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Low Carb Eating Guidelines (Low Glycemic Index Foods and Glycemic Load explained)

Glycemic Index:
Low GI = 55 or less
Medium GI = 56 - 69
High GI = 70 or more
The Low GI Diet is the safe and healthy way to lose weight with smart carbs. We explain how choosing low GI carbohydrates - the ones that produce only small fluctuations in your blood glucose - can help you feel fuller longer, increase energy levels, and make weightloss achievable and sustainable.

The glycemic index (GI) is a ranking of carbohydrates on a scale from 0 to 100 according to the extent to which they raise blood sugar levels after eating. Foods with a high GI are those which are rapidly digested and absorbed and result in marked fluctuations in blood sugar levels. Low-GI foods, by virtue of their slow digestion and absorption, produce gradual rises in blood sugar and insulin levels, and have proven benefits for health. Low GI diets have been shown to improve both glucose and lipid levels in people with diabetes (type 1 and type 2). They have benefits for weight control because they help control appetite and delay hunger. Low GI diets also reduce insulin levels and insulin resistance.

Recent studies from Harvard School of Public Health indicate that the risks of diseases such as type 2 diabetes and coronary heart disease are strongly related to the GI of the overall diet. In 1999, the World Health Organisation (WHO) and Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) recommended that people in industrialised countries base their diets on low-GI foods in order to prevent the most common diseases of affluence, such as coronary heart disease, diabetes and obesity.

What is the Glycemic Index?

The glycemic index is a ranking of carbohydrates based on their immediate effect on blood glucose (blood sugar) levels. It compares foods gram for gram of carbohydrate. Carbohydrates that breakdown quickly during digestion have the highest glycemic indexes. The blood glucose response is fast and high. Carbohydrates that break down slowly, releasing glucose gradually into the blood stream, have low glycemic indexes.

What is the Significance of Glycemic Index?

	• Low GI means a smaller rise in blood glucose levels after meals
	• Low GI diets can help people lose weight
	• Low GI diets can improve the body's sensitivity to insulin
	• High GI foods help re-fuel carbohydrate stores after exercise
	• Low GI can improve diabetes control
	• Low GI foods keep you fuller for longer
	• Low GI can prolong physical endurance

What is Glycemic Load?

The glycemic index compares the potential of foods containing the same amount of carbohydrate to raise blood glucose. However, the amount of carbohydrate consumed also affects blood glucose levels and insulin responses. The glycemic load of a food is calculated by multiplying the glycemic index by the amount of carbohydrate in grams provided by a food and dividing the total by 100. In essence, each unit of the glycemic load represents the equivalent blood glucose-raising effect of 1 gram of pure glucose or white bread. Dietary glycemic load is the sum of the glycemic loads for all foods consumed in the diet. The concept of glycemic load was developed by scientists to simultaneously describe the quality (glycemic index) and quantity of carbohydrate in a meal or diet.

	• Glycemic load builds on the GI to provide a measure of total glycemic response to a food or meal
	• Glycemic load = GI (%) x grams of carbohydrate per serving
	• One unit of GL ~ glycemic effect of 1 gram glucose
	• You can sum the GL of all the foods in a meal, for the whole day or even longer
	• A typical diet has ~ 100 GL units per day (range 60 - 180)
	• The GI database gives both GI & GL values

Sources for Low Glycemic Index and Low Glycemic Load foods

Linus Pauling Institute at Oregon State University
Foods with low glycemic index

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