We've all heard of the latest fad diets, usually falling under a vague title of "high carb" or "low carb". The problem is that there are different kinds of carbohydrates — very different! While the right carbs at the right time can boost your metabolism and help you lose weight and/or build muscle, the wrong carbs at the wrong time can turn your body into a fat-storing machine.
So, what makes one carb different from the next? Glycemic Index (GI):
What is Glycemic Index?
The glycemic index or GI provides a way of ranking carbohydrates according to their effect on our blood glucose levels. Choosing low GI carbs – the ones that produce only small fluctuations in our blood glucose and insulin levels – is the secret to long-term health, reducing your risk of heart disease and diabetes, and the key to sustainable weight loss.
Eating a lot of high GI foods can be detrimental to your health, because it pushes your body to extremes. This is especially true if you are overweight and sedentary. Switching to eating mainly low GI carbs that slowly trickle glucose into your blood stream keeps your energy levels balanced, making you feel fuller for longer between meals.
How Do I Find a Food's GI Value?
GlycemicIndex.com provides a very useful tool that lets you search their extensive database for a specific food. Just go to The GI Database and type in the name of any food. For example, type in "Apple", then press "Search", and you will be given a list of different apple varieties, along with their GI Value, serving size, and number of carbs.
Use this great tool to start substituting some of your high GI foods for lower GI options.
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Boooo! GI is overrated!