The glycemic index
diet or G.I. diet is gaining a status as
a healthy way to lose weight. Even though
more of a method of eating rather than a
diet, more and more people following the
G. I way attain their weight loss achievement.
Many health specialists agree that the Glycemic
Index diet, if followed properly, can be
a great way to weight loss goal, particularly
for those who struggle with conventional
low calorie diets or dieters who have problem
controlling their hunger.
The G.I diet is similar
to the low carb diet but it is not as strict
and targets the types of carbs rather than
the quantity of carbs for each meal. There
is also a focus on the correct timing of
the two basic types of meals – a carb
or protein meal. The science behind the
timing and types of meal makes G.I dieting
a potent way to help lose fat stores, safely
and relatively quickly.
The G.I diet is all about
Insulin and controlling blood sugar levels.
Insulin is a hormone
that helps regulate our blood sugar; actually
it lowers blood sugar levels by stimulating
cells to absorb any excess sugar from the
blood. The problem with Insulin is it also
causes fat cells to take up excess fatty
acids from the blood. Often we ingest a
meal which includes both sugar and fats
so if any meal includes foods which have
a high Glycemic Index then the fat from
that meal can be easily stored on the hips.
There is an established
theory that if one can control insulin levels
then one can control how much fat the body
will store from each and EVERY meal. Fat
can only be stored when Insulin is present,
and Insulin is only released when blood
sugar levels become elevated.
Carbohydrate in foods
will raise blood sugar if it is absorbed
too rapidly. The types of foods which cause
rapid absorption of sugar are all those
with a high G.I index rating.
The Glycemic Index ranks
carbohydrate foods by assigning them a number
ranging from 0 to 100. The number point
outs the rate at which the food raises blood
glucose levels during its absorption. The
higher the value the quicker the sugar is
absorbed.
A high Glycemic index
food has a value of 70 and above. A G.I
value of 56-69 is considered medium and
any foods lower than 55 are considered a
low Glycemic index food. Foods with a low
G.I are best as they digest more naturally
and help provide a steady supply of energy
over the course of several hours, it also
makes us feel fuller for longer.
Is the G.I Diet simple?
The diet sounds simple
because foods are generally chosen from
the low G.I food list, but it gets complicated
when you create a meal made up of many different
food items, each with a unique G.I value.
The idea is to make sure most items which
make up every meal have a low Glycemic index,
thus the overall G.I of the meal stays within
the low to medium range.
There are some foods
which have a high G.I rating but are considered
a healthy nutritious food. In these cases
healthy high G.I foods can be combined with
low G.I foods to maintain low-medium G.I
value, plus help create a complete nutritional
intake. An example is baked potato (high
G.I) topped with baked beans (low G.I).
There are also low G.I foods which should
be limited. Fresh meat and poultry contains
no sugar so the G.I. will be very low, however,
they do contain lots of fat and protein
so the energy content will be high. Remember
calories do still count!
One positive point about
the G.I meal plan is it’s possible
for dieters to enjoy the odd “treat”
item once or twice each week, maybe an occasional
dessert after a light dinner. As long as
these “bad” items are NOT eaten
alone it should not ruin the diet plan.
1. Enjoy tasty
foods but limit storage of fat
2. Enjoy some favorite foods AND still lose
fat
3. Increased energy level and wellbeing
4. Control of blood sugar
5. Less hunger feelings
6. Less craving for sugary foods
7. Less bloating feeling after meals
8. Ability to eat more food if desired
9. Less danger from diabetes and other diseases
10. No strict calorie reduction
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