Glycemic Load Index (GLI)
The following are exerts from The Biggest Loser, by Jillian Michaels
“By considering the quantity as well as the quality of
carbs in any given food, you have a much more
holistic and useful way of assessing its nutritional
value—this more accurate and effective measurement
is known as the glycemic load index (GLI). The
index pertains mainly to carbohydrates such as
vegetables, fruits, and grains (proteins and fats do
not have much direct effect on blood sugar), and it is
designed to help you figure out at a glance which
carbs are okay and which you should avoid.”
“The carrot is a perfect illustration of how the
glycemic index can give a good food a bad name: the
form of carbohydrate in a carrot turns into blood
sugar quickly, which puts it high on the glycemic
index and makes it a “no-no” for Atkins or South
Beach dieters. However, if you step back to get a
fuller picture, the total quantity of carbs in a carrot is
low, which means that even though those carbs are
turning into blood sugar quickly, there are so few that
their overall effect on blood sugar is not very
dramatic, so they are okay to eat.”
“Bad” carbs are the ones that get broken down in
the body very quickly, triggering insulin release and
promoting fat storage. If a food is high in bad carbs,
it ranks high on the GLI, scoring 15 or higher. Bad or
simple carbs often come in the form of refined sugars
and processed grains; in fact, the reason they bread
down so quickly in our bodies is that they have
undergone chemical procedures during factory
processing that are similar to the ones in our
digestive system, so they are partially digested when
we eat them. “Pretty gross, huh?” They are found in
packaged foods such as white bread, pasta, crackers,
baked goods, and other foods that are made with
white flour and contain little or no fiber.”
“Good carbs-the ones that score 10 or below on
the GLI-take a long time to digest, creating less of a
need for immediate insulin release in the blood
stream and thus helping to stabilize your blood sugar
level. They contain important vitamins, minerals, and
nutrients that are essential for good health. Our
bodies are genetically designed to consume these
unrefined carbs such as vegetables and whole grains.
They are often referred to as complex carbs due to
their molecular structure.”
“Carbs that fall between 10 & 15 on the GLI are
considered not optimal but not the worst thing in the
world.”
As if the sugar crash and fat storage promotion
weren’t reasons enough to stay away from high GLI
foods, the rapid production of insulin has another
adverse effect: When insulin levels in the blood
increase, your blood drives amino acids into your
muscles. When the concentration of an amino acid
called tryptophan is increased relative to other amino
acids, it is driven across the blood-brain barrier,
where it interacts with a protein in the pleasure
receptor area of the brain and stimulates the
production of the pleasure hormone serotonin. This is
why processed foods can become addictive both
physically and psychologically—once you experience
the pleasure effect from eating an unhealthy
processed food, it is tempting to want to repeat the
behavior again and again. Bottom lin? Stay away from
these carbs. They sabotage you and will hold you
back from achieveing your fitness goals.”
Other websites for nutrition info are
Nutritiondata.com
CalorieKing.com
(GLI)
Gylycemic Load Index
from
Consumer Reports on Health
March, 2007