Confused about the GI index

[Ironminded]

So I was thinking I would go and do some research and try to find some foods with lower GI's then what I have been eating to help with a cut I am on/planing on ramping up. I went to this site; http://www.glycemicindex.com/

I was really confused because some of the stuff that I thought was low GI, like brown rice is listed as high GI, or the GI number for that food was really high. Brown rice was listed as 50, while white rice was only slightly higher then that.

I am wondering how much credence I should give to these numbers, and if anyone can point me towards more info on Low GI carbs and foods which have low GI index? Also if anyone knows of any good resources for researching the benifites of low GI carbs and what not that would be great also. THanks a ton!

[AzBboy]

The glycemic index is practically useless, I fell for it myself don't feel bad. It only takes into account if you eat the carbs by themselfs. Who eats carbs by themself? Protein and fat slows digestion of carbs, as long as its not pure sugar carbs, any carbs are pretty much fine. Go by how you feel, if your eating a meal then crashing within an hour, you know what not to eat. I eat brown rice and don't crash, I eat potatoes and dont crash, but if I eat white bread...crash hard. Monitor your feelings.

[Holto]

I was really confused because some of the stuff that I thought was low GI, like brown rice is listed as high GI



The glycemic index is practically useless


All the GI is is how fast a food will *START* to cause glucose to enter the circulation. It is not a measure of fast a food is digested. Also it only applies to a food eaten on it's own. Combine rice, chicken and healthy fats and the GI changes considerably.

Knowing the glycemic load for a meal is what you should look at.

How Glycemic Load is Calculated

The formula for calculating glycemic load is simple. Multiply the GI value of a food by the amount of carbohydrate per serving and divide the result by 100.

Example No 1

Spaghetti has a GI value of 40
A serving (1 cup) contains 52 grams of carbohydrate.
The glycemic load of spaghetti is: (40 X 52) divided by 100 = 20.8

Example No 2

An apple has a GI value of 40
A serving (medium size apple) contains 15 grams of carbohydrate.
The glycemic load of an apple is: (40 X 15) divided by 100 = 6

[ShockBoxer]

So how would you calculate a meal's load if you cut up the apple and put it in the spaghetti (as an example)?

[Holto]

26.8