How to Use the Glycemic Load Index with the Glycemic Index
Posted: Monday, January 18, 2010
by Jonathan T Edwards
The Flying Haggis
So just what is the Glycemic Load (aka Glycemic Load Index)? While there's certainly a ton of advantages to be had using the glycemic index (GI), it can initially be a little daunting. It's pretty normal when we take first glance at the GI to be a little confused about how it correlates to us and see difficulties in adding it into our daily eating regime. Also, the way each specific food item rates on the index can change because of a variety of reasons. Things like how a particular food is grown, is processed or even cooked can increase or decrease the glycemic index numbers. In addition to that, each item responds uniquely depending on the overall amount a person consumes, each individual's own personal metabolic make-up, and of course, how we combine our foods too.
So to clarify things and remove some of this confusion, a team of researchers have formulated a calculation using the glycemic index to come up with the Glycemic Load Index (GL for short). It takes the total available carbohydrate in a food item into account. Available carbohydrates in items like sugar and starch give the body energy, but no fiber. It is advised that the GL be used as a dietary tool and not the GI due to the fact that it takes into account the quantity of the food the body is consuming in addition to the way we combine our foods. Therefore to understand a food's influence on blood sugar, we need to consider both the glycemic index and the glycemic load index. Subsequently to calculate the GL of a particular type of food, we just divide the GI number by 100 and multiply by the grams of carbohydrate in the food portion... for example:
Glycemic Index/100 X grams of carbs (serving size) = Glycemic Load Index
A glycemic load index of equal to and above 20 is high. A GL within 11 to 19 is middle range and a GL of equal to and below 10 is low. So let's just take watermelon as a case in point and calculate the GL. It has a high glycemic index rating of about 71. In an amount consisting 120 grams it has 6 grams of available carbohydrates. Therefore we take the 71 and divide it by 100 then multiply it by 6 which equals 4.32, rounded down to 4. So the carbohydrate in watermelon scores high on the GI but low on the GL because there's not a substantial amount of it.
By knowing the theory behind the glycemic index coupled with the glycemic load index we can also be aware of the importance of combining the four food groups and why it's good for our health and well being. It also enlightens us, as to why a scoop of ice cream, which has a quantity of protein and fat in it, has a lower GI and GL than a similar size portion of Cheerios, which are pretty much just refined carbohydrates. The GI on its own can be a helpful tool to make good food choices and many people now prefer it over other types of dieting such as counting carbs. So even though the glycemic index has its faults, it still continues to offer good information on how to control insulin resistance and healthier food combinations for us all.
Get lots more info on Glycemic Load Index and other GI facts at http://the-glycemic-index-guide.co/info/
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