How is glycemic index determined. How do I know if a food has a high or low glycemic index ?
Glycemic index is determined by feeding a certain food to a test-person, and measuring the test subjects change in blood glucose a certain time after the meal. This is compared to a baseline response to another meal, usually glucose or white bread. Although the details of how glycemic index is determined is not particularly exciting, the general principal is important. It is impossible to determine the glycemic index simply by analyzing the food on paper, it must involve human experiments. In principle, this means that most athletes who wish to moniter glycemic index must consult a glycemic index table to determine a foods glycemic index. Glycemic index is somewhat unpredictable, and at times doesn’t seem to follow intuitively.
