Glycemic Index Diet - (GI Diet)
The glycemic index (GI) weight loss diet is endorsed by a growing amount of celebrities that follow this diet and it therefore got a lot of publicity.
But what does GI stand for and how exactly does the GI weight loss program differ from the other diets on the market?
GI stands for glycemic index.
It originally was used by diabetes patients, because it is based on the fact that some sugar-based carbohydrates affect the glucose levels in the body differently to the more complex starch based carbohydrates.
A nutritional expert by the name of Dr. David Jenkins and his colleagues at St. Michael's Hospital (Toronto) made the claimed discovery, that many sugar-based foods do not greatly affect the sugar levels in the blood, in the early 1980's.
So, according to the Glycemic Index diet, weitht loss is enhanced by consuming foods that provide a slow delivery of sugar to the body. The dieter will not feel the need for energy and so the need to keep on eating and curb hunger.
This is in contrast to high glycaemic foods. Due to the sudden influx of sugar, they provide an energy boost at first, but then leaves the hungry and tired feeling and the need for more energy kicks in.
That results in the call for more sugar to get the quick rush of glucose to replace the loss of energy, which in turn has the same effect.
The desired loss of weight will not be achieved due to this constant need for more sugary food.
The general concept of the glycemic index diet is fairly straightforward. You eat more of the foods with a low GI than you do of the foods with a high GI.
Therefore the Glycemic Index weight loss diet is easy to follow if you are eating easily recognizable foods from the GI indexes.
The problem is that many foods have different GI's depending on whether they are cooked, or the state of ripeness of foods such as fruit.
That's why you should also consider the matter of glycemic load.
This can be very time consuming and make the whole thing not very user friendly. It can be especially difficult when a meal is prepared with many different ingredients, to work out the GI value of the whole meal.
Lots of information about the glycaemic values of different foods for weight loss are available, but one of the best resources is at the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition: glycemic index and glycemic load.
When you have got over this initial hurdle, then the whole glycemic index weight loss system becomes easier to use, because you need to spend a lot less time looking then up to see the different values.
The GI weight loss system also encourages the dieter to limit their intake of high fat foods, even if they are also low GI foods. So the Glycemic Index diet is also, in part, a low fat diet.
It also promotes the dieter to eat fruits and complex carbohydrates, such as brown rice and pasta.
Many health professionals believe these types of foods may contribute towards a healthier diet.
It also discourages the intake of processed foods and also foods that are high in fat, such as fried foods like French fries or chips.
The GI diet, although restrictive, can be a very varied and enjoyable diet as so as you get used to working out the different values of food groups.
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