In simplest terms, the Glycemic Index is a system that ranks foods according to their effects on blood glucose levels, based on the how much and what kind of carbohydrates they contain. The Glycemic Index is a key concept for several weight-loss programs, but the benefits don't end there-understanding the index can help you make healthier food choices that improve energy levels and may reduce the risk of heart disease and diabetes.
The Glycemic Index Ranking System
The Glycemic Index ranks carbohydrates on a scale of 0 to 100, where higher values are assigned to foods that cause the most rapid rise in blood glucose or blood sugar levels. Pure glucose is used as the reference point for the ranking system and carries a GI value of 100.
Carbohydrates that score high on the Glycemic Index have been to shown to cause significant fluctuations in blood sugar, while carbohydrates that score low on the Glycemic Index result in much smaller fluctuations. The Glycemic Index ranking system takes looks both at how quickly carbohydrates raise sugar levels, and by how much.
GI is a Better Guide than GL
When you eat foods that contain carbohydrates, your blood sugar rises and falls; how high it rises and how long it remains at that higher level depends on two things: the carbohydrate quality, which is its Glycemic Index ranking; and the carbohydrate quantity.
Glycemic Load (GL) takes both of these factors into account and combines them into a single number. Glycemic Load gauges the blood sugar values of different types and amounts of carbohydrates by multiplying a food's Glycemic Index ranking by the amount eaten and dividing the result by 100.
GL = (GI x the amount of carbohydrate in grams) divided by 100
When this equation is applied to different foods, the resulting GL values can be compared to determine which food has a larger impact on blood sugar (higher values have a larger impact).
While this information is helpful, it's best to refer to the Glycemic Index alone when you're making food choices. Choosing a diet based solely on GL values may lead you to eat more carbohydrates that rank low on the Glycemic Index, but may also find you eating low-carbohydrate meals full of unhealthy, saturated fats.
Low GI Foods
Low glycemic foods have a ranking of 55 or lower and are described as slow burn or slow-release carbohydrates. When you eat these carbohydrates, your blood sugar levels remain even, instead of spiking, which keeps your energy levels balanced.
Having stable blood sugar levels means your body doesn't need to produce insulin to bring them back down to normal. How insulin does that, is by moving sugar out your blood and depositing it as stored energy in your muscle cells. When those energy stores are filled, any excess is stored in as fat in your fat cells. If there's no excess sugar to move, there's nothing to store in your fat cells, which is why eating foods low on the Glycemic Index is recommended by many weight-loss programs.
Medium and High GI Foods
Foods ranked as medium on the Glycemic Index have GI values of 56-69. While these foods don't affect your blood sugar as significantly as foods that rank high on the Glycemic Index (70 or higher), they do burn faster than slow-release carbohydrates with low Glycemic Index rankings and it's recommended they be eaten in limited quantities.
Foods that rank high on the Glycemic Index (70 or higher) provide you with a quick burst of energy by spiking your blood sugar. This, in turn, causes a surge in insulin production as response to high blood sugar levels.
Your body rushes to move the sugar into your muscle cells and deposit any excess into your fat cells, leaving you with lower blood sugar than before you ate the high GI food. The result? Your energy crashes. Choose high GI foods sparingly and in small quantities and strive to combine them with low GI foods to offset the effects.
Using the Glycemic Index
It's easy to get bogged down with the numbers and feel confused about what to eat and what not to eat, but that doesn't have to be the case.
If you think of the Glycemic Index as a reference guide to help you make the best choice within a food group-which is better, for example, cereal made from rice or bran-you'll find its principles easier to apply to your nutrition goals. For more information on where you favorite foods rank on the Glycemic Index, search the Glycemic Index database.
By choosing foods with low rankings on the Glycemic Index and limiting your intake of foods with medium or high rankings on the Glycemic Index, you'll find that you're eating a wide variety of whole, not processed foods; maintaining consistent energy and blood sugar levels; and possibly lose a few pounds if you're using the Glycemic Index as part of a weight-loss program.
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