What Is The Glycemic Index?

Carbohydrates (carbs) are not all created equally. Different types of carbs act differently once they are in the body and they interact differently with all of the processes they encounter. The Glycemic Index (GI) is a measurement that shows how “bad” or “good” a carb is by measuring how much impact it has on the blood glucose levels in the body.

In this way, a person can worry less about a low carb diet and reducing all carbs. Using the GI helps a person make an informed choice between a carb that creates a severe spike in blood glucose or a food containing carbs that have very little effect on the blood glucose and insulin levels in the body.

When a person chooses low GI carbs they are choosing to reduce the risk of heart disease and diabetes. Low GI carbs as part of a low carb diet is also the key to sustainable weight-loss over a long period of time. Making healthy choices does not have to revolve around denial and want. Choose low GI foods and choose health. The GI is on a scale from 0-100 and a low glycemic food is considered a food with a GI of 55 or less. Some examples of low GI foods include:

• Carrots
• Eggplant
• Broccoli
• Cauliflower
• Cabbage
• Mushrooms
• Red peppers
• Onions
• Whole wheat bread
• Sourdough rye bread
• All-bran cereal
• Oat bran
• Rolled oats
• Porridge