Glycemic Load Index (GLI)



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





(GLI)

Gylycemic Load Index

from Consumer Reports on Health

March, 2007

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