What is a Glycemic Index?
Glycemic Index or GI for short is a numerical ranking system used in measuring the comparative degree of absorption and digestion of carbohydrates and their effect on blood glucose. After consumption, a food with a low GI causes a weaker, sustained rise in blood glucose. Foods with a high GI produce a greater temporary spike in blood glucose.
The thought of GI was originally established as a way to categorize carbohydrate-containing foods for the betterment of glucose control among diabetics. GI scores are categorized as low (below 55), medium (56-69), or high (greater than 70).
Various situations affect the GI value of a food such as whether it is liquid or solid, the quantity of fiber, and preparation or cooking methods. The GI may also considerably differ between individuals.
What are the Similarities or Differences Between a Low GI Diet and a Low Carbohydrate Diet?
The premise behind low carb diets is that the body is forced to use fat as its main source of fuel because throughout the day, blood sugar, (or insulin level) is so low. What occurs with low GI diet plans is similar. The difference lies in low GI diets not restricting carbohydrate intake. It is just restricted in its selection of carbohydrates for consumption.
The Glycemic Load (GL for short)
The glycemic load is a ranking of how much a standard serving of food raises ones blood sugar. The glycemic load of a particular food is calculated by multiplying the amount (in grams) of carbohydrate in a serving by the glycemic index and dividing that number by 100. For example, the glycemic load of a pear with a GI of 25 and 21 grams of carbs is GL = 25 x 21g divided by 100 = 5. The GL of a 2.4 ounce French fries with a GI of 54 and 21 g of carbs is GL = 54 x 21g divided by 100 = 11. The fries have more than 2x the glycemic effect of a pear.
Five Glycemic Index Myths
Myth 1 — Shun white foods such as pasta and white bread because they have a high GI.
Color of food does not fundamentally determine a high GI. As referred to above, preparation method, quantity of processing and meal composition influence GI, not food color. For instance, the white bread consumed with 35 grams of olive oil has less GI (20) than white bread consumed with 35 grams butter (78). In this example, eating pasta or white bread in combination with fat and protein at mealtime changes their overall GI values.
Myth 2 — GI is the best way to establish the quantity of carbs and sugar in certain foods.
GI plainly accounts for the rate with which glucose is discharged into the bloodstream. In the above illustration, both pear and fries have uniform quantities of carb grams. However, the pear has a lower GI value. On the other hand, you may eat two foods with different carb content but similar GI values. Foods consumed in higher quantities will bring about a higher blood glucose response.
Myth 3 — Simple sugars are all high in GI.
The GI for most raw fruit is between 30-50 even though they contain the simple sugar fructose (GI 21). Most fruit have a slower rate of absorption and digestion than glucose (GI 93) another simple sugar.
Myth 4 — GI values can determine healthy and unhealthy foods.
The GI does not point to whether a food is healthy or not. For example, whole milk has a GI of 27 whereas skim milk has a GI of 32. In this example, lower GI doesn’t constantly mean a healthier product because whole milk contains saturated fat making it a less than healthier choice.
Myth 5 — I can eat limitless low GI food and still keep my insulin levels low.
It is still possible to get rising insulin response with low GI consumption. Bear in mind that the glycemic response is an admixture of GI x carb density. Therefore, the greater grams of carbohydrate eaten will still result in greater insulin levels.
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