What is the glycemic load and glycemic index?

This University of Illinois Extension webpage provides resources for adults with diabetes including information about glycemic load and glycemic Index. The glycemic index is a system of ranking foods on a scale of 0 to 100 according to how high blood glucose peaks within two hours of consuming the specific food. The glycemic load is based on glycemic index but uses standard portion sizes rather than 100 grams of carbohydrate.