LOW GLYCEMIC INDEX

GUIDE
What is Glycemic Index?
What is 
Glycemic Index?
The Glycemic Index (or GI) is a measurement that ranks foods by their
effects on blood sugar.  

When you eat foods that contain carbohydrates, the starches and
sugars they contain are converted into a sugar (called glucose) which is
released into the blood, causing a rise in the blood sugar.

This glucose in your blood is important – it’s the primary fuel for your
brain and muscles and is, in large part, what keeps you going mentally
and physically throughout your day. Glycemic Index scale is from 1-100,
which can be broken down into 3 categories based on how quickly they
raise sugar levels after eating.

But not all foods cause your blood sugar to rise to the same degree,
and this is where the Glycemic Index comes in.

Source:
Diabetes Society of Singapore, “The Highs and Lows of Glycaemic Index”, July – September 2011
Commonwealth of Australia. (2013). Standard 1.2.7: Nutrition, Health and Related Claims
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 High & Low GI

High and Low

Glycemic Index Foods
After eating “carbs”, your blood Effect of Low GI vs High GI Foods on Blood Sugar

sugar will naturally rise and over

time, will naturally fall again. HIGH GI
BLOOD GLUCOSE LEVELS

But different foods will have

different effects on these natural
“ups and downs” of your blood
sugar. LOW GI

1 2
TIME / HOURS

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High GI Foods (GI value: 70 - 100)
The highest GI foods tend to be those that are low in fiber, but starchy
or sugary – foods like white bread, sweet breakfast cereals, fruit juices
and white rice.

Because these foods are digested and absorbed quickly, these high GI
foods tend to cause fairly large and rapid rises in blood sugar. However,
these quick spikes in blood sugar are often followed by a steep drop and
that can trigger hunger, since these high GI foods don’t provide sustained
energy.

Low GI Foods (GI value: 0 – 55)

On the other hand, the lowest GI foods (foods with a ranking of 55 or less)
tend to be whole and unprocessed. These foods take longer to digest
and absorb, so they cause more modest increases in blood sugar and
provide long lasting energy.

Vegetables, whole fruits, beans, and most 100% grain foods - like brown
rice, oats and millet - have a low GI. These wholesome foods are healthy,
and their fiber content makes them more filling, too – which is why a
diet that emphasizes low GI foods can be a good strategy for weight
management.

Herbalife Formula 1 Nutritional Shake Mix has been tested for GI and falls
into the Low GI food range.
Examples of Low, Medium and High GI Food

Low GI Medium GI High GI

0 - 55 56 - 69 ≥ 70

Herbalife Formula 1 Banana, Apple, Nuts Corn, Pumpkin, Sweet Potato White Rice, White Bread, Potato
Nutritional Shake Mix

*F1 Nutritional Shake Mixes are Tested for low GI by Temasek Polytechnic, Singapore.
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 High & Low GI

List of Everyday Foods & Their GI Values*

Low GI Food (0 –55) Medium GI Food (56 – 69) High GI Food (70 – 100)

Brown Basmati Most Fruits & Rice White Pita Rice Dried Dates
Rice Vegetables Noodles Bread

Vermicelli Rolled Oats Chappati Pineapple Short Grain Watermelon

Noodles Rice

Multigrain Formula 1 Banana Pumpkin Mashed White Bread

Bread Nutritional Shake Potato
Mix
(Powder Only)

*Source: Glycemic Index Research Unit, Temasek Polytechnic Singapore

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4 Reasons to Eat Low
GI Foods
Incorporating low GI foods as part of your healthy, balanced diet can
provide many benefits. Low GI foods:
May help support weight management*
• keeps you full for longer
• Delays hunger in between meals
• Promotes short-term satiety & supports weight
management

May help provide sustainable energy*

• keeps you full for longer
• Provides steady and sustained supply of energy

May help support blood sugar within a healthy range*

• Low GI foods are digested more slowly, producing a
gradual rise in blood sugar levels
• Helps minimize fluctuations in blood sugar levels

Source:
Temasek Polytechnic, Benefits of Low Glycemic Index Foods, 2014.
British Dietetic Association (BDA), Glycaemic Index, December 2013.
Hardy, D. S., Hoelscher, D. M., Aragaki, C., Stevens, J., Steffen, L. M., Pankow, J. S., & Boerwinkle, E. (2010). Association
of glycemic index and glycemic load with risk of incident coronary heart diseaseamong Whites and African Americans with
and without type 2 diabetes: the Atherosclerosis Risk Communities study. Ann Epidemiol, 20(8), 610-616. doi: 10.1016/j.
annepidem. 2010.05.008

All information is intended for your general knowledge only and is not a substitute for medical advice or treatment for specific
medical conditions.
 Glycemic Index vs. Glycemic Load

Glycemic Index vs.

Glycemic Load –
What’s the Difference?
By now you will know that the Glycemic Index ranks carbohydrate-
containing foods based on their effects on blood sugar. But in order
to really understand the effects of foods on your blood sugar, there’s
another term you should get familiar with – Glycemic Load.

While the Glycemic Index measures a quality in a food (whether or not

a food contains easily digestible carbohydrates), the Glycemic Load
factors in the quantity of carbohydrate - the amount that is actually
eaten in a typical serving. This is a very important distinction – and
requires a little bit of explanation.

How The Glycemic Index and Load is Determined for Foods

To establish the Glycemic Index for a food, people are fed a measured
amount of that food – specifically, an amount that supplies a set
amount of carbohydrate (usually 50 grams). Then, blood sugar
measurements are taken over a set period of time after the food is
eaten. Using these measurements, the effect of the food on the
blood sugar is calculated, and the resulting value is compared to pure
sugar, which is given a value of 100.

However, the amount of food that you’d need to eat in order to get
50 grams of carbohydrate – the amount needed to establish the GI
- varies quite a bit from food to food. This could be as little as two
slices of white bread, or a small bowl of white rice, or as much as 13
whole apricots or 50 whole watermelons!

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To get 50 grams of carbohydrates, you will need to eat:

Two Slices Of small bowl of 13 whole 50 whole

White Bread white rice apricots watermelons

When a food has a high GI value, it means that the food contains
readily digestible carbohydrates that could cause your blood sugar
to rise quite high, relatively quickly. But what really matters is how
much of that readily available carbohydrate you actually eat.

The amount of carbohydrate you get from two slices of white bread -
about 50 grams - is a lot different from the amount you’d get from a
typical serving of watermelon (only about 6 grams), but white bread
and watermelon have almost identical GI values.

So, the Glycemic Load takes into account the amount of carbohydrate
that you would typically consume in a serving of food. This is
important, because if you were to focus only on eating foods with
a low Glycemic Index, you might be cutting out healthy foods (like
carrots or watermelon) unnecessarily. So, it’s important to consider
the GL, too.
 
While the GI is defined only for individual foods, the GL can be
calculated for any serving size of food, for an entire meal and, in fact,
for an entire day’s meals. For this reason, it’s important to consider
the GL of the diet overall.

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 A Guide to Selecting Low Glycemic Index Foods

A Guide to Selecting Low

Glycemic Index Foods
There are certain factors that influence the GI of a food. Knowing
these can guide you in your food selections.

How much a food is processed.

In general, the more processed a food is, the higher the GI value.
For example, when whole grains are processed, the high-fiber
bran and nutrient-rich germ are removed, leaving only the starchy
portion. Since fiber slows digestion time (which, therefore, slows
the rate at which the blood sugar rises), removing the fiber likely
increases the GI of the grain.

This explains why white rice has higher GI than brown rice. Similarly
fruit juices have a higher GI than whole fruits, because the juices
do not contain any fiber. So, choose whole fruits and whole
grains over fruit juices and highly refined grain products.
The amount of soluble fiber a food contains.

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Soluble fibers – found in foods like apples, oranges, carrots, beans,
oats and barley - form a gel when they come in contact with liquids
in your digestive tract. The gel makes it more difficult for digestive
enzymes to ‘get at’ the carbohydrates and break them down. This
slows down the digestive process, and slows the rate at which
sugar is released into the bloodstream. So, foods with soluble
fiber tend to have low GI values.

The amount of fat a food contains.

Fat also slows digestion time, so foods that contain both
carbohydrate and fat generally have a lower GI than those that are
high in carbohydrate and fat-free. Full-fat ice cream, for example,
has a lower GI than frozen yogurt, and fatty potato chips and
French fries have lower GI values than a plain baked potato. But,
French fries have more fat and calories than frozen yogurt or a
plain baked potato – which is why you shouldn’t rely entirely on
GI values to guide your food choices. It’s important to consider
all of the nutritional qualities of a food while making your
selections.

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 A Guide to Selecting Low Glycemic Index Foods

What the food is eaten with.

One thing to keep in mind is that the GI of a food is a measure of
how that food – when eaten by itself – affects blood sugar. Since
we tend to eat foods in combination with other foods, this can
affect the overall impact of the meal on your blood sugar.

If you eat a high GI food with a lot of low GI foods, your blood
sugar won’t rise as quickly - or as much - as if you’d eaten the
high GI food by itself. For example, eating mashed potatoes (high
GI) with broccoli (very low GI) and fish (no GI, since it contains no
carbohydrate), there will be less of a rise in your blood sugar than
if you’d eaten the potatoes and nothing else.

Aim for at least one fruit or vegetable with each meal or

snack, and eat your starches in the form of beans and whole
grains.

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How the food is prepared.
Although the effect is modest, it’s
interesting to note that acids – like
lemon juice or vinegar - delay the rate
at which your stomach empties.

This leads to a slower rise in your

blood sugar and, therefore, lowers
the GI value of the food. If you were to
prepare a potato salad and toss it with
a vinegar-based dressing, the GI value
of the potato salad will be lower than
the GI value of a plain potato.

Also worth noting: the longer you

cook pasta, the higher the GI. Pasta
is somewhat unique in that the starch
it contains is bound up with the natural
protein in the dough. The longer the
pasta cooks, the more starch is freed
up from the protein – which results in
a higher rise in blood sugar, and an
increase in the GI.

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 Herbalife Balanced Nutrition

Balanced Diet with

Herbalife Nutrition

BALANCED
NUTRITION

HEALTHY
ACTIVE
LIFESTYLE
PERSONALIZED
PROGRAM

The Herbalife Nutrition Philosophy is based on balanced nutrition, leading a

healthy, active life and following a personalized program with the help of an
Independent Herbalife Associate.

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A Healthy, Low GI Diet Plan
A balanced diet should consist of 40% carbohydrates, 30% protein,
and up to 30% healthy fats. Ideally, the sources of your carbohydrate
intake should be low GI, and fats should be unsaturated.

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 Herbalife Balanced Nutrition

Herbalife Nutrition and Healthy Ingredients

Protein
• Plant vs Animal
Protein can come from animal sources – meats,
fish, poultry, eggs, milk and milk products – or
plants – soybeans, beans, lentils, nuts and whole
L
grains. While animal-derived protein contains all
the essential amino acids necessary for the body
to manufacture its own proteins, these sources of
protein also contain more saturated fats than plant
protein sources.

• Soy Protein
Soy is one of the few complete proteins in the
plant world. Soybeans are also low in saturated fat
and like all plant foods, are naturally cholesterol-
free. Soybeans also offer up calcium, magnesium,
phosphorus, potassium and B-vitamins, along with
omega-3 fats.

Healthy, Low GI Carbohydrates

Check where most of your carbohydrates come from
– e.g. rice, noodles, breads, cereals & potatoes. Aim
to swap the high GI foods with lower GI alternatives at
every meal.

Healthy Fats
While fats and oils often get a bad reputation for
contributing to obesity and raised cholesterol levels,
H
healthy, unsaturated fats are sources of essential fatty sl
acids, including omega-3 fats. These are necessary to yo
maintain life and can help to promote heart health too. F
The foods that contain heart-healthy fats include nuts
and seeds, olives and olive oil, seafood, and avocados. H
pr
*F
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 LOW GI SHAKE FOR YOUR HEALTH

GI
Formula 1 Nutritional
Shake Mix
• Helps you manage your weight
• Helps reduce hunger and
keeps you fuller for longer
• Prolongs physical endurance

Herbalife Formula 1 Nutritional Shake Mix is low-GI tested*. Low GI foods are digested more
slowly, producing a gradual rise in blood sugar. This helps provide a steady supply of energy and keep
you feel full for longer, delaying hunger that may occur between meals. Incorporate low GI foods like
Formula 1 Nutritional Shake Mix in your diet today to better manage your weight*!

Herbalife products mentioned above are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease, and is part of a
program that includes nutrition and exercise †
*F1 Nutritional Shake Mixes are Tested for low GI by Temasek Polytechnic, Singapore.
Formula 1 Nutritional Shake Mix

Formula 1
Nutritional Shake Mix,
A Perfect Choice for your
Preferred Diet
Herbalife’s delicious protein shakes are loaded with essential vitamins,
minerals and nutrients that are perfect for busy people. Whether you’re on
the go or just want a nutritious meal, reach for an Herbalife Formula 1 shake
to satisfy your hunger and help manage your weight.
 For weight loss (2 shakes a day)
Breakfast Snacks Lunch Snacks Dinner

Formula 1 Shake Formula 1 Shake

with Personalized Healthy Healthy Healthy with Personalized
Protein Powder Snack Meal Snack Protein Powder

For Weight Management/Calorie Control (1 shake a day)

Breakfast Snacks Lunch Snacks Dinner

Formula 1 Healthy Healthy Healthy Healthy

Shake Snack Meal Snack Meal

To increase your strength and stamina (1-2 shakes a day)

Breakfast Snacks Lunch Snacks Dinner

Formula 1 Shake Formula 1 Shake

Healthy Healthy Healthy
with Personalized with Personalized
Snack Meal Meal
Protein Powder Protein Powder

Herbalife products mentioned above are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any
disease, and is part of a program that includes nutrition and exercise
 Recipes

Enjoy Various Tastes and

Recipes of the Nutritious Shake
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 Orange Blueberry
Mango Shake Cranberry Shake
Ingredients Ingredients
• 3 scoops of Formula 1 • 3 scoops Formula 1
Nutritional Shake Mix French Nutritional Shake Mix French
Vanilla flavour Vanilla
• 1 to 2 scoops of Personalized • 1 to 2 scoops of Personalized
Protein Powder Protein Powder
• 300 ml of Plain soy milk or • 300 ml skimmed milk
skimmed milk • Low-calorie cranberry juice – ½
• Fresh mango chunks – ½ cup cup
• Fresh oranges(deseeded)- • Frozen/Fresh blueberries – ½
½ cup cup
• 4-6 ice cubes (optional) • Few drops of Orange extract
• 4-6 ice cubes (optional)
Directions
Place all ingredients in the blender Directions
and blend thoroughly until the ice Place all ingredients in the blender
cubes are completely crushed. Ice and blend thoroughly until the ice
cubes are optional. cubes are completely crushed. Ice
cubes are optional.

e Disclaimer:
Images of the shakes given are only for reference actual shake appearance shall vary
Suggested toppings/recipes are for incorporating variety in your shake, not a advice on weight loss or management

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 Recipes

Watermelon Carrot
Shake Nectarine Shake
Ingredients
Ingredients • 3 scoops of French Vanilla
• 3 scoops of French Vanilla Formula 1 Nutritional Shake Mix
Formula 1 Nutritional Shake Mix • 300ml of skimmed milk
• 300ml skimmed milk • 1/2 cup carrot juice
• 1 cup watermelon • 1 nectarine (or peach)
• 4-6 ice cubes (optional) • 2-4 ice cubes (optional)

Directions Directions
Place all ingredients in a blender Place all ingredients in a blender
and blend thoroughly until ice and blend thoroughly until ice
cubes are completely crushed. cubes are completely crushed.

Disclaimer:
Images of the shakes given are only for reference actual shake appearance shall vary
Suggested toppings/recipes are for incorporating variety in your shake, not a advice on weight loss or management

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 Plush Pomegranate White
Shake Fruity Shake
Ingredients Ingredients
• 3 scoops of French Vanilla • 3 scoops of French Vanilla
Formula 1 Nutritional Shake Mix Formula 1 Nutritional Shake Mix
• 1 handful Frozen/Fresh Berries • 300 ml skimmed milk
• 300ml of skimmed milk • 1/2 banana
• 250ml Pomegranate Juice • 1/2 cup of cooked oats
• 2-4 ice cubes (optional)
Directions
Place all ingredients in a blender Directions
and blend thoroughly until ice Place all ingredients in a blender
cubes are completely crushed. and blend thoroughly until ice
cubes are completely crushed.

Disclaimer:
Images of the shakes given are only for reference actual shake appearance shall vary
Suggested toppings/recipes are for incorporating variety in your shake, not a advice on weight loss or management

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