Glycemic index is a ranking of how much different carbs affect your blood glucose level. The quicker the carbohydrates can be absorbed by your body, the higher the GI of the food is. The index value is found by giving test persons 50 grams of carbohydrate from a certain food and comparing it to the effect 50 grams of glucose has on the blood sugar. Foods containing only fat and proteins therefore have no glycemic index. Fiber, which is a type of carbohydrate, cannot be digested by the body and therefore does not affect your blood sugar.

Examples of foods with a high GI are white bread, sugar, potatoes and instant white rice. Most vegetables and many fruits have a low GI.

Glycemic load takes both the GI of a food, the amount of carbohydrates the food contain and the amount of that food you eat into account. A food can have a high GI, but a low amount of carbohydrate pr 100 grams compared to other foods. Therefore the GL is more interesting as it tells you something about the total load on your blood sugar.

When your blood sugar increases, your body has to produce insulin to absorb the glucose into your cells. Therefore, the higher glycemic load, the more insulin your body must produce. This is negative for your health and the cause of obesity.

This all may sound a little complicated, so don’t let it confuse you too much. I will cover more practical information and tips in other articles.