What is the Glycemic Index

The glycemic index gives an approximate measure of how much a carbohydrate in a food raises your body's blood-glucose level. A high-glycemic index (GI) food will raise your glucose level a great deal. A low GI food will not. Beans, small seeds, and strawberries are examples of low GI foods, with a ranking below 55. Medium-GI foods like basmati rice and bananas have a ranking between 56 and 69. High-GI foods, the ones that are so pervasive in our diets, have a GI of more than 70. White bread, white rice, pasta, cookies, candy, cake and even most whole wheat bread are all examples of high GI foods.

The more refined carbs we eat, the less our bodies respond to the constant barrage of insulin they create, a condition known as "insulin resistance." This is when type 2 diabetes can develop. Raising your blood sugar in spikes too often wrecks havoc in your brain as it does in your body. People with higher blood-sugar levels had a shrunken hippocampus, which is the part of the brain involved in learning.

The bottom line is to eat whole foods that are found on the lower spectrum of the Glycemic Index. Foods that are low in the GI are anti-inflammatory and will help sharpen your brain and your mood, as well as be better for your waist line. Eating foods high in GI do the exact opposite...they are inflammatory foods that can lead to bad mood, depression, and weight gain, as well as other health problems. Be wise in the foods that you choose to put inside of your body. Thanks for reading.