Glycemic Load Count

So we have established what the Glycemic Index is and how it works so what is this Glycemic load business all about? The Glycemic Load Count works in conjunction with the with the Glycemic Index and is a relatively new way to assess the impact of carbohydrate consumption on the body.  

The Glycemic Load Count is scaled in a similar fashion to the index (making it a little easier for us all to comprehend) but doesn’t go nearly as high as one hundred, like the index does. A Glycemic load of twenty or more is considered high. A Glycemic load of eleven to nineteen is considered to be in the middle and below eleven is considered to be a low Glycemic load. Low Glycemic foods are the ones you want to be eating kids!

Lets explain further. A Glycemic Index value tells you how rapidly a particular carbohydrate will turn into sugar once inside your body. So a Glycemic Index  food of, say eighty, will released rapidly into the system and cause a rapid rise in blood sugar (which is bad). A foods indexed a lower levels such as somewhere in the thirties will release sugars gradually, eliminating the rise of your body’s blood sugar. Got it?

 What the Glycemic Index doesn’t tell you though, is exactly how much of that food is a carbohydrate, which is what you need to know. It is important to understand and account for both things to control blood sugars levels within the body properly.

In demonstration, the carbohydrates found in watermelons are considered to be very high on the GI scale, but the watermelon itself doesn’t contain very much of that carbohydrate. So while the carbohydrate contained in the watermelon has a high GI, it also has a low glycemic load. So while the carbohydrate in the watermelon ranks as bad for you on the GI scale, if you only have a small amount, it wont be that bad for you after all.

More often than not, foods that have a low Glycemic Load Count value will have a low GI value (list of low Glycemic carbs) as well – mostly. There are some exceptions to the rule though (such as our beloved watermelon mentioned above).