Glycemic Index (GI)

The glycemic index is a ranking system for carbohydrates, based on their effect on blood glucose levels. In a ‘simple’ carbohydrate, energy is derived very quickly during digestion, as the carbohydrate is broken down very quickly. These types of foods (white bread, sweets, chocolate etc) have the highest GI scores. The ‘complex’ carbohydrates such as brown rice, oats, bran etc are broken down much more slowly during digestion, so release their energy over a longer period of time. The complex carbohydrates have lower GI scores.

Nutritionists recommend a diet high in low GI carbohydrates in order to keep insulin responses low and blood sugar levels constant.