Watermelons’ Glycemic Index
In conversations about watermelon and diabetes, one can’t help but discuss the glycemic index (GI). That’s because watermelon has a glycemic index of 76 that is considered high. The GI is a measurement of how fast a particular carbohydrate raises blood sugar as compared to a standard amount of glucose. A standard amount of glucose will raise blood sugar faster than any other food and is rated as 100.
“As a reference point, the glycemic index (GI) assigns a value of between 1 and 100 to foods, based on how fast sugar from that food enters the blood stream. Foods are compared to glucose or white bread; 55 or less is a low GI, 55-69 is medium, and 70-100 is high,” says Weiner.
Foods with a high GI will raise your blood sugar quickly, while a low GI food, which is absorbed more slowly, will raise your blood sugar more slowly.
However, the glycemic load is a much better indicator of how food will affect your blood sugar. The glycemic load describes the quality and quantity of carbohydrate in a serving of a particular food. Ten or less is low, 11 to 19 moderate and 20 or more is a high glycemic load.
Generally, healthy food choices include low GI foods. However, there are many nutrient-rich foods such as watermelon with a high GI and a low glycemic load. Watermelon has a GI of 76, but 1 cup has a glycemic load of 8.