glycemic index

The Glycemic index (GI) is a term often used to describe foods. It's a system that ranks carbohydrate-containing foods according to how rapidly and how high they cause blood glucose levels to rise.

• The GI of carrots is based on eating 3 1/2 cups of carrots all at once.
• GI is only valid when a particular food is eaten by itself and on an empty stomach. People normally eat many different foods at one time.
• Blood glucose and insulin responses to a given food containing carbohydrate can vary quite a bit from person to person.
• GI does not indicate the nutrient density of the food. For instance, a double cheeseburger would have a low GI even though it's high in calories and saturated fat.