The short answer is no. Carbohydrates are complex micronutrients that can impact the way the body digests them, depending on how they are constructed. Lucky for us there are doctors and scientists studying foods to understand how our bodies react to foods and documenting if it is low or high on the glycemic index scale. If you focus on a “slow-carb” diet then you will want to eat foods that have a low glycemic index.
A slow-carb or low glycemic diet is good because the foods you eat won’t cause wild swings in your blood sugar but "will cause a slower and lower rise in your blood sugar," says Alexander Williams, MD in this article on Cleveland Clinic's website. He goes on to say, “Foods with a high glycemic index, or simple sugars, give you this quick burst of energy with a rise in blood sugar quickly. But then you’ll tend to feel pretty tired afterward and will get hungry quickly.”
The glycemic index of a food is found by doctors and scientists who observe a healthy person's blood sugar level after ingesting carbohydrate foods. They measure the blood sugar level, comparing it to a baseline. The food will fall somewhere on a scale of 0 to 100 where 100 = pure sugar and 0 = no sugar at all.
“Essentially, the glycemic index is trying to show that not everything that contains the exact same amount of grams of carbs will behave the same way in your body,” says Dr. Williams. “You actually measure how your body responds to a cup of orange juice versus how it reacts to other food items: a banana, 25 grams of candy, or 25 grams of whole-grain bread.”
Not every single food has been studied, but a great number of foods have and the glycemic index continues to grow so that people can follow a slow-carb diet. Bookmark our glycemic index food list for an easy way to reference your food choices and shop our products for delicious low-glycemic options.