The Glycemic Index, Weight Gain and Food

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The Glycemic Index, Weight Gain and Food

• C3

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What is GI?

• a ranking of carbohydrates based on their
  immediate effect on blood glucose (blood sugar)
  levels
• CHO that breakdown quickly during digestion have
  the highest GI
• CHO that break down slowly, release glucose
  gradually into the blood stream, have low GI

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What else should I know about GI?

• Low GI lt55, Medium GI 56 69, High GI gt70
• Low GI smaller rise in blood glucose after
  meals
• Low GI diets can help people lose weight
• Low GI diets can improve sensitivity to insulin
• Low GI can improve diabetes control
• Low GI foods keep you fuller for longer
• Low GI can prolong physical endurance

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Glycemic Load

• GL builds on the GI to provide a measure of total
  glycemic response to a food or meal
• GL GI () x grams of CHO/serving
• One unit of GL glycemic effect of 1 gm glucose
• You can sum the GL of foods in a meal, day, etc
• A typical diet 100 GL units/day (range 60 -
  180)
• The GI database gives both GI GL values

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More on Gycemic Load

• GL for food or a meal
• Low GL 10 or lessMedium GL 11- 19High GL
  20 or more
• GL per day
• Low GL lt 80High GL gt 120

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How do I adopt a low GI diet?

• Eat cereals based on oats, barley and bran
• Use "grainy" breads made with whole seeds
• Enjoy all types of fruit and vegetables (except
  potatoes)
• Eat plenty of salad vegetables with vinaigrette
  dressing