Glycemic load: a score that looks at both how quickly a food raises your blood sugar (its glycemic index) and how much carbohydrate is in the portion you actually eat.
Why GI alone can mislead
GI on its own can mislead, because it ignores how much you eat.
- A food with a high GI but little carbohydrate in a normal serving may have only a small effect.
- A big plate of a medium-GI food can push your sugar up a lot.
A review published in the US National Library of Medicine's archive describes GL as GI multiplied by the available carbohydrate in a portion, and groups it as:
- low (10 or under)
- medium (11 to 19)
- high (20 or above)
It notes these cut-offs were set somewhat arbitrarily and the health evidence is mixed.
Portion is the biggest lever
Portion size is your biggest lever. One katori of rice carries a far lower load than a heaped plate.
At meals:
- Fill half your thali with vegetables.
- Add dal, chana or paneer.
- Keep rice, roti or poha to a measured portion.
- Choose whole grains and fibre-rich foods.
- Keep sweets and sugary drinks small and occasional.
The first call is free
Tell Puja what's going on and she will tell you honestly whether she can help.
Checked against: NIH National Library of Medicine (PMC): Relevance of the Glycemic Index and Glycemic Load for Body Weight, Diabetes, and Cardiovascular Disease. General information, not medical advice.
Related words
Glycemic indexCarbohydratePortion sizeKatoriPostprandial blood sugarRefined carbohydrates
Foods to read about
White riceBrown riceMoong dalRajma (kidney beans)
Where it comes up
Sample diet charts
A question about Glycemic load?
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