When you eat foods with carbohydrates, your body breaks down the carbohydrates and releases them into your bloodstream as sugars. The glycemic rating of foods describes how big of an effect the carbohydrates in a given food have on your blood sugar levels. You can use information such as the glycemic index to help you decide which foods to eat to promote weight loss or keep blood sugar levels in check.
Glycemic Index Background
According to the Linus Pauling Institute Micronutrient Information Center, the glycemic index categorizes foods by the quality of their carbohydrates. High glycemic index foods tend to quickly increase your blood sugar levels and cause a big insulin response in your body. In contrast, your body is slower to digest foods with a low glycemic index, and is better able to control blood sugar levels because the carbohydrates enter your bloodstream more slowly after you eat.
Glycemic Index Values
Foods with carbohydrates have a glycemic index that reflects the effect of the carbohydrates in that food on your blood sugar levels. According to MayoClinic.com, glycemic index values are relative to the effects of either glucose or white bread, which have a reference value of 100. A high glycemic index is more than 70; high GI foods include candy, white bread and potatoes. Moderate-glycemic index foods include corn and bananas, and their value is 56 to 69. Low-glycemic index foods have a value less than 55 and include fat-free milk and beans.
General Patterns
The glycemic index of many foods is on glycemic index food lists, but you will not be able to find the exact numbers all the foods that you eat. Instead, you can use some general trends to help you determine whether a food probably has a high or low glycemic index. Foods with fiber and protein, such as beans, are likely to have a low glycemic index, while sugary or high-starch foods like jelly beans or potatoes have a high glycemic index. Processed foods have a higher glycemic index than whole or fresh foods, so whole grains are typically lower than refined grains, and fresh fruit is lower than canned fruit.
Significance
You can use the glycemic index of foods to help you develop a glycemic index diet for weight management or blood sugar control. MayoClinic.com states that eating foods with a low glycemic index may decrease your hunger so that you eat less. Also, limiting your intake of high-glycemic foods can prevent sudden spikes in your blood sugar levels that can be dangerous if you have diabetes. If you need to lose weight or have diabetes, talk to your doctor to develop the best plan for your health.
Glycemic Load
The Linus Pauling Institute Micronutrient Information Center states that the glycemic index may be useful for categorizing the quality of carbohydrates in foods, but that it may not be the best measure of the overall effect on your blood sugar. An alternative to using just the glycemic index is to calculate a value called the glycemic load by multiplying the glycemic index by the number of carbohydrates in a food. A high-glycemic index food does not necessarily have a high glycemic load; for example, watermelon has a high glycemic index and not very many carbohydrates, so it has a low glycemic load.
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