Glycemic Index Help
how do you calculate the glycemic index of a particular food?
Starting to work with the Glycemic Index diet due to the fact I have PCOS (polycystic ovarian syndrome) and it's more difficult for me to lose weight.
Public Comments
- I dont know how you calculate, I think there is a science to it. Just get a reliable little book that lists lots of foods. Make sure you get one that lists glycemic load as well as glycemic index. They are REALLY cheap.
- The basic thing you should understand is that the carbs should have high amounts of fiber in it. Homey and sugar have the highest number possible because it's pure sugar. It goes down from there. Fruit is lower because although it is all carbs, there is fiber in it as well. One "fruit" I'd stay away from is grapes. This has a very high glycemic indec because it's pure sugar. I don't actualyl calculate the number, but I know that any carb I eat should have fiber in it! Sorry if this wasn't exact.
- I have the formula at home, I have memorized the foods, not the formula. I'll send it to you!
- Here are some general rules of thumb for eating lower glycemic foods: - always choose whole wheat or whole grain varieties. That includes breads, cereals, pastas, tortillas. - avoid "white" carbs: white bread, tortillas, white rice, white flour, sugar - avoid juices and sodas, they are high off the scale - fruits with fiber are better. some dried fruits like raisins are high on the GI index because the sugar is concentrated (or they add sugar, like cranberries) The other thing to know about the glycemic index is that it tests food individually, but you can reduce the overall glycemic LOAD of your meal by combining carbs with protein and/or fat. Since you're aiming for weight loss, lean protein works fine. Any time you include protein with your meal you will slow down how quickly the entire meal breaks down and this will keep you from getting hungry, and will also keep your blood sugars more stable. In other words, it's much worse to have crackers by themselves than to have them with some cheese or turkey, even though you would eat more calories that way. In fact, if you want to keep lower on the glycemic index never eat a carb by itself. If you have an apple, have some cheese or turkey with it. Good luck - eating low-glycemic meals really works for weight loss! I lost over 100 pounds that way myself.
