The glycemic load (GL) is a ranking system for carbohydrate content in food portions based on their glycemic index (GI) and the portion size. The usefulness of glycemic load is based on the idea that a high glycemic index food consumed in small quantities would give the same effect as larger quantities of a low glycemic index food on blood sugar. For example, white rice is somewhat high GI, so eating 50g of white rice at one sitting would give a particular glucose curve in the blood, while 25g would give the same curve but half the height. Since the peak height is probably the most important parameter, multiplying the amount of carbohydrates in a food serving by the glycemic index gives an idea of how much effect an actual portion of food has on blood sugar level. Glycemic load for a single serving of a food can be calculated as the quantity (in grams) of its carbohydrate content, multiplied by its GI, and divided by 100. For example, a 100g slice serving of watermelon with a GI of 72 and a carbohydrate content of 5g (it contains a lot of water) makes the calculation 5*0.72=3.6, so the GL is 3.6. A food with a GI of 100 and a carbohydrate content of 10g has a GL of 10 (10*1=10), while a food with 100g carbohydrate and a GI of just 10 also has a GL of 10 (100*0.1=10). Data on GI and GL comes from the University of Sydney (Human Nutrition Unit) GI database at [1] through [2].
Contents |
List of foods and their glycemic load, per 100g serving
| Food | Glycemic index | Carbohydrate content (by weight) |
Glycemic Load | Insulin Score[1][2][3] |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Baguette, white, plain (France) | ~95 | ~50% | ~48 | - |
| Banana, Mean of 10 studies | ~52 | ~20% | ~10 | ~81 |
| Carrots, Mean of 4 studies | ~47 | ~7.5% | ~3.5 | - |
| Corn tortilla (Mexican) | ~52 | ~48% | ~25 | - |
| Potato, Mean of 5 studies | ~50 | ~19% | ~9.3 | ~121 |
| Rice, boiled white, mean of 12 studies | ~64 | ~24% | ~15.4 | ~79 |
| Watermelon | ~72 | ~5% | ~3.6 | - |
See also
External links
- Glycemic index website and official GI database - University of Sydney
- "International table of glycemic index and glycemic load values: 2002," American Journal of Clinical Nutrtition
- GL Diet Information (Including Meal Planner \ Tips \ GL Range)
- Glycemic Load, Diet and Health
- Tree/freetext search-style database of Glycemic Index and Glycemic Load(same number of food items but also calculates totals according to FAO/WHO specifications).
- Low glycemic index recipes, cooking tips, and food lists Glycemic Gourmet
- Low Glycemic Eating The GoodCarb Food Company was the first company in the world to directly measure the glycaemic load (GL) of their products
