Read The Glycemic Index Diet for Dummies for Free Online

available carbohydrates and a glycemic index of 45. ( Note: I've rounded the numbers for simplicity's sake. Feel free to do the same in your own calculations.)

45 × 8.6 = 387 ÷ 100 = 3.9 glycemic load

    Want to calculate the glycemic load of instant white rice instead? Well, a portion size of around 2/3 cup of white rice has about 36 grams of available carbohydrates and a glycemic index of 72. Here's the math:

72 × 36 = 2,592 ÷ 100 = 26 glycemic load

    To find the amount of available carbohydrates in packaged foods, simply check the nutrition facts label. If the food is raw, like carrots or apples, you can use Table 4-1 as your reference for estimating the amount of available carbohydrates because it gives you the average grams of carbohydrates for the listed portions.
    Figuring out what the numbers mean
    Knowing how to calculate the glycemic load of a food is great, but it's not quite enough. The end measurement is what's most important to know. Similar to the glycemic index, the glycemic load is measured as low, medium, and high, rankings that help you determine your best choices for realistic portion sizes.
    The measurements for glycemic load are as follows:
    Low: 10 or less

    Medium: 11 to 19

    High: 20 or more

    After you know the glycemic load of a food, think of these rankings and plop your food into place. Thanks to the preceding section you know that carrots have a glycemic load of9. That's less than 10, so carrots have a low glycemic load. White rice, with its glycemic load of 26, has a high glycemic load because 26 is greater than 20.
    When you don't have time to calculate the glycemic load and match it up with the right measurement, keep in mind that foods with the least amount of carbohydrates (think vegetables and fruits) tend to have a lower glycemic load than starchy foods (such as rice and pastas).
    Factoring in portion sizes
    Perhaps one of the greatest beauties of the glycemic load is that researchers have embraced it as the main standard of measurement, which means it's already calculated for you in most any glycemic index list. Three cheers for not having to drag a calculator with you everywhere you go! The variable in this info, however, is portion size. If you're eating more or less than the portion size stated in the list you're looking at, you need to account for possible fluctuations in the glycemic load.
    To better see what I mean, consider the following different portion sizes of jasmine rice:
Portion Size

Glycemic Load
1/2 cup

35
2/3 cup

46
1 cup
70

    You can clearly see how the different portion sizes have a dramatic impact on the glycemic load. The higher the portion size, the greater the glycemic load will be. You can also see that, regardless of the calculation, the glycemic load for jasmine rice is so high that this food item isn't going to dip into the medium or low category very easily.
    To see what happens in the case of a food that borders on being low-glycemic, take a look at brown rice, which has a glycemic index of 50:
Portion Size

Glycemic Load
1/2 cup

12.5
2/3 cup

16
1 cup
26

    The smaller portion size still doesn't bring the glycemic load of brown rice down to a low level, but it does keep it within the medium range. Increasing the portion size raises the glycemic load to the high level.
    Last but not least, check out what happens to the glycemic load when you play with the portion size of a low-glycemic food such as kidney beans, which have a glycemic index of 34:
Portion Size

Glycemic Load
1/2 cup

6
2/3 cup

7
1 cup
13

    In this case, the two smaller portion sizes fall into a low glycemic load, and the larger one moves into the medium range.
    I've shown you these three examples so you can see exactly how portion size affects glycemic load, but I promise I won't make you do math every time you eat! Just knowing the portion size used in Appendix A's list will help you determine how much to eat. If the portion used is 2/3 cup and that food ends up being low-glycemic, you