GI is a number from 0-100 that is assigned to carbohydrate-containing foods to describe their effect on your blood glucose level after eating them. Eating straight glucose gives a GI of 100, whereas a low score means a low effect on your blood sugar. In general, the more processed, fiberless, and sweetened a food is, the higher GI it will have. Here’s a chart and a search engine for the GI of any food. This is important in lowering the risk for, and managing diabetes. Choosing lower GI foods will control the release of carbohydrates (sugar) in to the bloodstream and lessen the deleterious effect of spikes/troughs of damaging seesawing insulin responses.
On the other hand, how much carbohydrate a food actually contains (not only how quickly it is released) is also part of the equation. This is called the glycemic load. Watermelon has a high GI (80), but has so few carbohydrates per serving (5) that it’s unlikely to spike one’s blood sugar too high.
Why do you care? Well, because high GI foods are associated with increased risk of Diabetes, Coronary Artery Disease, Macular Degeneration,Obesity and Cancer. Yuck. Lower GI foods (>55) are the ones to eat - you know what they are: REAL and FRESH foods; vegetables, fruits, whole grains/complex carbohydrates. Use the method of macronutrient combination in your meals, so that carbohydrates are ingested along with protein and fat. This will slow the rate of carbohydrate release into the bloodstream, smoothing insulin responses, and allowing for sustained energy levels after meals instead of the high-GI-spike-and-crash phenomenon.
