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Glycemic Loading (GL) refers to a system of rating the carbohydrate impact on our blood sugar levels. It is considered a progression from the Glycemic Index (GI) and thought to be important in our further understanding of blood sugar.
The way food sugar levels are measured is through a metric called the glycaemic index (GI). Foods were tested to find out how quickly they were absorbed from digestion into the bloodstream. The GI scale was the first index created and subsequently they discovered a "flaw" which was that the measures for this scale often involved quantities of food that one would never consume in one sitting.
It was based around a set measure of carbohydrate which meant that in some cases that carbohydrate amount was reached with a small portion of food and at the other extreme that the measure of carbohydrate was reached with a ridiculously huge portion of food. Once this was realised, then it was re done and the index was re done allowing for how much carbohydrate was actually in a portion of food.
This changed the results of some foods which had been thought of as High GI to Low GI and vice versa. This index (GL) is therefore more accurate and worth understanding.
To re cap, the Glycaemic Index told us if a food contained sugars how quickly these would be absorbed into the blood stream but it did not tell us how much carbohydrate (sugar) each food contained.
So, water melon, which was High GI was rated as a food to eat at say the end of a meal when it would be digested with other foods, but on the GL scale the concept is that actually pound for pound water melon contains only a small amount of carbohydrate, therefore, its effect on the blood stream will be lower than something which is high in carbohydrate. This changed the rating of water melon from High GI to Low GL.
So, some natural foods may be Low GI but pack an awful lot of carbs into one thing; like a date for example. This also can negatively impact blood sugar as too much carbohydrate turns into too much sugar and again swamps the system. So, the Low GI date becomes a High GL food.
So, for everyone wanting stable blood sugar, have a check through the GL listing and make sure the foods you eat represent good value.
Find the list of GL and GI for common foods here.
