The glycemic food list, or glycemic index, is based on the amount of time that carbohydrates take to release sugar into the blood stream.
This was first calculated to enable diabetics and athletes to develop better control over their blood sugar levels.
We all know that sweets, cakes and puddings give us an immediate sugar rush, boosting our energy levels very quickly, but dropping off again just as quickly, leaving us hungry and in need of another sugar fix.
Foods which do this are said to have a high gylcemic index or GI.
Carbohydrates are given a score out of 100, with 100 being the GI for sugar.
The closer to 100 the GI of a particular food is, the more likely it is to have a detrimental effect on your health and weight.
Anything with a rating of over 70 is considered high, while medium GI foods range from 56-69 and anything lower than 55 is considered Low GI.
High GI foods will not only encourage weight gain, but will also make you more prone to illnesses such as diabetes and heart disease, as well as increased levels of cholesterol in your blood.
On the other hand, foods which cause minor fluctuations in our blood sugar levels are said to have a low GI.
Search online for a glycemic food list, print it out and refer to the list each time you go grocery shopping or are planning meals.
Another significant factor is known as the Glycemic Load (GL), which again is a number, but this time tells you the amount of carbohydrate contained in a portion of a particular food.
Why would you want to know the glycemic load of a particular food? Well, a smaller portion of a high GI food could give the same effect on your blood sugar levels as a larger portion of a low glycemic index food.
The figures are slightly different this time with20 or above representing a High GL, ascore of 11 to 19 being medium, and 10 or less being low.
Low GL foods usually have a low GI too, but when it comes to the medium and high ranges, things start to get interesting with some foods differing enormously in their GL and GI.
So it's possible to have a high GL and a very low GI.
How can you use the GI to lose weight? There are two ways you can do this, either by following a specific Low GI diet or by simply familiarizing yourself with the Glycemic Index and Glycemic Load and incorporating them into your diet.
There are plenty of low GI diets out there and if you prefer to have a set menu plan to help you lose weight, this could be the best option for you.
It's not a rigid diet and you can swap or repeat meals to fit in with your own tastes and lifestyle.
Learning about the GI and GL will take a little more time but will allow more flexibility in your diet, which is a good idea if you have a lot of weight to lose and wish to make healthy eating an integral part of your life.
So take the time to familiarize yourself with the glycemic food list and you will soon be incorporating low GI foods into your diet automatically.
© Waller Jamison 2007
This was first calculated to enable diabetics and athletes to develop better control over their blood sugar levels.
We all know that sweets, cakes and puddings give us an immediate sugar rush, boosting our energy levels very quickly, but dropping off again just as quickly, leaving us hungry and in need of another sugar fix.
Foods which do this are said to have a high gylcemic index or GI.
Carbohydrates are given a score out of 100, with 100 being the GI for sugar.
The closer to 100 the GI of a particular food is, the more likely it is to have a detrimental effect on your health and weight.
Anything with a rating of over 70 is considered high, while medium GI foods range from 56-69 and anything lower than 55 is considered Low GI.
High GI foods will not only encourage weight gain, but will also make you more prone to illnesses such as diabetes and heart disease, as well as increased levels of cholesterol in your blood.
On the other hand, foods which cause minor fluctuations in our blood sugar levels are said to have a low GI.
Search online for a glycemic food list, print it out and refer to the list each time you go grocery shopping or are planning meals.
Another significant factor is known as the Glycemic Load (GL), which again is a number, but this time tells you the amount of carbohydrate contained in a portion of a particular food.
Why would you want to know the glycemic load of a particular food? Well, a smaller portion of a high GI food could give the same effect on your blood sugar levels as a larger portion of a low glycemic index food.
The figures are slightly different this time with20 or above representing a High GL, ascore of 11 to 19 being medium, and 10 or less being low.
Low GL foods usually have a low GI too, but when it comes to the medium and high ranges, things start to get interesting with some foods differing enormously in their GL and GI.
So it's possible to have a high GL and a very low GI.
How can you use the GI to lose weight? There are two ways you can do this, either by following a specific Low GI diet or by simply familiarizing yourself with the Glycemic Index and Glycemic Load and incorporating them into your diet.
There are plenty of low GI diets out there and if you prefer to have a set menu plan to help you lose weight, this could be the best option for you.
It's not a rigid diet and you can swap or repeat meals to fit in with your own tastes and lifestyle.
Learning about the GI and GL will take a little more time but will allow more flexibility in your diet, which is a good idea if you have a lot of weight to lose and wish to make healthy eating an integral part of your life.
So take the time to familiarize yourself with the glycemic food list and you will soon be incorporating low GI foods into your diet automatically.
© Waller Jamison 2007
SHARE
