Very few of us realize the major impact the glycemic index list can have on our lives.

Ever felt weak, gotten the shakes or felt an overall tiredness? These symptoms are the result of a “blood sugar” crash. Most all of us have them from time to time – many of us have them every day or even several times a day. Do you understand what is going on inside your body?

We get our energy from glucose. That’s the “sugar” in our bloodstream. Our body works best when it has access to a steady and constant supply. To stop the feast or famine effect, we can use the glycemic index list! Finding foods that will provide a slow steady release is pretty easy once you understand how.

All carbohydrates have an affect on the blood glucose levels and the glycemic index list simply ranks them according to that affect. Proteins and fats aren’t included because they tend to have a slow steady release and don’t cause any spiking.

The glycemic index list compares how much your blood sugar levels will be raised by a 50 – gram portion. These various carbohydrates are tested against a control of pure glucose or bread.

The temporary spiking affect is called the glycemic response. All carbs cause it but, it can vary by the amount eaten, the degree of processing, the type of carbohydrate and how it is prepared.

The rankings go from 1 to 100. Pure glucose is at 100. For a food to be considered in the high range, it has to score above 70. Low is 55 and less. Obviously, the moderate range comes in at 56 to 69.

An example of a high glycemic index list ranking would be our favorite drinking snack…the pretzel – which comes in at a whopping 81.

You could do better with a fruit cocktail at 55 (just about in the medium range) or even better is the 15 of broccoli.

We care about the glucose levels in our bloodstream because – for it to work, it has to be accompanied by insulin. The slower insulin is released into our bloodstream, the healthier it is for our body – in many ways that go beyond the scope of this article.

True our bodies need glucose…but the extra caused by spikes has to be dealt with in some manner – so we store it as FAT! You can have the pounds effortlessly falling off of you by simply substituting foods high on the glycemic index list for foods that are lower on the glycemic index list. As a bonus, slower digestion means we feel full longer and will tend to eat less.

Remember, it’s the quality of the carbohydrate that is being measured by the glycemic index list, not the quantity. the measurement is based on 50 – grams and the resulting score will be the same regardless of how much you eat.

To avoid spiking your blood sugar levels and to control your weight, you will have to maintain reasonable portion sizes.

With regular workouts and keeping an eye on portion sizes the glycemic index list can be the best weight loss system you’ve ever tried.

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