Glycemic Load & the Glycemic Index

The glycemic index is a measure of the quality of carbohydrate foods, based on how they affect your blood sugar. It's kind of a good carbs, bad carbs thing.

I'm Dr. Caroline Cederquist, giving you The Skinny on Your Health.

In the glycemic index, pure glucose is arbitrarily assigned the score of 100, and all other foods are given a number relative to glucose. Foods with a low GI break down slowly and don't cause drastic fluctuations in blood sugar. Most foods with a high GI do.

But not all, because fiber plays a big role in how the glycemic load of a given food is released into your blood. Watermelon is a classic example. At a 72, like many fruits, it has a high GI. But it also has a lot of fiber and water, and the sugar in it gets into the blood more slowly.

Generally, I recommend that people take their fruits with a meal, or with some protein like cottage cheese or regular cheese. This help mitigate their glycemic affect, because you don't want to avoid your apple a day.