The Glycemic Load Diet

Or should I say life style. I picked up this book today, and read it in no time. Quick read, and it really hits a home run in my book.

Makes so much more sense than a Atkins, or even a South Beach diet. Based on similar ideas, however it's not so gimicy, and rings true to me regarding insulin resistance.

It was written by a Dr. Rob Thompson M.D., internist, and preventitive cardiology.

He shows some pretty interesting changes in the American lifesyle, and diet over the last couple decades that really spell out how obesity has come to the epidemic levels that it is today.

Over the last 40 years americans have decreased the amount of red meat they consume by 16%, eggs by 23%, and Milk is down 52%!

You would think with the fast food industry doing so well that certainly red meat would be up. However take a close look at the meal and how little meat you actually eat. Most of what you eat is french fries, buns, and soda.

Foods that have increased over the last 40 years. Flour is up 48%, Rice is up 186%, and Potato products (french fries) up 131%.

He feels that starch is the killer in the american diet.

The Glycemic index refers to the amount food raises blood glucose compared with a benchmark- usually white bread (100).

Glycemic Load refers to the effects on blood glucose of amount of food people actually eat.

Without explaining why, food with a higher Glycemic Load is food that is more likely to be stored as fat. (get the book to explain).

Glycemic load is a much more acurate way to measure what food does to your body. For example. A carrot has a Glycemic index of 68, and spaghetti is 64. As the author states do you know many people who are fat from eatting too many carrots? In order to get a glycemic index of 68 from carrots you would need to eat Seven full size carrots. It's the way the glycemic index test is set up that requires the eater to eat that many carrots. So we need to look at things from a Glycemic load point fo view.

So looking at food from a Glycemic Index and Glycemic Load:


Tomatoes: GI 23 GL 15 (one medium tomato)
Carrot: GI 68 GL 11 (one 8 inch carrot)
White Bread: GI 100 GL 100 (one slice)
Spagetti: GI 64 GL 166 (one cup) Who eats one cup of spagetti?
Bagel: GI 103 GL 340 (one medium)




Other foods Glycemic Load:

Soda Cracker 136
8 oz of Whole milk 27
Orange 71
Beef 10oz <15
Chicken breast <15
Fish 8oz <15
Macaroni 1 cup 181
Baked Potato 5oz 246!
White Rice 1 Cup 283

Think of that you could eat a chicken brest, and glass of milk, and all the vegtables in your house you can find, and you blood sugar would be less affected than if you ate one soda cracker.

I'm telling you you don't have to starve to lose weight. Eat less than 500 GL a day and you lose wieght. Eat up.