The Low Glycemic Index
Low GI (glycemic index) diets come in many shapes and sizes. Nevertheless, all low GI diets are based on the same principle of balancing blood sugar. The foods which are restricted on low GI diets are those which cause your blood sugar and insulin levels to rise fast and high. This rise is measured using a scale called the glycemic index (GI for short), which is how Low GI diets got their name.
It is only carbohydrates which affect blood sugar and insulin levels to any significant degree. Foods containing high amounts of carbohydrate include flour and sugar, potatoes, rice, corn and other grains and the many foods made with them. In general, the GI of a carbohydrate food becomes higher the more highly processed it is. So for instance, mashed potatoes have a higher GI than boiled potatoes, and white bread made with highly refined white flour has a higher GI than whole grain bread. Lesser amounts of carbohydrate are found in peas and beans, nuts and seeds, fruits and vegetables and milk and milk products.
Carbohydrate-free foods for example fats and proteins such as meat, poultry, fish and pure protein powders) and foods containing so little carbohydrate that their glycemic effect is not measurable for example cheese and eggs are not limited from the glycemic index point of view. However, there may be other reasons to avoid the food - for instance if it is a trans fat. This is explained further in Why Can’t I Lose Weight - the real reasons diets fail and what to do about it.
Low GI diets are similar in many ways to low carb diets, and understanding the difference between them can be confusing. This is explained in detail in The Easy Guide to Low Carb & Low GI Diets, which comes as a bonus with the Low Carb or Low GI Cookbook.
The basic rules of any low GI diet plan are to:
Reduce intake of concentrated sugars and starches
Swap highly refined flour products such as white bread, low-fibre breakfast cereals and quick-cooking starches for grain products produced using traditional methods for example whole-wheat pasta, stone-ground flour, old-fashioned oatmeal
Choose whole grains such as brown rice, buckwheat and quinoa instead of potatoes and white rice
Increase intake of peas and beans, nuts and seeds and most vegetables and fruits
Many low GI diets also advocate choosing lean meat and low fat dairy products in order to keep intake of saturated fat low.
Not all low GI plans are specifically aimed at weight loss. Some are simply aimed at healthy eating, which is important for your long term health even if you don’t have any weight to lose. The foods that cause the highest rises in blood sugar and insulin levels are bad for you in general, as they tend to be highly processed. This strips them of the vitamins, minerals, enzymes and fiber that your body needs in order to be healthy. By eating the low GI way, you are reducing your consumption of unhealthy foods such as white flour, sugar and white rice and replacing them with nutrient-dense, fiber-rich whole grains and other unprocessed foods such as fruits and vegetables.
The main difference between a healthy eating low GI plan and a weight reducing low GI plan is the degree to which carbohydrates are restricted. Just switching to a lower GI way of eating than you are currently following may be enough to produce weight loss, but this depends on your individual metabolism and how sensitive you are to carbohydrates. For many people, losing weight on a low GI diet means choosing one that restricts carbohydrate foods quite severely.
Here we are assuming that you are considering a low GI diet because you want to achieve weight loss as well as better health. We have created two methods of following a low GI diet so that you can choose the one which best suits the way you like to do things. The first will suit you if you prefer to approach things in a very exact and detailed way. On the other hand, if you are the kind of person who prefers a less detailed approach, then our second method may suit you best.
Best Low GI Diets
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