Once upon a time, food was just food. Now, it’s a blaring ranking system. Up for discussion today is the glycemic index (GI) – it’s the 'who’s who' of foods according to their power to stick up blood sugar levels. People with diabetes, sit up straight! And you, healthy-weight-hopic and stable-energy-seeker, pay heed too.

See, beans might be carbohydrates, but these tiny powerhouses quirk a brow at the regular carb crew. They have a low GI score, i.e., a less obnoxious impact on your blood sugar levels. Add to that their wealth of fiber, protein, and essential nutrients, it's like a compact nutrition avenue. But, big whoop, right? Here's where it gets saucier.

GI zenith is 100, representing pure sugar – reckon a league where higher you score, poorer you become. Sounding reversed? Welcome to the fitness world! In general, processed high-carbohydrate foods have a higher GI, while foods containing more fiber and fat have a lower GI. You want to go after foods with less than 55 on the GI scale, like our trusty beans.

Rolling in red carpets are: Black beans: 30 Chickpeas: 35 Pinto beans: 39 Red kidney beans: 36 Soybeans: 20

But, hey, don't take GI as the gospel truth for estimating a food's impact on blood sugar. GI is like that sketchy GPS that can lead you astray; thank fats for misleading numbers, as they tend to fall lower on the index than high-carbohydrate foods. So, don't mistake a candy bar for a health ninja just because of its low GI score. Other elements like cooking times, storage methods, the degree to which a food is processed, even the ripeness of fruits and veggies can affect the GI of a food. Even more? What else you're munching down with a single food can also influence its effect on your blood sugar. So, choose wisely!