Day 9: Glycemic Index and Glycemic Load
We often hear people talk about glycemic index. What is it?
In the past, some scientists tested how fast the blood glucose levels of people increased by eating certain foods rich in carbohydrates. Using a scale of 1 to 100, where 1 is the slowest and 100 is the fastest, one can assess the glycemic index of foods.
Generally, foods are categorized as follows based on their GI values:
1) High-GI foods
> 70
2) Intermediate-GI foods
> 55 – < 70
3) Low-GI foods
< 55
The findings revealed that simple carbs tend to cause a faster increase than complex carbs with some exceptions, like fructose, the simple sugar from fruits and honey. Our bodies absorb and metabolize fructose differently, so the rise in blood glucose is slower. However, too much fructose, as in the case of eating too much of anything, is not good. The highly concentrated forms of fructose may increase triglyceride levels (another stored form of carbohydrate) and can lead to obesity.
Many factors affect glycemic index:
Spikes in blood sugar will lead to an insulin spike and make us feel hungry faster.
Try this. Eat cookies or doughnuts or croissants for breakfast and drink a cup of caramel macchiato. I bet you that before lunchtime, you’d be craving for something. This could lead to more calorie intake.
Now, try this.
Eat chia pudding for breakfast:
- 2 tbsps of chia seeds
- 1/2 cup of unsweetened soymilk or almond milk
- 1/4 cup blueberries
- 1 tbsp almond or walnuts
- a sprinkling of cinnamon or a drizzle of vanilla.
Compare the effect of these two breakfasts.
In Culinary Medicine, however, we don’t rely too much on the glycemic index alone. We also look at the glycemic load.
With the glycemic load, we add the amount of carbohydrates in a given food to the equation.
Glycemic load = Glycemic index × Available Carbohydrate (g) /100
Available Carbohydrate = total carbohydrate - dietary fiber
So even though some foods like carrots and bananas have high glycemic indices, their glycemic load is lower than those with purportedly low glycemic index. That’s because of the fiber content.
Some aim for a glycemic load of 10 or less. Others cut their portion sizes to lower the carb in grams and thereby lower the glycemic load.
Some foods, when eaten together, will lower the glycemic load.
For instance, adding fat and acid to a food after cooking will affect the glycemic index and load.
Another number to consider when looking at carbs is the amount of calories one gram of carb can give.
One gram of carbohydrates can yield 4 calories. But remember, the body will not absorb all that calories. You’ve seen how the fiber content can lower the calories absorbed by your body and how it can make you feel fuller.
You get the idea.
Learn to substitute your carbs and get more fibers to help you manage your blood sugar and calories.
When looking at food labels on packages, choose foods and drinks that don’t have added sugar or those with less than 5 grams per serving. Look at the number of servings per bottle. Usually it contains 2-3 servings so multiply all numbers by 2-3 when you consume the whole bottle.
The recommended calories from carbohydrate intake are about 45-65% of your total caloric requirement. That is a high carbohydrate diet.
1) Very low-carbohydrate is less than 10% carbohydrates or 20-50 gm/day
2) Low-carbohydrate is less than 26% carbohydrates or less than 130 gm/day
3) Moderate-carbohydrate is 26%-44%
4) High-carbohydrate is 45% or greater
Food labels are based on a 2,000 calorie diet, which is usually more than what most people need.
I, for one, only need about 1,500- 1,600 calories per day to maintain my weight.
A healthy weight loss that doesn’t lead to a yo-yo weight gain is 1 pound a week, which means eating 500 fewer calories a day or burning 500 more calories a day.
It’s easier to lose weight by eating smart than by exercising for sure.
For instance, when I ran a 6.9-km distance I only burned 353 calories. I can quickly gain that by eating a bag of chips or a pack of M&Ms. Get the picture?
But exercise has a long-term metabolic effect that will go in your favor. More on this later.
For now, know your numbers. Aim for a reasonable and sustainable eating habit, one that you can marry for the rest of your life and make you healthy and happy.
For an in-depth reading on GI and GL, check out this article:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4994556/
To check the GI and GL of food, refer to this:
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0002916522004944?via%3Dihub
In the past, some scientists tested how fast the blood glucose levels of people increased by eating certain foods rich in carbohydrates. Using a scale of 1 to 100, where 1 is the slowest and 100 is the fastest, one can assess the glycemic index of foods.
Generally, foods are categorized as follows based on their GI values:
1) High-GI foods
> 70
2) Intermediate-GI foods
> 55 – < 70
3) Low-GI foods
< 55
The findings revealed that simple carbs tend to cause a faster increase than complex carbs with some exceptions, like fructose, the simple sugar from fruits and honey. Our bodies absorb and metabolize fructose differently, so the rise in blood glucose is slower. However, too much fructose, as in the case of eating too much of anything, is not good. The highly concentrated forms of fructose may increase triglyceride levels (another stored form of carbohydrate) and can lead to obesity.
Many factors affect glycemic index:
- Highly processed carbs tend to have a high glycemic index because of the low fiber content.
- Ripe fruits have a higher glycemic index than unripe ones because of sugar content.
- Fat and acid content of the food will lead to slower absorption of sugar.
- Cooking will concentrate and make sugar readily available.
- Even genetics will affect how our bodies react to sugar.
Spikes in blood sugar will lead to an insulin spike and make us feel hungry faster.
Try this. Eat cookies or doughnuts or croissants for breakfast and drink a cup of caramel macchiato. I bet you that before lunchtime, you’d be craving for something. This could lead to more calorie intake.
Now, try this.
Eat chia pudding for breakfast:
- 2 tbsps of chia seeds
- 1/2 cup of unsweetened soymilk or almond milk
- 1/4 cup blueberries
- 1 tbsp almond or walnuts
- a sprinkling of cinnamon or a drizzle of vanilla.
Compare the effect of these two breakfasts.
In Culinary Medicine, however, we don’t rely too much on the glycemic index alone. We also look at the glycemic load.
With the glycemic load, we add the amount of carbohydrates in a given food to the equation.
Glycemic load = Glycemic index × Available Carbohydrate (g) /100
Available Carbohydrate = total carbohydrate - dietary fiber
So even though some foods like carrots and bananas have high glycemic indices, their glycemic load is lower than those with purportedly low glycemic index. That’s because of the fiber content.
Some aim for a glycemic load of 10 or less. Others cut their portion sizes to lower the carb in grams and thereby lower the glycemic load.
Some foods, when eaten together, will lower the glycemic load.
For instance, adding fat and acid to a food after cooking will affect the glycemic index and load.
Another number to consider when looking at carbs is the amount of calories one gram of carb can give.
One gram of carbohydrates can yield 4 calories. But remember, the body will not absorb all that calories. You’ve seen how the fiber content can lower the calories absorbed by your body and how it can make you feel fuller.
- So brown rice is better than white.
- White rice mixed with quinoa (whole grain) is better than all-white rice.
- Whole wheat bread is better than croissant or white bread.
- Cauliflower-crusted pizza is better than all-white dough pizza.
- Whole wheat or chickpea pasta is better than pasta made from semolina or all-purpose flour
- Oatmeal porridge is better than white rice Arroz Caldo.
You get the idea.
Learn to substitute your carbs and get more fibers to help you manage your blood sugar and calories.
When looking at food labels on packages, choose foods and drinks that don’t have added sugar or those with less than 5 grams per serving. Look at the number of servings per bottle. Usually it contains 2-3 servings so multiply all numbers by 2-3 when you consume the whole bottle.
The recommended calories from carbohydrate intake are about 45-65% of your total caloric requirement. That is a high carbohydrate diet.
1) Very low-carbohydrate is less than 10% carbohydrates or 20-50 gm/day
2) Low-carbohydrate is less than 26% carbohydrates or less than 130 gm/day
3) Moderate-carbohydrate is 26%-44%
4) High-carbohydrate is 45% or greater
Food labels are based on a 2,000 calorie diet, which is usually more than what most people need.
I, for one, only need about 1,500- 1,600 calories per day to maintain my weight.
A healthy weight loss that doesn’t lead to a yo-yo weight gain is 1 pound a week, which means eating 500 fewer calories a day or burning 500 more calories a day.
It’s easier to lose weight by eating smart than by exercising for sure.
For instance, when I ran a 6.9-km distance I only burned 353 calories. I can quickly gain that by eating a bag of chips or a pack of M&Ms. Get the picture?
But exercise has a long-term metabolic effect that will go in your favor. More on this later.
For now, know your numbers. Aim for a reasonable and sustainable eating habit, one that you can marry for the rest of your life and make you healthy and happy.
For an in-depth reading on GI and GL, check out this article:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4994556/
To check the GI and GL of food, refer to this:
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0002916522004944?via%3Dihub