What is GI?
The glycemic index (GI) is a ranking of carbohydrates on a scale from 0 to 100 according to the extent to which they raise blood sugar levels after eating. Foods with a high GI are those which are rapidly digested and absorbed and result in marked fluctuations in blood sugar levels. Low-GI foods, by virtue of their slow digestion and absorption, produce gradual rises in blood sugar and insulin levels, and have proven benefits for health. Low GI diets have been shown to improve both glucose and lipid levels in people with diabetes (type 1 and type 2). They have benefits for weight control because they help control appetite and delay hunger. Low GI diets also reduce insulin levels and insulin resistance.
Recent studies from Harvard School of Public Health indicate that the risks of diseases such as type 2 diabetes and coronary heart disease are strongly related to the GI of the overall diet. In 1999, the World Health Organisation (WHO) and Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) recommended that people in industrialised countries base their diets on low-GI foods in order to prevent the most common diseases of affluence, such as coronary heart disease, diabetes and obesity.
The GI diet is big in the news right now, with businesswomen, first ladies and pop stars all reportedly using this diet to control their weight.
So, what is it all about?
The GI Diet is very easy to follow and adapt to, with its many followers claiming they don’t even feel like they’re on a diet at all! If you want to lose weight without feeling hungry or deprived, then this could be the plan for you!
Using the Glycaemic Index (GI) as a guide, no food groups are excluded - it takes the best fats, carbohydrates and proteins and offers you a plan that will help you banish cravings, lose weight and improve your health, all while eating satisfying foods.
The GI diet is said to be particularly suitable for people with an underactive thyroid, people who have type 2 diabetics, and people who have polycystic ovaries (PCOS). This is because following the plan will help to slow down the release of energy from food and stabilise insulin levels. Following a low GI way of eating will help all of the above conditions. However, we can all benefit from better control of blood sugar and insulin levels – even if we don’t have any of the conditions mentioned.
The theory behind low GI diets is similar to that behind low-carbohydrate diets. That is, high GI foods raise blood sugar and insulin levels and cause weight gain as well as energy highs and lows (have you ever had that mid-afternoon slump where you reach for chocolate of a cup of tea loaded with sugar just to get a pick me up?)
If you eat low GI foods, you'll lower your blood sugar and insulin levels, maintain a steady level of energy and you'll lose weight if you need to, or maintain it if you don’t.
The GI diet isn’t only suitable for people who want to lose weight - a low GI way of eating can be beneficial for everyone, including people who want to maintain their weight and people wanting to eat healthily.
While you can’t work out the GI value of a food, there are easy ways to follow this eating plan. A lot of supermarkets such as Tesco, now lable foods if they are low GI and any good GI diet website gives lists of foods that can be used for guidance on what foods are high, medium and low GI.
Glycemic index of foods GI values can be interpreted intuitively as percentages on an absolute scale and are commonly interpreted as follows: | Classification | GI range | Examples | | Low GI | 55 or less | most fruit and vegetables (except potatoes, watermelon and sweet corn), wholegrains, pasta, beans, lentils | | Medium GI | 56 - 69 | sucrose, croissant, basmati rice, brown rice | | High GI | 70 or more | corn flakes, baked potato, some white rices (e.g. jasmine), white bread, candy bar | A low GI food will release glucose more slowly and steadily. A high GI food causes a more rapid rise in blood glucose levels and is suitable for energy recovery after endurance exercise or for a person with diabetes experiencing hypoglycemia. The glycemic effect of foods depends on a number of factors such as the type of starch (amylose vs. amylopectin), physical entrapment of the starch molecules within the food, fat and protein content of the food and organic acids or their salts in the meal — adding vinegar for example, will lower the GI. The presence of fat or soluble dietary fibre can slow the gastric emptying rate thus lowering the GI. Unrefined breads with higher amounts of fiber generally have a lower GI value than white breads.[2] Many brown breads, however, are treated with enzymes to soften the crust, which makes the starch more accessible. This raises the GI, with some brown breads even having GI values over 100. While adding butter or oil will lower the GI of meal, the GI ranking does not change. That is, with or without additions, there is still a higher blood glucose curve after white bread than after a low GI bread such as pumpernickel. The glycemic index can only be applied to foods with a reasonable carbohydrate content, as the test relies on subjects consuming enough of the test food to yield about 50 g of available carbohydrate. Many fruits and vegetables (but not potatoes) contain very little carbohydrate per serving, or have very low GI values. This also applies to carrots, which were originally and incorrectly reported as having a high GI.[3] Alcoholic beverages have been reported to have low GI values, however it should be noted that beer has a moderate GI. Recent studies have shown that the consumption of an alcoholic drink prior to a meal reduces the GI of the meal by approximately 15%.[4] Many modern diets rely on the Glycemic Index, including the South Beach Diet, Transitions by Market America and NutriSystem Nourish Diet [5].
With thanks from Wikipedia |
Home / Search
GI Recipes / GI Index
More GI Info
GI and PCOS
Contact Us
Privacy Statement
 NEW! Got an iPhone?
Access our recipes and food data FREE!
Point your iPhone to http://www.gi-recipes.com/iphoneapp (link)
We recommend this GI book
Nutritionist and Fitness Guru From London Reveals How 'You' Can Turbo-Charge Your Metabolism, Burn Off Body Fat, and Create Life Long Motivation In 21 Days, Or Less - Guaranteed...!
Anne Collins Weight Loss Program
The Anne Collins Weight Loss Program is my own unique system developed and refined over a period of more that 20 years. It is an easy step-by-step system that will help you to lose weight easily and without going hungry.
The Mediterranean Diet
If you're seriously interested in losing weight and gaining a brand new and surprising boost in your health and vitality, then this fun maintenance program & guide, will be one of the most important diets you'll ever learn about! Few people are aware this diet is also well known for longevity, reducing the risk of heart disease and some forms of cancers too.
|