Lose weight and Stay Healthy the Glycemic Index Way!

Almost everybody has at some time or another experienced the weakening, sometimes sickening feeling brought on by a “sugar crash”, without appreciating what's happening to them. When your blood sugar levels drop, your body responds and you begin to get a feeling of general tiredness/weakness. Our bodies function better when fed a regulated supply of blood sugar. Careful analysis of the Glycemic Index can help you find the foods that will release glucose slowly and continuously into the bloodstream; that will result in a regulated supply of energy all day long.

The Glycemic Index (GI) ranks different foods according their effect on blood glucose levels; carbohydrates in particular. Food high in protein or fat will not make your bodies’ blood glucose level rise significantly. The Index measures how a 50-gram carbohydrate portion will increase the blood-sugar levels compared with a control food; either pure glucose or white bread. All carbohydrates will produce a short-term increase in blood glucose level. This is the glycemic response. Not all carbohydrates act the same, and the serving size, the actual carbohydrate source, the process of preparation, and the amount of processing, will all affect the glycemic response.

In the Glycemic Index all foods range between 1 and 100. Pure glucose has a reference score of 100. Foods with a score above 70 are high, between 56 and 69 is moderate, and anything under 55 is low. As an example, pretzels score 81 on the GI and receive a high rating. Fruit cocktail scores 55, and is medium, and broccoli rated at 15 is low.

If your body processes your food slowly, then this regulates the insulin release, this then has a much healthier and beneficial effect on your body. Put simply, try to eat smaller portions of food with high GI ratings, and larger portions of low GI foods. As a result weight loss or gain is easier to control, because eating food that increases blood sugar more slowly will help you feel fuller for longer.

In a nutshell, the GI is all about the quality of carbohydrates and not about the quantity. Quantity is a part of the glycemic load metric, but the measurement of the GI of food is certainly not related to the serving size. Whether you eat 10 or 1000 grams, it stays the same.

To summarise, if people adhere to the Glycemic Index and prepare their food accordingly, it will always help them keep their blood glucose levels and weight stable.