6 MIN READ

Glycemic Load vs Glycemic Index: Which One Should You Trust?

The short answer

Glycemic index (GI) rates how fast a fixed amount of carbohydrate raises blood sugar. Glycemic load (GL) adjusts that for how much carbohydrate is actually in a normal serving. Glycemic load is the more useful number because you eat portions, not grams of pure carbohydrate.

Why GI alone misleads you

Watermelon has a high GI of around 76, which makes it look dangerous. But a serving contains very little carbohydrate, so its glycemic load is low. Judge watermelon by GI and you avoid a harmless food. Judge it by GL and you see the truth.

How glycemic load is calculated

Glycemic load = (GI × grams of available carbohydrate per serving) ÷ 100. A GL under 10 is low, 11 to 19 is moderate, and 20 or above is high. This is the number the FatTonic Score is built around, alongside sugar, fiber, protein and how processed a food is.

Using it in real life

You do not need to calculate anything. The FatTonic Food Index does the math for every food and turns it into a single 0 to 100 score, so you can see at a glance whether a food supports or fights fat-burning.