Glycemic Index Help

What is the deal with the "Glycemic Index" or the "Glycemic Advanatge"?

Is it really something we should pay attention to, or is it a hoax to sell products?

Public Comments

1. GI index is very important. Its the rate at which the food you have eaten passes through the blood stream and into the cells. It dictates how fast, or how slow you release insulin, and you always want a slow and steady release. Stay on the low to mid GI index.
2. Well you want to eat foods that you can eat that breaks down slowly so you dont have spikes in your blood sugar, which leads to diabeties and over eating and fat formation.
3. No, it's quite accurate, if you send me your email address I can provide you with a copy of the index. It's how fast foods break down and release their energy. You want to eat the foods that do this the slowest. For diabetics this is so essential, but why wait to be diabetic just eat this way and you don't have to cook differently for diabetics. They are not trying to sell you anything, they are telling you what foods you already eat are on this index.
4. Better to have your doctor order a HgA1C to know where you're at.
5. Go with the GI index, Zelda, but take care with anything in uniform.
6. It is not a hoax. It has to do with the rate at which the food is converted to glycose for use in the cells, and thus on the direct blood sugar level at a given time. Watching this can mean a better ratio of blood sugar to insulin. This avoids the problems of hypo or hyperglycemia. I think it's better than counting carbs, and wish it were on more food labels.