Lowering Your Cholesterol

The glycemic index (GI) is a measure of the quality of carbohydrate foods. It’s like a good carbs/bad carbs thing, based on how the carbs affect your blood sugar. Pure glucose, which is what the cells get from your blood and use for energy, is assigned the score of 100. This is just a set reference point. All other foods are given a number relative to glucose and its affect on the blood sugar.

Foods with a low index typically break down slowly and don’t cause large fluctuations in blood sugar. Foods with a high index do. For example, green peas have an index of 39, while waffles has an index of 76.

Originally the index was developed to help diabetics control their blood sugar. It includes mainly carbohydrate foods, because protein and fat don’t have much immediate effect on blood sugar.

By assigning numbers to different foods based on their glycemic effect creates a scaled list of foods that ends up being a useful tool for obese people and those dealing with other health issues. Maintaining a low-glycemic index diet can guide people toward healthier eating and weight loss, even when that is not their specific goal.

Many of the low GI foods are also negative calorie foods, so the GI is a good tool to use to lose weight.

There are some quirks in the GI, so some people use the glycemic load which I will explain in a later post.