What is Glycemic Load?
The glycemic load of a food is used to characterize its effect on blood sugar. A food has a high glycemic index, if the carbohydrate it contains converts quickly to sugar. If that food does not contain much carbohydrate per serving, there will not be very much impact on the blood sugar.
To calculate the glycemic load of a food, multiply its glycemic index by the number of digestible (non-fiber) carbohydrates in a single serving, then divide by 100. That number may be interpreted as follows:
- 20 and above = high glycemic load
- 10 to 19 = medium glycemic load
- less than 10 = low glycemic load
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