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Glycemic Load is
More Important Than Glycemic Index
Many popular diet
books give you a list of foods based on the Glycemic Index, and recommend
avoiding all foods that have a high glycemic index.
When you eat a food, your blood sugar level rises. The food that raises
blood sugar the highest is pure table sugar. So Glycemic Index is a ratio of
how high that food raises blood sugar in comparison to how high table sugar
raises blood sugar levels. Foods whose carbohydrates break down slowly
release glucose into the bloodstream slowly, so blood sugar levels do not
rise high and therefore these foods have low glycemic index scores. Those
that break down quickly cause a high rise in blood sugar and have a high
glycemic index.
Most beans, whole grains and non-starchy vegetables have low glycemic index;
while sugars, refined grains made from flour, fruits and root vegetables
have a high glycemic index.
If you look at glycemic index food lists, you will see things that should
bother an intelligent person. A carrot has almost the same glycemic index as
sugar does. That is ridiculous. You know that a carrot is far safer for
diabetics than table sugar. So nutrition scientists developed a new measure
to rank foods called Glycemic Load. It tells you how much sugar is in the
food, rather than just how high it raises blood sugar levels. To calculate
Glycemic Load, you multiply the grams of carbohydrate in a serving of food
by that food's Glycemic Index.
Carrots and potatoes both have a high Glycemic Index (GI), but using the new
Glycemic Load (GL), carrots dropped from high GI of 131 to a GL of 10.
Potatoes fall from a GI of 121 to a GL of 45. Air-popped popcorn, with a
glycemic index of 79, has a GL of 4.
Foods that are mostly water or air will not cause a steep rise in your blood
sugar even if their glycemic index is high. That's why the new measure,
Glycemic Load, is more useful. However, all of these tools are more
important for research than for your daily selection of foods. Use your own
common sense and eat plenty of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, beans and
other seeds. Avoid the refined carbohydrates -- foods made with extracted
sugars, flour, white rice or milled corn products.
Dr. Gabe Mirkin has been a radio talk show host for 25 years and practicing
physician for more than 40 years; he is board certified in four specialties,
including sports medicine. Read or listen to hundreds of his fitness and
health reports at http://www.DrMirkin.com
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/
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