Good food, made obvious

Glycemic load is the most direct read on how much and how fast a food lifts blood sugar, its glycemic index multiplied by the carbs that actually count (carbs minus fiber). It sets the base of the score: every food starts from its glycemic load, and everything below adjusts up or down from there. Because it is built from carbs and fiber, it already reflects both, so nothing is counted twice. A load under 10 is low and starts near the top, 10 to 19 is medium, 20 or more is high. The load is judged on the food as served, the serving printed on the package or the portion on your plate, because that is what your blood actually meets. And on a full plate the loads add up: protein, fat, and fiber slow digestion and can blunt as much as half of the rise, so the same carbs score gentler in a balanced meal than eaten alone.

The Bazu Score starts from a food's glycemic load, how much the serving lifts blood sugar, then adds credit for fiber, protein, and good fats and subtracts for added sugar, saturated fat, sodium, and empty calorie density. Deep-frying and artificial sweeteners are the only two things that move the score beyond the label. It all lands on one number from 0 to 95, higher is better.