GI and GL there is a difference

Sonia Jones ND from The Haven Spa and Alternative Treatment Clinic

You may have seen these terms before? I would just like to clear up what they both mean.

GI stands for Glycemic Index – this refers to how fast a particular carbohydrate is digested. In foods with a high Glycemic Index this happens quickly causing a surge in blood sugar levels, causing the body to release insulin, which as a knock-on effect of encouraging the storage of fat in our cells. This in turn results is a drop in blood sugar levels, resulting in hunger and cravings.

GL stands for Glycemic Loading it not only looks at how quickly it affects the blood sugar levels but more importantly the proportion of ‘carbs’ contained in the food.

What does this mean? Okay, a food might have a High Glycemic Index but a Low Glycemic Loading as is the case for watermelon, this is the important thing, only a small proportion of this food has an affect on blood sugar levels. So in reality its affects are much lower than its G I rating.

This is true of most fruits and vegetables.

Another fact you need to know – you could eat a relatively low GI food but eat a load of it in one sitting this over-load will change the GI rating to be higher.