Understanding the Glycemic Load

The glycemic index is calculated using a serving of food that provides 50 g of carbohydrate. Although a food may be rated high on the GI, it may not have a negative effect on blood sugar levels if that food has a low carbohydrate content.

For example, some fruits and vegetables, such as mango, papaya, and watermelon, are higher in the GI, yet they contain a small amount of carbohydrate per serving; thus they will not have a dramatic effect on blood glucose levels when eaten in a typical serving.

To help us understand this concept researchers developed the glycemic load (GL). The GL is calculated by multiplying the glycemic index rating of a food by the amount (in grams) of carbohydrates in the serving, and dividing by 100.

For example, an apple has a GI value of 40. A serving (medium-size apple) contains 15 g of carbohydrate. The glycemic load of an apple is: (40 x 15) divided by 100 = 6.

Here are the reference ranges for the glycemic load:

• Low glycemic load = 10 or less
• Moderate glycemic load = 11 to 19
• High glycemic load = 20 and higher

Glycemic Index Food Chart

Low GI (55 or less)	Moderate GI (56 to 69)	High GI (70 and above)
bran cereal	arrowroot biscuits	bagel (white)
apples (fresh and dried)	beets	cornflakes
apricots	buckwheat	corn chips
beans (kidney, navy, pinto)	cantaloupe	digestive cookies
broccoli	corn	doughnut (cake type)
carrots (raw)	couscous	dates
cherries	honey	french fries
chickpeas	mango	graham wafers
chocolate (dark)	muesli	jelly beans
grapes	papaya	kaiser roll
kiwi	pineapple	hard candies
oat bran bread	pita bread	parsnips
oatmeal (slow cooked)	potatoes (boiled or mashed)	pasta (corn or rice)
pasta (cooked al dente)	popcorn	potato (baked or instant mashed)
pumpernickel bread	rice (basmati or brown)	pretzels
rice (long grain or wild)	rye bread	rice (instant or jasmine)
sweet potatoes	shredded wheat cereal	soda crackers
Taro	wheat thins	watermelon
Yam	whole wheat bread	white bread

Source: alive Web Exclusive, November 2007