood sugar and avoid diabetes complications.
There are two groups of nutrients that are included in a balanced diet. These two groups of nutrients include carbohydrate and protein. The first group consists of the complex carbohydrates, which are found in fruits and vegetables, whole grain breads, cereals, pasta, pulses, and nuts. They are easily absorbed by the body and release little by little, resulting in less food intake. The second group includes the animal foods, which make up the proteins like meat, poultry, fish, eggs, milk, and milk products.
