by 
The Curious Bag
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Glycemic index and glycemic load measure the effect of foods on blood sugar levels in the body. A low glycemic load means that a standard serving of food does not cause a big rise in blood sugar.
Glycemic Index
The glycemic index (GI) indicates the extent to which a food raises circulating blood sugar. A higher number indicates a greater rise.
GI Limitations
Determine the GI of a food involves measuring the effect of 50 grams of carbohydrates, meaning the serving size of a GI-tested food varies according to how much carbohydrate it contains. For example, carrots contain about 7 percent carbs, so the test serving of carrots is about 1.5 pounds, while the serving sizes of foods such as bread are much smaller.
Glycemic Load
Glycemic load (GL) considers the glycemic index, but tells you the blood sugar impact of a standard serving of food.
Practical Example
Watermelon and carrots have a high glycemic index, but because the GI measures such a large quantity of these foods, the glycemic load is low.
GL Calculation
Multiplying a food's glycemic index by the amount of carbohydrate (in grams) the food contains and then dividing the total by 100 determines the food's glycemic load.
Source:
Linus Pauling Institute: Glycemic Index and Glycemic Load
Mendosa.com: Revised International Table of Glycemic Index (GI) and Glycemic Load (GL) Values
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