GetSlimZone.com

The Glycemic Index was developed in 1981 to help people (especially diabetics and athletes) to maintain stable blood sugar levels.

Invented by David Jenkins and Thomas Wolever of the University of Toronto, this systems classifies carbohydrate-containing foods according to how fast they raise blood-glucose levels inside the body. In simple terms, a food with a higher glycemic value raises blood glucose faster and is less beneficial to blood-sugar control than a food with a lower glycemic index which does not spike your blood-sugar level.

The glycemic index (GI) is a ranking of foods on a scale from 0 to 100 according to the extent to which they raise blood sugar levels after eating.

Individual foods with a high glycemic index release glucose into the bloodstream quickly. This causes blood sugar levels to rise rapidly. Individual foods with a low glycemic index release glucose more steadily over several hours. This helps to keep blood sugar levels relatively calm.

Pure glucose has a ranking of 100 on the glycemic index and all other foods are ranked in relation to glucose.

Foods that rank as “high” on the index include ice cream, croissants, raisins and other dried fruit, bananas, carrots and watermelon. Foods that rank as ” moderate” on the glycemic index (45-60) include most types of pasta, baked beans, green peas, sweet potatoes, orange juice, blueberries and rice. “Low” glycemic index foods (under 45) include beans, cruciferous vegetables and high-fiber, low-sugar cereals, low-fat unsweetened plain yogurt, grapefruit, apples and tomatoes.

It remains a very useful comparative indicator of how quickly foods are absorbed into the bloodstream.

The Glycemic Pyramid

The glycemic index pyramid is a pyramid-shaped guide to eating foods, as determined by their glycemic index. (Eat more of lower GI foods than of high GI foods.) Some people with diabetes use the glycemic index (GI) as a guide in selecting foods — especially carbohydrates — for meal planning. The glycemic index ranks carbohydrate-containing foods based on their effect on blood sugar level. Foods with a high glycemic-index value tend to raise your blood sugar faster and higher than do foods with a lower value. However, low-index foods aren’t necessarily healthier than high-index foods.

7. White bread, rice, potatoes, sweets (cookies and cakes) – eat RARELY

6. Dairy products (1-2 portions daily preferably LOW FAT products)

5. Pure proteins like meat, fish, poultry, eggs (up to 2 portions daily – red meat not more than 1-2 times a day)

4. Nuts, seeds and shell fruits (eat 1-3 times a day), and oils pressed from these (1-2 times a day)

3. Fruit (2-3 times a day)

2. Gross bread, grain, pasta and other low glycemic, amyloid food (3-6 portions daily)

1. Vegetables (5 times a day)

Carb versus Low GI Diet

There is considerable variation in the level of carbs permitted by popular low-carb diet plans. Some, like Atkins Diet, are deliberately ketogenic – they starve the body of carbohydrate in order to force it to burn fat for fuel. For severely overweight or obese patients who prefer high protein eating, this approach might be fine. Even for moderately overweight people, the Atkins ketogenic method can be highly effective in reducing weight in the short term and good for motivation. Other low-carb plans, like the Zone Diet or South Beach, are not ketogenic like Atkins. They permit a wider intake of carbs and may be regarded as healthier.

The low carb diet craze is fuelled by the idea that “all carbs are bad for weight control”. Therefore the less carbs we eat, the better. But this notion is misleading, even dangerous. The truth is, the leanest and longest living people in the industrialized world are the Japanese whose diet is dominated by carbohydrates and is low in fat. High carb foods like grains, rice, and vegetables are daily staples of the Japanese diet, and intake of high protein, high fat animal products is minimal. Yet Japan has one of the lowest rates of obesity, heart disease, cancer and diabetes in the world. Promoters of the “all carbs are bad for weight loss” viewpoint know this perfectly well – they know the problem lies in high-GI carbohydrates and junk food – but this does not get attention-grabbing headlines.

Eating more low-GI foods and less high-GI food is proving to be a very successful dietary approach. In general, this means reducing our intake of refined carbs and sugary foods, while increasing our intake of healthy carbs from fruits, vegetables and beans. Good quality fats, lean protein and lower-fat dairy foods are also valuable elements in the diet. Of course, regular exercise is also mandatory. Research data from the Insulin Resistance Atherosclerosis Study shows that cutting back on refined grains and eating more whole grains in their place improves insulin sensitivity.

The low GI diet approach is not only good for health and weight control, it is also consistent with the fact that food quality is a key factor in human biochemistry.

According to clinical trials, GI diet programs provide an excellent dietary approach for people who want to reduce weight. By advocating the consumption of carbohydrate-rich foods with a low GI-value, and the avoidance of refined carbs, GI diet programs provide dieters with the best of all worlds – better blood glucose control and a highly nutritious eating plan. The health advantages of a low GI diet plan are one reason why it has superceded the low carb diet as the most popular and most successful weight loss plan.