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The Glycemic Index is a number that represents how quickly after a food is eaten that it affects your body in the form of an insulin reaction. Foods that have a high glycemic index trigger an undesirable insulin response, which is an insulin spike (insulin level is high). This means that there is an excess amount of insulin in the bloodstream and this promotes fat storage. Just the opposite, foods that are low on the glycemic index do not elevate insulin levels. Low glycemic products as said to reduce excess fat storage, increase and sustain energy levels and increase mental alertness. A high level of insulin is followed by a very low level of insulin, called a 'crash'. This is when you feel tired and may even think you're hungry because your body is trying to raise insulin levels back to normal levels.
Most of the glycemic charts we've seen have ranked carbohydrates from 0 - 100. Simple sugars, that cause an undesirable insulin spike, are higher in number. Examples of foods with a high glycemic index are flour and sugar. Think of all the foods that have either of these ingredients: bread, doughnuts, jelly beans, cookies, bananas... the list goes on and on. Examples of foods with lower glycemic indexes include more complex carbs: yams, beans, oatmeal and broccoli. These are better food choices because they will not release insulin into your system anywhere near as quickly.
An important note is that just because a product is low in carbohydrates does NOT mean it has a low glycemic index. The type of carbohydrates and their relationship to the other ingredients in the product as well as processing dictates a low glycemic index rating and how they affect the human body. The only way to determine a glycemic rating for any product is to subject it to specific analytical testing.
Here are the Glycemic Index lists that we refer to:
References include:
Book: The New Glucose Revolution, several contributing authors
(ISBN: 1-56924-506-1)
Magazines: Several Nutrition, Bodybuilding & Fitness Publications
Information also available online:
The Glycemic Institute
The Complete Guide to Fat-Storing Carbohydrates, Glycemic Research Institute, 2001
Please note (disclaimer): We did not use this website or this book in our research to create this page, but more information is available in these places.
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