Why the GI diet is right for Everyone

As the new year approaches we are going to be bombarded with weight loss ads and promises: "Eat this and lose 20 lbs!", "Potatoes are bad!", "Potatoes are a healthy source of vitamins and minerals!" How can anyone actually know which direction is right for them? We all know that reduction in calories and addition of exercise is the only way to achieve effective weight loss, but did you know that low calorie or not, certain foods can sabotage your efforts?

Allow me to introduce you to the Glycemic Index method of eating. The glycemic index ranks foods on how they affect our blood glucose levels or how much your blood glucose increases in the two or three hours after eating.

The goal of this plan is to consume foods that measure low on the glycemic index, thus creating a stable state for the body, with no wild fluctuations in blood sugar that might cause insulin to call out to the fat cells to produce more fat in the body. As a result, stable blood sugar levels will help the body not to crave more and more carbohydrates, which is a vicious cycle for any dieter. When we eat foods that are high on the glycemic index, such as white bread, french fries, cookies and pizza, our hunger is not satisfied. Rather, we crave more and more carbohydrates, creating a cycle of the more we eat, the hungrier we get. By following a low glycemic diet, you should find yourself losing weight while increasing your overall health. As stated above, in order to gain the maximum benefit, you should incorporate exercise into your lifestyle.

Most carbohydrates found in food produce glucose during the digestive process. The GI compares the speed with which foods digest and gives each food a rating between 1 and 100. The higher a food appears on the GI Index, the more likely it is to trigger a spike in blood sugar. In the GI diet, foods with low GI values (lower than 55 glucose based) are optimal. The low GI foods will not kick up the glucose levels in the blood.

Tips for Low GI-Diet

• Watch your portion sizes or serving sizes; the bigger the portion, the more it will increase your blood glucose, regardless of its GI rank. 
• Eat at least one low GI food at each meal. 
• If you want to have a high GI food in a meal, combine it with a low GI food to make it a medium GI meal. For example, half a bagel (high GI) with a bowl of strawberries (low GI). 
• Limit the amount of processed, refined starchy foods. 
• Eat plenty of fruits and vegetables. The fiber in them prevents glucose shocks and reduces hunger without adding calories. 
• Use breakfast cereals based on oat bran, barley and wheat bran. 
• Legumes, beans and lentils have low glycemic index and protein rich foods. 
• Eat whole grain bread than white bread. 
• Animal products do not have a GI and are usually high in fat, protein, cholesterol and no carbohydrate. But you should eat these in moderation as these are not good for cholesterol and weight loss.

This is not just some random fad diet, there is plenty of research out there to back its premise up. As reported by the Boston Sun in reference to a recent research study,

"After six months, people who followed the high-protein, low glycemic index diet were more likely to keep their weight stable or continue to lose weight than the people who ate a low-protein, high glycemic index diet."

Another reason to avoid food with high glucose or blood sugar producing qualities is its effect on your brain. Glucose is the only fuel normally used by brain cells. Because neurons cannot store glucose, they depend on the bloodstream to deliver a constant supply of this precious fuel. This blood sugar is obtained from carbohydrates: the starches and sugars you eat in the form of grains and legumes, fruits and vegetables. Too much sugar or refined carbohydrates at one time, however, can actually deprive your brain of glucose – depleting its energy supply and compromising your brain's power to concentrate, remember, and learn. Mental activity requires a lot of energy. Eating high GI foods will not only make your weight go up, it will make your overall productivity go down. I don't know about you, but that sounds like a recipe for disaster!

What are you waiting for? Give it a try! The Low Glycemic Diet seeks to stabilize blood sugar levels, decrease cravings, and ultimately decrease the level of body fat while increasing heart health. Also, in order to work effectively, dieters must watch their overall fat intake. While it is better to eat more healthy fats than processed carbohydrates, common sense tells us that weight loss will not occur if we are munching on almonds all day long. This eating plan is research-based, and entirely workable if we control portion size along with increasing our level of exercise. Done correctly, cravings should decrease, and an overall better sense of health should be the result.

Here are a few resources I used  to help get you started:

The Effects of Blood Sugar on the Brain

Ins and Outs of The Glycemic Index

Glycemic Index Calculators and Charts