The GI Diet in a Nutshell

The GI Diet is one of the hottest diets going. And for good reason: it's based on sound nutritional theory... and it works! Here's a quick overview of the GI Diet and how it can help you lose weight, get fit, and improve your overall health...

From eDiets.com:

Foods with a low Glycemic Index value (the 0-100 index ranks foods based on the effect they had on blood sugar levels) slowly release sugar into the blood, providing you with a steady supply of energy, and leaving you feeling satisfied longer so that you're less likely to snack. Foods with a high GI value cause a rapid, short-lived rise in blood sugar. This leaves you tired and hungry within a short time. The result: you end up reaching for a snack. If this pattern is repeated often, you're likely to gain weight by constantly overeating.

Diets based on GI index encourage you to eat foods with a low GI value and avoid those with a high GI value. This helps to prevent swings in blood sugar, helping you feel fuller longer. Most GI diets also recommend cutting down on fat, especially saturated fats. This means many of the foods which have a low GI value but are high in fat are still limited.

The glycemic index (GI) concept was first developed in 1981 by Dr. David Jenkins of University of Toronto (Canada). The premise: by identifying the impact of food on blood sugar levels, people with diabetes could be helped to choose the best foods to keep their blood sugar stable. However, the glycemic index alone doesn’t tell you how many grams of total carbohydrates are in a serving of food. This produces inconsistency and is confusing.

For example, soda has a glycemic index of 90 which seems to make it a healthier choice than cranberry juice which has a glycemic index of 105. Similarly, carrots have a comparatively high glycemic index of 131 while chocolate cake has a much lower glycemic index of 38. There is no doubt that for people who are trying to lose and maintain weight, carrots are better option than chocolate cake.

The glycemic index is not the best indicator of healthy food choices. That’s where Glycemic Load (GL) comes into play. It takes into consideration a food’s glycemic index as well as the amount of carbohydrates per serving. Foods with the lowest glycemic load have the lowest glycemic impact.

The Glycemic Impact Diet

With this new diet plan, highly processed, high glycemic index/load foods, including white bread and pasta, sugary cereals, mashed potatoes and white rice, are replaced with vegetables and fruits, legumes, unprocessed grains including oatmeal and long-grain brown rice. The plan also includes low and nonfat dairy, lean meats and healthy fats including monounsaturated fat from olives and avocado, plus omega-3 fatty acids from fish, nuts and seeds. These low glycemic impact foods sustain energy and allow you to develop your body into a stronger, slimmer one.

The Glycemic Impact program achieves stable blood sugars and energy by:

# Providing approximately 40% of calories from unrefined, complex carbohydrates, including whole grains and whole grain breads and cereals, and whole pieces of fruit instead of juice.

# Balancing carbohydrates with 30% percent of calories from lean protein (fish, chicken and the occasional beef and pork) with vegetarian options that include soy protein, tofu and textured vegetable protein.

# Designating about 30% of calories from healthy fats, including nuts, fatty fish, avocado and olive oil.

This is the ultimate in healthy eating -- excluding refined carbs, simple sugars, and saturated and trans fats. Some meals may be slightly higher in fat or protein, or lower in carbs, but at the end of the day, your nutritional balance is as designed.

Learn more about the GI Diet at eDiets.com...

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