What is the Glycemic Index You Ask?

I have had several questions regarding the Glycemic Index, what is it, why is it important, and how do I know where the food I am eating falls on this scale? Well today I am devoting this blog to just that!

Glycemic Index (GI) has become a popular term. GI refers to the rise of blood sugar after ingesting a specific food (2-3 hours after eating). The glycemic index is about foods high in carbohydrates. Foods high in fat or protein don't cause your blood glucose level to rise much. This numerical value is compared to the GI of glucose at a value of 100 (this is the base line). Lower glycemic values are recommended for people with obesity, diabetes, and insulin resistance.

An awareness of foods' Glycemic Index can help you control your blood sugar levels, and by doing so, may help you prevent heart disease, improve cholesterol levels, prevent insulin resistance and type-2 diabetes, prevent certain cancers, and achieve or maintain a healthy weight. A substantial amount of research suggests a low GI diet provides these significant health benefits.

After we eat carbohydrate-rich foods, our digestive process usually breaks them down, and eventually turns them into glucose, which can then enter our bloodstream. The presence of glucose in the bloodstream usually triggers the production of insulin, a hormone that helps glucose get into cells where it can be used for energy. Once our immediate energy needs have been met, extra glucose still remaining in the bloodstream can be stored in our muscles and liver for later use. If our muscle and liver stores of glucose are full, but we still have extra glucose floating around in our blood, then insulin can help our body store this excess sugar as fat.

Since insulin helps glucose get into cells where energy is made, insulin is vital to fueling the body. However, too much insulin secretion over long periods of time can cause problems. Research shows that prolonged exposure to elevated levels of insulin can cause:

• high triglycerides
• high "bad" LDL cholesterol
• low "good" HDL cholesterol
• high blood pressure
• insulin resistance
• increased appetite
• obesity
• risk of developing or exacerbating type 2 diabetes

Lower GI diets:

• help people lose and manage weight
• increase the body's sensitivity to insulin
• improve diabetes management
• reduce the risk of heart disease
• improve blood cholesterol levels
• can help you manage the symptoms of PCOS
• reduce hunger and keep you fuller for longer
• prolong physical endurance

A good website to check out is Home of the Glycemic Index. On this site you can type in the food you are interested in and it will produce a list that includes the Glycemic Index and the Glycemic Load. I had fun typing in a bunch of different foods and seeing where they ranked on the GI scale. Some foods might surprise you also.

Above I just mentioned Glycemic Load (GL). What's this? Well, the glycemic load is a ranking system for carbohydrate content in food portions based on their GI and the portion size. Recently researchers have placed more value on the glycemic load value of foods. The GL takes into account the amount of carbohydrates in a serving of a particular food. The glycemic index tells us how quickly a carbohydrate turns into blood sugar, but it neglects to take into account the amount of carbohydrates in a serving, which is important. The higher the glycemic load value, the greater the blood-sugar level and the resulting stress on insulin levels.

Below is a chart that shows food that are have both a low glycemic index and a low glycemic load along with medium and high glycemic index and glycemic load.

Just some food for thought!