The glycemic index (GI) is a scale that measures how quickly carbohydrate foods are broken down into glucose. The original purpose for the glycemic index was to help diabetics keep their blood sugar under control. The glycemic index has recently attracted a lot of attention in the bodybuilding, fitness and weight loss world and has even become the central theme in numerous best-selling diet books as a method to choose the foods that are best for losing weight.

When you eat a food, your blood sugar level rises. The food that raises blood sugar the highest is pure table sugar. So Glycemic Index is a ratio of how high that food raises blood sugar in comparison to how high table sugar raises blood sugar levels.

Foods whose carbohydrates break down slowly release glucose into the bloodstream slowly, so blood sugar levels do not rise high and therefore these foods have low glycemic index scores. Those that break down quickly cause a high rise in blood sugar and have a high glycemic index.

Eating Low glycemic index foods alone does NOT guarantee you will lose fat. Exercise, eat less, eat healthier — but ease the separation anxiety by trafficking in ice cream, chocolate or bacon cheeseburgers every once in a while.