Glycemic Index and Glycemic Load: Traditional Foods (South American)

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Friday, August 20, 2004 12:50 am Email this article
Below is a table with the glycemic index and glycemic loads of traditional foods of South America.

High glycemic index foods increase calorie intake by 50 to 80 percent when compared to medium- and low-glycemic index foods according to one study.

Low glycemic index foods reduce calorie intake and are associated with lower body weights.

Some researchers believe that low-carbohydrate diets work because they are low glycemic index and low glycemic load foods.

Glycemic index is how quickly a given amount of food raises blood sugar levels relative to pure glucose (blood sugar).

Glycemic load is a ranking of how much a standard serving of food raises your blood sugar. Glycemic load is calculated by multiplying the amount of carbohydrate in a food by the glycemic index and dividing by 100. Glycemic load of a food is a better tool than the glycemic index value of a food when evaluating the foods you eat.

A more complete description of glycemic index and glycemic load can be found here.

     

Glycemic Index and Glycemic Load of Traditional Foods of Ethnic Groups
INDIGENOUS OR TRADITIONAL FOODS OF DIFFERENT ETHNIC GROUPS	Glycemic   Index	Glycemic     Load	Serving   size	Available   carbohydrate
	(Glucose = 100)	(per serving)	grams	grams per serving
South American
739 Arepa, corn bread cake, made with corn flour (Mexico)	72	31	100	43
740 Arepa, made from ordinary dehulled dent corn flour (25% amylose)	81	35	100	43
741 Arepa, made from dehulled high-amylose (70%) corn flour	44	11	100	25
742 Black beans	30	7	150	23
743 Brown beans	38	9	150	25
744 Corn tortilla (Mexican)	52	12	50	24
745 Corn tortilla, served with refried mashed pinto beans and tomato sauce (Mexican)	39	9	100	23
746 Corn tortilla, fried, with mashed potato, fresh tomato and lettuce (Mexican)	78	11	100	15
747 Nopal (prickly pear cactus)	7	0	100	6
748 Pinto beans, boiled in salted water	14	4	150	25
749 Wheat tortilla (Mexican)	30	8	50	26
750 Wheat tortilla served with refried pinto beans and tomato sauce (Mexican)	28	5	100	18

Articles on the same subject can be found here:

• Glycemic Index Tables