Glycemic Index

The glycemic index was discovered by David Jenkins at the University of Toronto in 1981. The glycemic index only pertains to carbohydrates, and it measures how fast each type of carb raises your blood sugar. Low gycemic foods will cause a small rise in blood glucose level and a high glycemic food will cause a dramatically higher spike in blood sugar.

Most experts agree that a food with a GI of over 70 is considered high, a GI between 56 and 69 is medium, and a GI below 55 is low glycemic.

  • Visit my Glycemic Index List for a long list of low glycemic foods.

  • My Glycemic Index Chart shows the glycemic index of common foods.

  • The Glycemic Load may surprise you!

    Scientific Research

    According to the Journal of Nutrition a "High GI diet stimulates hunger and the storage of fat, that may promote excessive weight gain".

    Human Nutrition PhD in the School of Microbial Biosciences at the University of Sydney states "Research shows links between the presence of high glycemic foods and an increased risk of chronic disease."

    The Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) proclaims that a "Reduction in glycemic load may aid in the prevention or treatment of obesity, cardiovascular disease, and diabetes mellitus." References

    Health Risk

    High glycemic foods lead to Obesity and type II diabetes, and both contribute to heart disease.(Which is the number one killer of Americans)

    Diabetes

    Diabetes has increased in epidemic proportions in America and many experts agree that it's due to the American diet. The influx of fast food, microwave dinners, and processed foods have replaced whole foods.

    Naturally occuring foods are low glycemic. Refined or processed carbs have a high glycemic index and they turn into glucose faster than plain sugar. It creates an unhealthy amount of insulin, which leads to diabetes and ultimately heart disease. Whole foods contain the necessary nutrients that our body craves including the micronutrients not yet discovered by science.

  • Visit my Diabetes page for more information.
  • Learn more about Whole Foods.

    Weight Management

    Obesity is a real health risk and the glycemic index can help. Scientific research has shown that low glycemic foods are helpful in weight loss. First, they curb your appetite making you feel fuller longer and they also inhibit fat production. In fact, two people given the same amount of calories with different glycemic indexes will have dramatically different outcomes.

    You don't have to go hungry to lose weight. Low glycemic foods digest slowly and release their energy (carbs) over time. High glycemic foods dump all of their energy (carbs) into the blood stream immediately.

  • See the Best Way To Lose Weight according to the Superfood-Guru.

    Think Of It This Way

    Your body is like a gas tank

  • Low glycemic foods fill your tank slowly with no spillage. That's why it's a good idea to eat 5 smaller meals each day instead of 3 large meals. If you introduce too many carbs at once your body will store it as fat.

  • High glycemic foods over-fill your tank spilling it on your shoes. The extra carbs are turned into fat and your get hungry faster.

    How Do I Find Low Glycemic Foods?

  • For a list of foods including the foods to avoid, (high glycemic) see my Glycemic Index Chart.

  • Curious about the Beer Glycemic Index?

  • Skip to a Glycemic Index List of all low glycemic foods.

    Additional Resources

    Glycemic-Index.org - See how lower GI foods can reduce LDL (bad) cholesterol, help with losing weight, increase body's insulin resistance, prevent heart disease, improve diabetes control, and achieve peak athletic performance at Glycemic-Index.org.

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