What’s this thing called the glycemic index? Is it a meal-
planning method? Does it work? The glycemic index is a hot topic
these days, it seems. But it’s a controversial topic, too. This
week, I thought I’d try and shed some light on the glycemic
index and hopefully clear up any misconceptions you may have.
The glycemic index (GI) has actually been around for about 20
years. Researchers at the University of Toronto came up with
this tool back in the 1980’s. GI is really a ranking system of
carbohydrate foods based on how they affect blood glucose
levels. Carbohydrate foods are assigned a number between 0 and
100 based on that effect. Foods that have a GI of more than 70
are considered to be “high,” foods with a GI between 55 and 70
are “moderate,” and foods with a GI below 55 are “low.” Why do
foods have different GIs? Much of the reason has to do with how
quickly the food breaks down during digestion, and therefore,
how quickly blood glucose levels go up after eating. Let’s take
a look at some foods and see