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I found this really cool article that breaks down the Glycemic Index in “plain language”. Check it out:

The glycemic index (GI) rates carbohydrate foods on how quickly blood sugar / glucose levels increase in the 2 - 3 hours after eating as the carbs are converted into glucose. Generally fat or protein doesn’t increase glucose levels.

Eating higher GI foods produces a rapid increase in blood glucose levels, triggering the pancreas to produces insulin. Insulin causes the body’s muscle & liver cells to attempt to store the excess glucose. Imagine insulin as a shuttle, moving glucose from just digested foods into storage. If the digestive system is pumping glucose into the blood stream quicker than insulin can move it into the muscles/liver or glucose stays high too long, the body will convert the excess glucose into fat.

Eating lower GI foods produces slower glucose raise, little insulin & fat storage, even if you have eaten high fat content foods!

How is the GI or GL of a food determined?

• Test foods are fed to volunteers in portions that contain 50g of available carbs, excluding fiber.
• The glucose / insulin response over the next 2 - 3 hours is measured.
• The result is calculated as a % of the value for the reference food, usually white bread.

Researchers measured the GI of over 300 foods & found many surprises. For example, baked potatoes (GI=121) rated almost as high as white sugar (GI=142). Who would eat a baked potato sized serving of white sugar & think it was doing you any good?The Glycemic Load (GL) is somewhat different as it is based on the active carb content of a normal serve of the food and thus is more relavant to meal planning. The total GL of a meal should be 3,000 or less from the long term Nurses Study.GL = GI * active carbs in the serve.

Are there Other Important Diet Considerations?The GI/ GL isn’t the only criteria when selecting foods as the total amount of carbs, amount & type of fat, fiber & protein are all important. Don’t eat more carbs than your need, as the number of grams times the GI is what is important.We should minimize eating saturated / trans fat & eat more fiber. Fats from cold-water fish, olive & flax oil are beneficial.Cooking, processing & age all effect a food’s GI. In under-ripe bananas (GI=43), 85% of the carbs are starch, changing to sugar as the banana ripens (GI=74). The GI of wheat, maize & oats increases, from whole grains (low GI), cracked grains, coarse flour, to fine flour (high GI) due to smaller particle size, which helps rapid digestion & glucose raise.Pizza keeps glucose up longer than any other food. Researchers compared a pizza meal with a control meal that included high GI foods & found the initial glucose increase was similar. But, for the pizza meal, glucose was still high even after 4-5 hours.

RICE

Rice can have a high GI (36 - 128). The important factor is the ratio of amylose to amylopectin. Low amylose rice (Calrose) is the highest. Basmati, a long grain fragrant rice & Doongara, a new variety, have medium GI’s because of their high amylose. Sweet has no amylose, makes the best sauces / gravies & is used in Asian restaurants. Long-grain has the highest amylose & short-grain the lowest. Rice is also brown (low GI) or white (high GI). Brown long-grain has the lowest GI.

Rice rated lowest to highest:

• Long grain
• Medium grain
• Short grain
• Sweet, Sticky & Waxy.

POTATOESThe Pontiac with its pink skin, low starch & a GI=80, stands out. The link between starch & GI’s is strong. Harvested before they mature, potatoes are low in starch & GI, later, they have a higher starch & GI.

Potatoes rated lowest to highest:

• Ruby Crescent, Russian, Round Red, La Soda, La Touge, Red Norland & Red Pontiac.
• Long White. White Rose, Round White, Eastern, California, Canada, Delaware, Irish Cobbler, Katahdin, Kennebec, Long Island, Maine, Superior & Yellow Finn
• Russet, Arcadia, Burbank & Idaho.

High Fructose Corn Syrup & MaltodextrinHigh fructose corn syrup is endemic in processed foods. Fructose is not high fructose corn syrup, which is a mix of 50% fructose & 50% glucose with a high GI=89. Maltodextrin, used in many prepared foods, has an even higher GI=137.

ENERGY BARS

Using high GI Foods & Drinks (Energy Bars, Energy Drinks) is usually NOT a good idea as the high insulin spikes produced can STOP fat being drawn from the fat cells to supply the bodies energy needs. If you don’t use ALL of the glucose produced, you will put on fat & teach your body NOT to use stored fat for energy. SNICKERS ARE MUCH BETTER (GI=51).

I also found this interactive spreadsheet where you can determine your glycemic load of each meal. Check it out:

http://optimalhealth.cia.com.au/GlycemicLoad.xls