The Glycemic Index List Of Foods – Tallying Your Glycemic Load…

Following the glycemic index list of foods can be confusing at times and many of us have a challenge figuring out how it relates to us. Not to mention that the same food could have several different rankings depending on the way it is grown, processed, and cooked. Now add in that it can respond differently depending on how much we eat, how we combine various foods and our own metabolic rate. Yup…confusing!

There are critics who say there are inconsistencies in the calculation methodology used to create the glycemic index list of foods.

Based on a quantity of 50 grams, some experts say that it is well below the amount we would normally eat and doesn’t correctly state the food’s impact. It tends to understate the high carbohydrate food’s impact on our blood sugar and overstate how we are affected by low carbohydrate foods.

Hang on…nutritionists and dietitians have devised a simple solution – the “glycemic load”. This accounts for the quantities of carbs (sugars and starches) being eaten. Not just the quality.

Everything we eat affects our blood sugar levels. The way foods are combined and the amount we eat can affect the levels too, so it is said that the glycemic load is a better calculation than using the glycemic index list of foods by itself.

The calculation is pretty basic. Just find the food on the glycemic index list of foods. You will use its ranking number. Divide that number by 100 then multiply by the number of grams you are eating. That’s the glycemic load and you now have a usable number to manage your blood sugar levels..

To give you a basis to use…a load of 10 or less is low, 11-19 is medium and 20+ is considered high.

The load number can really change our opinions on what to eat. Watermelon scores a hefty 72 on the glycemic index list of foods (based on a 50 gram calculation) but if you divide by 100 and then multiply by a serving size of 120 grams, you get a healthy, low ranking of 4.32.

Watermelon carbs score high on the glycemic index list of foods but low on the load list because there just isn’t a lot of it.

If you get a good understanding of the glycemic load and the glycemic index, it will become very clear why it’s important (and healthy) to combine foods from the four food groups.

These concepts also show why a scoop of ice cream will score lower on both the index and the load lists than a hand full of Cheerios. Cheerios is nothing but refined carbohydrates – which spike our blood sugar levels quickly – vs the fat and protein levels in ice cream which take longer to digest and enter the bloodstream.

If you get a headache at just the thought of counting carbs and doing math, the glycemic index list of foods is a wonderful and healthy dietary aid all by itself. But, if you are not intimidated by a little math and counting, the glycemic load calculation will give you the safest, healthiest and fastest diet known.

My website has a lot of information on the glycemic index list of foods. Check it out right away! You can also get my “Fast Weight Loss Tips!” mini-course while it is still free.

No related posts.