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Simple Carbohydrate - (less than 30 minutes).

Simple carbs (excepting fruit sugar) are more easily converted into glucose because their molecular structure breaks down faster in the stomach and small intestine. Therefore these carbs raise glucose levels in the bloodstream quite rapidly (less than 30 minutes). This explains why diabetics, who occasionally suffer from an excessively low blood-glucose level, can quickly restore their balance by eating simple carb-foods, like sweets.


Complex Carbohydrate - (up to 2 hours).

Complex carbs, like starches, take longer to be converted into glucose because their molecular structure is much more complicated and usually (not always) requires quite a bit more time to metabolize into glucose (up to 2 hours).


Use the Glycemic Index
For a quick and convenient way to find out how fast your blood-glucose levels rise after you eat different carbohydrate-containing foods, use the Glycemic Index (GI)[ http://www.annecollins.com/gi-guide.htm ]. This index classifies foods into high, intermediate or low GI foods, according to how fast their carbohydrate is converted into glucose and thus how quickly the particular food raises our blood-glucose levels. As we shall see, glycemic value is an important factor in determining insulin levels and sensitivity.



http://www.annecollins.com/how-carbs-affect-blood-sugar.htm