When cooking changes everything: why overcooked foods become more glycemic

Understanding diabetes: when overcooked foods become more glycemic

🍽️ Did you know that cooking affects your blood sugar?

We often talk about sugar, but we forget that cooking also plays a major role in regulating blood sugar levels.
The same food can have a very different glycemic index (GI) depending on the cooking time and method .

What is the glycemic index?

The glycemic index (GI) indicates how quickly a food raises blood sugar levels.

• Low GI → slow release of sugar.
• High GI → rapid rise in blood sugar.

For people with diabetes or those sensitive to blood sugar fluctuations, choosing low GI foods helps maintain stable blood sugar levels.

Why does cooking change everything?

When a food rich in starch (rice, pasta, potatoes…) is cooked for too long, the structure of the starch changes .
It becomes easier to digest… but also faster to convert into glucose.
Result: a faster rise in blood sugar .

Examples:

• Al dente rice: GI ≈ 50
• Well-cooked rice: GI ≈ 70
• Pasta cooked al dente: GI ≈ 45
• Very soft pasta: GI ≈ 65

Good reflexes

• 🍝 Cook al dente rather than for too long.
• 🥗 Prepare cold starchy salads (pasta, potatoes, rice): cooling forms resistant starch , which lowers the GI.
• 🥦 Always combine carbohydrates with fiber, protein or good fats (olive oil, vegetables, fish, egg…).