Why Follow The Glycemic Index?

The glycemic index {GI} ranks carbohydrate containing foods and beverages according to how much they raise the blood sugar when eaten by themselves on an empty stomach. Scores range from 0 to 100. The higher the number the greater the effect on blood sugar{glucose}. The index is the foundation for some popular diets such as the Zone and South Beach Diet.

The purpose of this blog is to evaluate  health claims and examine them without bias. Are the health benefits for the GI substantiated? No the benefits remain unproven. The GI can help people with diabetes fine tune their diets, but for the average person attempting to follow the GI makes eating unnecessarily complicated.

If you just follow the recommendations for a healthful diet as found in our books you will automatically lower your glycemic load. Also remember that the GI is not a measure of a food's overall healthfulness. It only evaluates the effect on blood glucose.