Glycemic Index and load

Glycemic index is a measure of how high your blood sugar levels rise after eating carb-rich foods. Sudden rises in blood sugar levels worsen hunger, weight gain, inflammation, and both cholesterol and blood sugar levels. To measure a food's glycemic index, researchers test blood sugar levels in people after feeding them a specific quantity of various carb-rich foods. The higher a food causes your blood sugar level to rise, the higher its glycemic index. But glycemic index is not a perfect measure of how a food will impact your body and your weight, and many diet authors have erred in overemphasizing this concept. It would be far better to look at glycemic load because it starts where glycemic index leaves off.

Once nutritionists know a food's glycemic index, they look at how much carbohydrate is in the food itself. Take carrots, with a moderately high glycemic index of 47 (a rating that banishes them from low carb diets). Since their carb content per pound is low (only 6 grams for 1/3 cup serving), their glycemic load is actually quite low at 3. That means, if you eat a serving of carrots, your blood sugar wouldn't rise all that much. And this Vitality Food is packed with anti-aging compounds, fiber, and nutrients. Avoiding carrots because of their glycemic index would be a mistake.

By choosing low glycemic load carbs, you minimize spikes in blood sugar, reduce insulin surges, and suppress hunger. This is why I emphasize low glycemic load foods for the Ten Years Younger Diet. So enjoy healthy carbohydrates, in particular those listed in Chapter 4, the Sweet Sixteen Vitality Foods, as they are generally low in glycemic load and also rich in nutrients, anti-oxidants, and fiber.

Calculating Glycemic Load

GLYCEMIC LOAD TABLE: