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The GI Diet.

GI stands for Glycemic Index and is a measure of the impact of food on your blood sugar. Foods with a high GI tend to quickly raise your body's blood sugar levels, by contrast foods with a low GI will raise them more slowly and over a longer period.
Eating lots of high GI foods has two disadvantages:

1)      The rush of energy given by high GI foods does not last and is soon followed by an energy lull. So you get hungry and want to eat more.

2)      After eating high GI foods you will have a lot of readily available energy in your blood. Your body will use this energy first rather then other stores of energy like body fat. This makes it harder to loose weight.

 

How can the GI Diet help weight loss?

By eating meals that have a low GI you will feel less hungry. This means that rather then controlling your cravings for food by will-power alone you are controlling them by satisfying your body. On the GI diet your desire to snack or over eat should be greatly reduced, therefore by eating fewer calories you can control your weight.

 

What does the GI diet look like?

People on the GI diet will tend to eat meals that consist of foods with low GI and will be encouraged to avoid high GI foods. However mixing low GI foods with high GI foods lowers the GI of the whole meal, this can make it much less restrictive than other diets. Low GI does not always mean low fat, so it is advisable to watch the fat content in your meals.

 

What foods can't I eat?

On the GI diet there are no foods that you can't eat but the secret is eating more low GI foods than high GI foods. A list of low GI foods can be found below.
The main thing is not to over-eat and the purpose of the GI diet is to help you achieve that. It is important that you watch the portion sizes of your meals and try to keep them down.

 

Glycemic Index

The number listed next to each food is its glycemic index. This is a value obtained by monitoring a person's blood sugar after eating the food. The value can vary slightly from person to person and from one type or brand of food and another. A noticeable difference is the GI rating of Special-K which produced considerably different results in tests in the US and Australia, most likely resulting from different ingredients in each location. Despite this slight variation the index provide a good guide to which foods you should be eating and which foods to avoid.

The glycemic index range is as follows:

Low GI = 55 or less
Medium GI = 56-69
High GI = 70 or more

 

Breakfast Cereal Low GI   All-bran (UK/Aus) 30 All-bran (US) 50 Oat bran 50 Rolled Oats 51 Special K (UK/Aus) 54 Natural Muesli 40 Porridge 58 Medium GI   Bran Buds 58 Mini Wheats 58 Nutrigrain 66 Shredded Wheat 67 Porridge Oats 63 Special K (US) 69 High GI   Cornflakes 80 Sultana Bran 73 Branflakes 74 Coco Pops 77 Puffed Wheat 80 Oats in Honey Bake 77 Team 82 Total 76 Cheerios 74 Rice Krispies 82 Weetabix 74 Staples Low GI Wheat Pasta Shapes 54 New Potatoes 54 Meat Ravioli 39 Spaghetti 32 Tortellini (Cheese) 50 Egg Fettuccini 32 Brown Rice 50 Buckwheat 51 White long grain rice 50 Pearled Barley 22 Yam 35 Sweet Potatoes 48 Instant Noodles 47 Wheat tortilla 30 Medium GI Basmati Rice 58 Couscous 61 Cornmeal 68 Taco Shells 68 Gnocchi 68 Canned Potatoes 61 Chinese (Rice) Vermicelli 58 Baked Potatoes 60 Wild Rice 57 High GI Instant White Rice 87 Glutinous Rice 86 Short Grain White Rice 83 Tapioca 70 Fresh Mashed Potatoes 73 French Fries 75 Instant Mashed Potatoes 80

Bread Low GI   Soya and Linseed 36 Wholegrain Pumpernickel 46 Heavy Mixed Grain 45 Whole Wheat 49 Sourdough Rye 48 Sourdough Wheat 54 Medium GI   Croissant 67 Hamburger bun 61 Pita, white 57 Wholemeal Rye 62 High GI   White 71 Bagel 72 French Baguette 95 Snacks & Sweet Foods Low GI   Slim-Fast meal replacement 27 Snickers Bar (high fat) 41 Nut & Seed Muesli Bar 49 Sponge Cake 46 Nutella 33 Milk Chocolate 42 Hummus 6 Peanuts 13 Walnuts 15 Cashew Nuts 25 Nuts and Raisins 21 Jam 51 Corn Chips 42 Oatmeal Crackers 55 Medium GI   Ryvita 63 Digestives 59 Blueberry muffin 59 Honey 58 High GI Pretzels 83 Water Crackers 78 Rice cakes 87 Puffed Crispbread 81 Donuts 76 Scones 92 Maple flavoured syrup 68 Legumes (Beans) Low GI Kidney Beans (canned) 52 Butter Beans 36 Chick Peas 42 Haricot/Navy Beans 31 Lentils, Red 21 Lentils, Green 30  Pinto Beans 45 Blackeyed Beans 50 Yellow Split Peas 32 Medium GI Beans in Tomato Sauce 56

Vegetables Low GI   Frozen Green Peas 39 Frozen Sweet Corn 47 Raw Carrots 16 Boiled Carrots 41 Eggplant/Aubergine 15 Broccoli 10 Cauliflower 15 Cabbage 10 Mushrooms 10 Tomatoes 15 Chillies 10 Lettuce 10 Green Beans 15 Red Peppers 10 Onions 10 Medium GI   Beetroot 64 High GI   Pumkin 75 Parsnips 97 Fruits Low GI Cherries 22 Plums 24 Grapefruit 25 Peaches 28 Peach, canned in natural juice 30 Apples 34 Pears 41 Dried Apricots 32 Grapes 43 Coconut 45 Coconut Milk 41 Kiwi Fruit 47 Oranges 40 Strawberries 40 Prunes 29 Medium GI Mango 60 Sultanas 56 Bananas 58 Raisins 64 Papaya 60 Figs 61 Pineapple 66 High GI Watermelon 80 Dates 103 Dairy Low GI Whole milk 31 Skimmed milk 32 Chocolate milk 42 Sweetened yoghurt 33 Artificially Sweetened Yoghurt 23 Custard 35 Soy Milk 44 Medium GI Icecream 62