The Glycemic Index and Weight Control

It tastes nice - but watermelon is high GI and will raise your blood glucose fast

The GI diet

As with all diets, the best way forward is to treat it sensibly.

The GI diet is considered by nutritionalists to be much closer to a healthier diet than previous faddy diets. It is important that you do not choose your food entirely on the basis of its GI value and you should consult your doctor or medical professional before beginning any diet or exercise plan. The GI diet was originally developed for diabetics who need to keep their blood sugar level at steady levels rather than experience alternating high and low blood sugar levels.

The GI diet assigns a value from 1 to 100 for carbohydrates - The higher the value, the faster the food is absorbed into the bloodstream so that fast release foods such as sugar, honey and baked potatoes have a high GI value (see chart). Glucose is rated at 100 as it is most quickly absorbed.

The great thing about lower GI foods is that they're satisfying and healthy too. Combining a low Gi food with a high Gi treat will lower the overall Gi of the meal.

GI snacks - Fruit loaf with fruit spread, a pot of natural yoghurt with fresh raspberries or strawberries, small carton of fruit juice,

Protein foods and fats don't have GI values - choose the healthier options : low fat chicken and fish rather than red meat, olive oil rather than saturated fats. Processing tends to raise the Gi of foods.

How does the GI diet work?

The principle behind the GI diet is that eating low GI foods will result in a slow and controlled release of sugars into the blood. This in turn keeps blood sugar levels at a more constant level which helps to reduce feelings of hunger. This accounts for much of its popularity over the past few years as the absence of hunger pains makes a diet easy to follow!

What foods does the GI Diet suggest?

A days eating on the GI diet might look like this:

Breakfast

• Porridge with a small serving honey or
• Medium Cereal with strawberries or blueberries or
• Toasted wholegrain bread with baked beans or honey
• Low fat milk or orange juice

Lunch

• Chicken sandwich with wholegrain bread or
• Pasta Salad with a tomato sauce
  

Dinner

• Grilled fish with veggies and new potatoes
• Fruit salad or apple crumble

Advantages of the GI diet

The GI Diet is thought to be a healthy option for the long term and although you may not see the rapid weight loss experienced with some 'crash diets' the weight does tend to come off and stay off