One of the latest aides for people who are on a diet and diabetics is the glycemic index diet. It is a system that ranks foods containing carbohydrates. The system shows how much foods containing carbohydrates can raise the sugar levels of a person .
Glycemic Index Diet Plan
While the primary use of the glycemic index diet plan has been to help those with diabetics control their blood pressure level, many people have used the system to help them lose weight. One of the most famous diet plans that use the GI is the South Beach diet. The system lets a person know the effect of a 50-gram portion of a carbohydrates can affect their blood-sugar levels.
The GI helps measure the glycemic response of a person’s body. Once the body has consumed carbohydrates, the blood-sugar level tends to increase. There are different factors that can determine how much blood pressure increases. Foods are categorized in values between 1-100.
Low Glycemic Index Plan
The goal of the GI is to encourage dieters and people dealing with diabetes to choose foods that have a low glycemic index. It is believed that food that has a low index is healthier than food with a higher index. Most foods that have a low index tend to be less refined, are higher in fiber and are nutrient-rich. The GI Plan encourages people to eat vegetables, whole fruits and beans.
Low Glycemic Index Diet Plan
The GI system encourages dieters to lose weight without starving to death. The plan allows dieters to enjoy foods that are full of “smart” carbs, such as whole fruits, vegetables and legumes and even some healthy fats and lean protein. Foods to avoid will be foods made with flour.
There are different scientific studies that have tried to find out if the diet works. However, the results have not been conclusive. Some studies have shown that the diet does not truly work. Others have not proposed specific foods that should be eaten, but rather they have provided some guidelines for choosing food with a low index.
One of the top recommendations is for dieters to eat barley, bran and oats for breakfast. Breads should be made out of whole bread or sourdough. Dieters should cut back on the number of potatoes they eat and eat more fruits and vegetables. Portions of pasta, rice or noodles should be small.
Glycemic Index Diet Menu
A GI diet menu should consist of food that are low in carbohydrates but that allow people to feel full. A good breakfast menu could consist of low fat yogurt which has around 47 carbohydrates per cup. It could be accompanied with grapefruit which as an index of 25 per serving and 11 carbohydrates. A cup of oatmeal has a value of 58 and it has 21 carbohydrates.
These foods can really make a difference when it comes to losing weight. However, one must remember that a doctor needs to be consulted before starting a diet plan.