Home | Supplements | eBooks | DVDs | Articles | Forum
Truly Huge Bodybuilding and Fitness

Click Here for Free Bodybuilding and Fitness Magazine Subscription


Glycemic Index and Weight Loss

Click Here For The Best Fat Burning Supplement

How To Use Glycemic Index

You can use the glycemic index as a guide to help you determine how fast a certain carbohydrate will raise your blood sugar.  The values on the glycemic index are based on glucose.  Glucose is a carbohydrate that assimilates very quickly into the body (only maltose is quicker), which makes it a good base to compare other foods with.  Glucose is given the value of 100 and all other foods are compared to that number.  The closer the food is to 100, the faster your body will use it up.  If the number is lower, the same number of calories will normally leave you feeling fuller and keep you in a state that is less likely to binge eat.  Foods high in protein or fat don't normally cause your blood sugar level to rise much so are not included here.  As a result, the chart at the end of the article only deals with foods that are relatively high in carbohydrates.

Foods that are high on the glycemic index are usually fun to eat (candy bars, soda pop).  They can give you a "sugar rush" and make you feel good.  Unfortunately, these foods also cause a lot of insulin to be released into your blood stream.  Insulin is like a key that lets sugar into your cells from the blood stream and is very important to your body.  The problem with sweet foods is that your body will try to bring its blood sugar level back to normal by producing a lot of insulin.  Once the insulin has gotten rid of the extra sugar that you just ate, there is still insulin in your blood. This extra insulin will continue to lower the sugar level in your blood, making you feel hungry, slow and lethargic.

How can the Glycemic Index help me lose weight?

To help keep your blood sugar level from falling, you can eat carbohydrates that have a lower glycemic index value because they have a longer action time.  Low glycemic foods do not cause your body to release as much insulin into your blood and as a result are broken down over a longer period of time.  This results in a longer, steadier release of energy and will probably make you feel more alert and energetic during the day.  You will also be less likely to binge eat when your blood sugar levels are in balance. Try to avoid eating too many foods in the high glycemic range.  They taste really good but usually don't have much nutritional value.

The actual glycemic value of a food has a lot to do with how fast it is used by the body but there are other factors that contribute as well.  The amount of fiber and fat the food contains may slow the absorbtion.  Also, the amount of cooking and the ripeness can affect how a product is absorbed by your body.  Your blood insulin level and how active you have been before eating also play roles in determining the speed at which your body takes in foods.

Please note the numbers shown below may not be "exactly" what you are eating.  Different research labs come up with slightly different results and although the numbers may be close, they do not always match.  I think this in another one of the tools that can be incorporated into your overall weight reduction plan.

Beans
baby lima 32
baked 43
black 30
brown 38
butter 31
chickpeas 33
kidney 27
lentil 30
navy 38
pinto 42
red lentils 27
split peas 32
soy 18

Breads
bagel 72
croissant 67
Kaiser roll 73
pita 57
pumpernickel 49
rye 64
rye, dark 76
rye, whole 50
white 72
whole wheat 72
waffles 76

Cereals
All Bran 44
Bran Chex 58
Cheerios 74
Corn Bran 75
Corn Chex 83
Cornflakes 83
Cream of Wheat 66
Crispix 87
Frosted Flakes 55
Grapenuts 67
Grapenuts Flakes 80
Life 66
Muesli 60
NutriGrain 66
Oatmeal 49
Oatmeal 1 min 66
Puffed Wheat 74
Puffed Rice 90
Rice Bran 19
Rice Chex 89
Rice Krispies 82
Shredded Wheat 69
Special K 54
Swiss Muesli 60
Team 82
Total 76
Cookies
Graham crackers 74
oatmeal 55
shortbread 64
Vanilla Wafers 77

Crackers
Kavli Norwegian 71
rice cakes 82
rye 63
saltine 72
stoned wheat thins 67
water crackers 78

Desserts
angel Food Cake 67
banana bread 47
blueberry muffin 59
bran muffin 60
Danish 59
fruit bread 47
pound cake 54
sponge cake 46

Fruit
apple 38
apricot, canned 64
apricot, dried 30
apricot jam 55
banana 62
banana, unripe 30
canteloupe 65
cherries 22
dates, dried 103
fruit cocktail 55
grapefruit 25
grapes 43
kiwi 52
mango 55
orange 43
papaya 58
peach 42
pear 36
pineapple 66
plum 24
raisins 64
strawberries 32
strawberry jam 51
watermelon 72
Grains
barley 22
brown rice 59
buckwheat 54
bulger 47
chickpeas 36
cornmeal 68
couscous 65
hominy 40
millet 75
rice, instant 91
rice, parboiled 47
rye 34
sweet corn 55
wheat, whole 41
white rice 88
wh. rice, high amylose 59

Juices
agave nector11
apple 41
grapefruit 48
orange 55
pineapple 46

Milk Products
chocolate milk 34
ice cream 50
milk 34
pudding43
soy milk 31
yogurt 38

Pasta
brown rice pasta 92
gnocchi 68
linguine, durum 50
macaroni 46
macaroni & cheese 64
spaghetti 40
spag. prot. enrich. 28
vermicelli 35
vermicelli, rice 58

Sweets
honey 58
jelly beans 80
Life Savers 70
M&M's Choc. Peanut 33
Skittles 70
Snickers 41
Click Here For The Best Fat Burning Supplement

Glycemic Index and Weight Loss, How To Use Glycemic Index


Click Here for a Chance to Win Free Bodybuilding Supplements