Leading or misleading?
 
Introduction
Many fitness enthusiasts consider a glycemic index as the gold standard for indentifying the “suitable” versus “unsuitable” carbohydrates for themselves. However, at times, it’s quite misleading and actually aggravates the condition.


What is a Glycemic Index (GI)?

Definition: The glycemic index or GI is a scale to measure the effects of different kinds of carbohydrates on blood glucose levels by ranking carbohydrate varieties as per their effect on the blood sugar levels.


The GI ranking
The GI food ranking system is pretty simple. It ranks different classes of foods on the basis of blood sugar increase after ingesting / consuming that particular class of food. In other words, GI is directly proportional to the increase in blood sugar levels. Accordingly, foods that would cause the maximum enhancement in blood sugar will have greater GI and vice versa.


The role of insulin
As a matter of fact, when you eat carbohydrates, your blood glucose (sugar) levels increase. This eventually leads to natural release of insulin from the pancreas (insulin levels also increase). High blood insulin causes increased lipid (fat) storage in tissues / muscles and decreased burning of fat. Remember, you need to burn fat if you don’t want to be fat. Therefore, logically eating food with high GI can dramatically increase your weight.


So, should I rely on GI while choosing carbohydrates?
 
The answer to this question is tricky and yet very important.

The GI includes only those carbohydrate foods that are eaten alone and on
an empty stomach, something one should refrain from doing if he or she wants to lose weight.

Ideally, it’s always better to do two simple things:

i)    Combine a protein source (e.g. meat) with your carbohydrate, and
ii)    Eat consistently and frequently throughout the day
 

Potato – An interesting example: A potato is one of those foods that have very high GI, but if you combine it with white meat e.g. chicken breast, the resulting GI of the combined product will be much lower than that of the potato itself.

The same applies to other carbohydrate-rich foods. Rice cakes, for example, have a relatively high GI. However, just by spreading a little peanut butter on them, you will get a lower GI as the fat (in peanut butter) would decrease the carbohydrate absorption in the blood.
 
Therefore, combining a good first class protein (preferably meat or diary product) with the carbohydrate food at every meal and eating consistently for the whole day can save you from being caught in the dilemma of choosing your carbs based on GI.


What to choose then?
It’s better to simply choose natural carbohydrates over those that are processed artificially. These natural carbs include those that are obtained from the ground or from a tree. Examples include fruits, vegetables, oatmeal, yams, brown rice, potatoes, beans, lentils, yams, etc.

Processed carbs, on the other hand, are "human-made" carbohydrates and need to be limited. Examples include white and refined carbs e.g. pasta, white bread, bagels, crackers, white rice, pretzels, chips, and refined sugars.
 

Conclusion
The GI solely ranks those carbohydrate foods that are eaten alone and on an empty stomach. This is something you should really avoid doing, especially if you are eager to lose weight. Therefore, you should not choose foods based on their GI ranking. Also, combining a carb diet with first class, high quality protein and eating such meals throughout the day is a proven, time-tested way to lose weight consistently and promptly.