Calculating Glycemic Load

Glycemic Load (GL) is the total carbohydrate burden caused by a particular food on your system.

Glycemic load may be the most important and least understood component of a low-glycemic eating plan. If you do not apply the principles of GL, it would be possible to eat only foods that are low-glycemic or medium-glycemic and still not succeed in reducing body fat.

GL addresses portions and quantity. A low-glycemic diet involves eating foods that are slowly digested and absorbed into the bloodstream, which controls the release of insulin and therefore supports balance of body fat to lean ratio (BMI).

We know that the glycemic index of a particular food is a measurement of the food's effect on an individual's blood glucose, but it does not take into consideration portion size or multiple servings, that affect glycemic load .

In some cases, such as raw or steamed broccoli, you could eat all you want due to the high fiber content the the very low glycemic-index value. This is also the case for many fresh fruits and vegetables.

However, caution should be exercised when eating quantities of products containing grain or non-vegetable carbohydrates. A piece of whole-grain bread may have a glycemic load of 50, which is considered low. However, four slices of whole-grain bread can create a spike in blood glucose and a subsequent release of insulin, which can start the fat storage cycle. Glycemic load, therefore, should be considered in planning portion sizes and number of servings.

Here is the formula for calculating glycemic load:


Total available carbohydrates is total grams (g) or milligrams (mg) of carbohydrates minus grams or milligrams of fiber. In the example of four slices of whole-grain bread, the GL is calculated as:


where the GI if 50, and the total available carbohydrate per slice is 12 (12 grams of total available carbohydrates per slice x 4 slices = 48 grams of total available carbohydrates). Note that the GI value stays constant regardless of portion or serving size.


As you can see, in the example above, our four slices of whole-grain bread have a high glycemic load of 24, which will probably trigger an insulin release. To avoid blood glucose spikes and a resulting overproduction of insulin, try to stay within low- to moderate glycemic load ranges both per serving and per day.


To help you better understand and apply the principles of glycemic indexing and glycemic load--and thereby have greater success with your low-glycemic eating plan--there are a few simple guidelines to follow.


Remember, consuming a high-GI diet--one that is high in processed carbs, sugars or fried foods--can push your blood glucose levels ever higher, which in turn can create an overproduction of insulin. An overproduction of insulin, in turn, can clear your blood stream of all glucose, depleting your source of immediate energy. This can cause an energy crash and result in a subsequent craving for more quick high-glycemic carbs. It becomes a vicious circle. See chart below:



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