Dieters tend to avoid bacon and eggs for breakfast and more often are turning to hot and cold cereals for breakfast, along with fresh fruit and yogurt. But not all cereals are the same. The ideal breakfast cereal for a healthy GI diet plan will be made of unrefined whole grains, such as oatmeal, or any 100 percent bran cereal.

You should try to avoid breakfast cereals that contain added sugar, or those which are low in fiber. Also, avoid highly refined cereals even those containing added vitamins, as the typical glycemic response to them is high.

Ideally, choose breakfast foods with roughly 7-10 grams of fiber per serving, because dietary fiber helps protect food inside the stomach and intestine from the actions of digestive enzymes intent on converting food to glucose. High fiber meals always have a lower GI value.

Foods that raise your blood glucose level quickly have a higher GI rating than foods that raise your blood glucose level more slowly. In general, the lower the rating, the better the quality of carbohydrate.

When you eat food that contains carbohydrates, the sugar (glucose) from the food breaks down during digestion and gives you energy. After you eat, your blood glucose level rises; the speed at which the food is able to increase your blood glucose level is called the “glycemic response.” This glycemic response is influenced by many factors, including how much food you eat, how much the food is processed or even how the food is prepared (for example, pasta that is cooked al dente – or firm – has a lower glycemic response than pasta that is overcooked).