Glycemic Index

Elevated blood glucose levels contribute to most chronic health conditions including heart disease and diabetes.

A new rating system, The Glycemic Index was developed to help people understand the impact that different foods have on blood glucose levels.

The Glycemic Index is a rating scale that can help guide your food choices and keep your blood sugar in a desirable range. On a scale of 1-100, the rating number indicates the percentage by which a given food will elevate blood sugar following consumption. The lower the number, the lower the blood sugar levels and insulin response, and the lower the amount of body fat that is created and stored.

Glycemic Index values are as follows:

• 54 or less is considered ‘Low’
• 55-70 is ‘Medium’
• 71+ is ‘High’.

The Harvard School of Medicine, Division of Nutrition – where the most current nutritional research is produced – officially recommended a “Low Glycemic Food Pyramid” in 2000. A Low Glycemic Food Pyramid is basically an inversion of our existing Canadian and American Food Guides, with grains comprising the smallest percentage of total dietary intake.

The selection of more Low Glycemic foods is a great first step towards FAT loss and/or peak performance.

However, the Glycemic Index is just one criteria to consider when selecting foods. Another, perhaps more important, factor is the Glycemic Load. Many people unknowingly combine Low Glycemic foods incorrectly and create a high Glycemic Load on their body.

If you are someone who thinks they are eating all the right foods and still struggling with weight retention or poor health CLICK HERE to learn more about Glycemic Loading.

Medium-to-high glycemic foods are tolerated in small amounts by some genetic types, and not at all tolerated by others. The Balanced Body System recommendations include primarily low-to-medium glycemic foods.