HEALTH TIP

*HEALTH TIP* 

     Watch out on glycemic index/load. Glycemic index is an index that indicates the ability of a carbohydrate food to increase glucose level in the blood. 100 represents pure glucose, which means rapid digestion and absorption of glucose into the bloodstream. Eating food with high GI creates sugar spikes and will lead to diabetes in the long run. A GI of 55 or lower is considered low. High GI foods include mashed potato (>80), white bread (>70), white bagel (72), white rice (65), Coke (63).

However, glycemic index is only one part of the story — we need to look at the glycemic load, which tells us how high our blood sugar rises when we consume the food, depending on the amount consumed. Glycemic load is calculated by multiplying GI by the amount of carbs consumed, divided by 100. A glycemic load of 10 or below is considered low; 20 or above is considered high.

For this reason, fruits have high GI but a low glycemic load for the quantity normally consumed. For example, watermelon has a high GI of 80. But a serving of watermelon has so little carbs (6 grams) that its glycemic load is only 5. Eating a food with a low GI but in large quantity is similarly unhealthy. Macaroni has a GI of 50 but the usual serving of 180 grams will lead to a glycemic load of 24. You can lower the glycemic load of a food by pairing it with fat and protein. 

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