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Home Health

Glycemic Index & Glycemic Load

What you need to know about the carbs and sugar you eat, and how to choose more wisely.

by Team 131 Method
December 6, 2019
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Carb & Sugar Basics

The saying “death by sugar” may not be an overstatement. Evidence proves that sugar is THE major factor causing obesity and chronic disease. Knowing the Glycemic Index of foods can help combat this!

As you know, carbohydrates are one of the three macronutrients (the other two being protein and fat). But not all carbs are created equal. All carbohydrate containing food gets broken down into glucose once it’s digested and then raises blood glucose levels. This elevated blood glucose level signals the pancreas to produce insulin, a hormone that shuttles glucose into the cells where it is burned for energy, or, stored as fat.

Not All Created Equal

Some carbohydrates raise blood sugar levels very quickly. Others raise it more slowly. Most simple carbohydrate foods, like sugar, raise blood sugar levels rapidly. But so do some complex carbohydrates, like whole grain refined breads, cereals, and grains, because as you know from the previous lessons, these often get stripped of their nutrients. Carbs that contain fiber, protein, and/or fat raise blood sugar levels much slower, as these components affect the digestion and absorption of the food.

Sugar in the Body

Some of it is used for energy in the form of glucose all throughout the body. Some is stored as glycogen in the muscles for future energy. The remaining sugar gets stored as fat. Insulin is needed to allow those glucose cells into their respective cells throughout the body. Insulin helps our muscles, fat, and liver absorb the glucose. It also helps to lower blood sugar levels, and helps with the storage of glycogen. Remember, think of insulin as the key that helps open the door for glucose to go in. 

When someone has insulin resistance, basically that key isn’t working properly, and they may use up many keys in order to allow that glucose in. The pancreas keeps pumping out more and more insulin trying to unlock it. If it finally gets to the point where the body cannot keep up with the need for insulin, or there is too much insulin and too much blood sugar in the bloodstream, then unfortunately, THIS is insulin resistance. Insulin resistance leads to diabetes, dementia, Alzheimer’s, and stroke.  

A diet comprised of low Glycemic Index foods will not cause the same rapid jump in blood glucose levels as plain sugar, and has been shown to help improve insulin sensitivity and decrease insulin resistance. 

Glycemic Index

One way to quantify and classify how fast a food raises blood sugar levels is the Glycemic Index, or GI. The GI is a relative ranking of carbohydrate in foods according to how they affect blood glucose levels. Below this lesson you’ll find some apps for how to determine the Glycemic Index for foods you eat. Carbohydrates with a low GI value (55 or less) are more slowly digested, absorbed and metabolized. They cause a lower and slower rise in blood glucose and, thus, a lower rise in insulin levels.

There are three classifications for the Glycemic Index:

  • A Low = GI value 55 or less
  • Medium = GI value of 56 – 69 inclusive
  • High = GI 70 or more

Most of the time you want to aim for items with lower Glycemic Index rating. OR you want to pair a medium or higher ranking item with a source of fat or protein to help slow down the absorption and digestion process. So if you’re going to have a some grapes, for example, which have a high Glycemic Index of 59, pair them with a good source of protein and fat at that same meal. 

apple in GI scale

Now, what about Glycemic Load?

The Glycemic Index just mentioned is one measurement. However, it doesn’t take into account how much of the food you consume. Because of that, the Glycemic Load was created. GL uses the quality of the food (the Glycemic Index) and the amount of food per meal (grams per serving). 


Glycemic Load = GI x Carbohydrate (g) content per portion ÷ 100

Using an apple as an example: GI value = 38; Carbohydrate per serve = 15g

GL= 38 x 15 = 6 The GL of a typical apple is 6
  100

Glycemic Load of a food is classified as low, medium, or high:

  • Low: 10 or less
  • Medium: 11 – 19
  • High: 20 or more 

Again, you want to aim for items with a lower Glycemic Load rating.

See the Glycemic Index & Load Chart Below…

Glycemic Index & Glycemic Load of Foods

This chart is adapted from Harvard.edu. To find a specific food rating, visit Montignac.com  

·       FOOD Glycemic index (glucose = 100) Serving size (grams) Glycemic load per serving

BAKERY ITEMS/ BREADS

Frozen waffles 76 35 10
Bagel, white, frozen 72 70 25
Pumpernickel bread 56 30 7
50% cracked wheat kernel bread 58 30 12
White wheat flour bread, average 75 30 11
Wonder® bread, average 73 30 10
Whole wheat bread, average 69 30 9
100% Whole Grain bread 51 30 7
Pita bread, white 68 30 10
Corn tortilla 52 50 12
Wheat tortilla 30 50 8

BREAKFAST CEREALS 

All-Bran®, average 44 30 9
Muesli, average 56 30 10
Oatmeal, average 55 250 13
Instant oatmeal, average 79 250 21
Puffed wheat cereal 80 30 17

GRAINS

Pearled barley 25 150 11
Sweet corn on the cob 48 60 14
Couscous 65 150 9
Quinoa 53 150 13
White rice, boiled 72 150 29
Brown rice, steamed 50 150 16
Parboiled Converted white rice (Uncle Ben’s®) 38 150 14
Whole wheat kernels, average 45 50 15
Bulgar, average 47 150 12

COOKIES & CRACKERS

Graham crackers 74 25 13
Vanilla wafers 77 25 14
Shortbread 64 25 10
Rice cakes, average 82 25 17

DAIRY & ALTERNATIVES

Ice cream, regular, average 62 50 8
Milk, full-fat, average 31 250 mL 4
Milk, skim, average 31 250 mL 4
Reduced-fat yogurt with fruit, average 33 200 11

FRUIT

Apple, average 36 120 5
Banana, raw, average 48 120 11
Dates, dried, average 42 60 18
Grapefruit 25 120 3
Grapes, black 59 120 11
Oranges, raw, average 45 120 5
Peach, average 42 120 5
Peach, canned in light syrup 52 120 9
Pear, raw, average 38 120 4
Pear, canned in pear juice 44 120 5
Prunes, pitted 29 60 10
Raisins 64 60 28
Watermelon 72 120 4

BEANS & NUTS

Baked beans 40 150 6
Black-eyed peas 50 150 15
Black beans 30 150 7
Chickpeas 10 150 3
Chickpeas, canned in brine 42 150 9
Hummus (chickpea salad dip) 6 30 0
Navy beans, average 39 150 12
Kidney beans, average 34 150 9
Lentils 28 150 5
Soy beans, average 15 150 1
Cashews, salted 22 50 3
Peanuts 13 50 1

PASTA & NOODLES

Spaghetti, white, boiled 46 180 22
Spaghetti, whole-grain, boiled 42 180 17

VEGETABLES

Green peas 54 80 4
Carrots, average 39 80 2
Parsnips 52 80 4
Baked russet potato 111 150 33
Boiled white potato, average 82 150 21
Instant mashed potato, average 87 150 17
Sweet potato, average 70 150 22
Yam, average 54 150 20

MISCELLANEOUS

Honey, average 61 25 12

How this Affects Disease Risk, Health & Nutrition 

Research shows that people with lower GI and GL diets have lower risk of diabetes, cardiovascular disease and reduced body weight.

Individual Factors 

How fast a specific food raises your blood sugar also depends on other factors, like your own digestive enzymes, speed/motility of your digestion, and some structural components about the carb itself- how refined is it? How was it cooked? Are there other substances?

If a carbohydrate is more refined, meaning most of the natural fibers have been stripped away during processing, these items are quickly absorbed, giving these items a high GI rating. When there is more fiber in the carbohydrate, or when combined with fat or protein, or when acid is present, this helps slow down the digestion, and also gives the food a lower Glycemic Index rating. 

So combining foods with healthy fats such as avocados, healthy oils, grass fed butters, nuts, seeds, and also items like vinegar, lemon juice, pickles, etc., assist with a lower GI rating. 

Final Thoughts

As with all of the recommendations and education in the 131 Method, we strive to help you make the best choices possible. The more you know about how certain carbs affect you, the better able you are to make the best choices moving forward! Start learning the foods on the Glycemic Index chart. Know which to pair with protein and/or fat. Take control of your health.

Research /More Resources

  1. Bhupathiraju SN, Tobias DK, Malik VS, et al. Glycemic index, glycemic load, and risk of type 2 diabetes: results from 3 large US cohorts and an updated meta-analysis. Am J Clin Nutr. 2014;100(1):218-232.  (PubMed)
  2. Ma XY, Liu JP, Song ZY. Glycemic load, glycemic index and risk of cardiovascular diseases: meta-analyses of prospective studies. Atherosclerosis. 2012;223(2):491-496.  (PubMed)
  3. Rossi M, Turati F, Lagiou P, Trichopoulos D, La Vecchia C, Trichopoulou A. Relation of dietary glycemic load with ischemic and hemorrhagic stroke: a cohort study in Greece and a meta-analysis. Eur J Nutr. 2015;54(2):215-222.  (PubMed)
  4. Turati F, Galeone C, Gandini S, et al. High glycemic index and glycemic load are associated with moderately increased cancer risk. Mol Nutr Food Res. 2015;59(7):1384-1394.  (PubMed)
  5. Diabetes and the Brain. Contemporary Diabetes. 2009, Part 5, 433-457 JACC March 9, 2010. Volume 55, Issue 10A. Cancer Science. Vol 101(5), pages 1073–1079, May 2010
  6. Gutschall, M., Miller, C., Mitchell, D., & Lawrence, F. (2009). A randomized behavioural trial targeting glycaemic index improves dietary, weight and metabolic outcomes in patients with type 2 diabetes. Public Health Nutrition, 12(10), 1846-1854. doi:10.1017/S1368980008004680

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