Glycemic Index vs. Glycemic Load(per serving)

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jmbarclay15
jmbarclay15 Posts: 5 Member
in Food and Nutrition
I an trying to regulate my carb intake and I am confused on this particular subject. Which should I follow in my daily counting.
Take watermelon for example.
GI=72 carbs=6 GL=4
So if going by GI its bad if I go by GL is good...

any suggestions on which to follow?

Replies

  • taso42_DELETED
    taso42_DELETED Posts: 3,394 Member
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    I think Glycemic Load is the more meaningful measure. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glycemic_load

    I think watermelon is one of the classic examples where the food has high GI but low GL.

    Edit: This link has more
    http://www.mendosa.com/gilists.htm
    "The glycemic load (GL) is a relatively new way to assess the impact of carbohydrate consumption that takes the glycemic index into account, but gives a fuller picture than does glycemic index alone. A GI value tells you only how rapidly a particular carbohydrate turns into sugar. It doesn't tell you how much of that carbohydrate is in a serving of a particular food. You need to know both things to understand a food's effect on blood sugar. That is where glycemic load comes in. The carbohydrate in watermelon, for example, has a high GI. But there isn't a lot of it, so watermelon's glycemic load is relatively low. A GL of 20 or more is high, a GL of 11 to 19 inclusive is medium, and a GL of 10 or less is low."
  • Newfiedan
    Newfiedan Posts: 1,517 Member
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    taso is correct, glycemic load is more important the gi rating, as the load is what it does to your blood sugar.
  • Tzavush
    Tzavush Posts: 389 Member
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    If you are concerned about the impact the food has on the production of insulin, it is my understanding that the glycaemic load is the more important number.
    A food with a lower GI eaten in higher quantities can have a GL that is equivalent to a food with a high GI eaten in smaller quantities.
    So if the GL is low there is less impact on spiking blood sugar and less demand for high production of insulin resulting in lower impact to the body overall..

    (This is based on my understanding of how GI/GL work....I am not an expert so please don't take me as fact)

    edit to include: I am however a nurse who does education for diabetics

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