|  | Diet Nutrition | Nutrition

Low GI Index Diet Guidelines

A low glycemic index diet isn't so much a diet as it is a way of arranging foods on a low to high end continuum of how rapidly or slowly their carbohydrates are converted into glucose by your body. It's an extension of the idea that simple sugars (like processed baked goods) versus complex carbohydrates (like whole wheat pasta). The premise of following this diet is that if you body maintains healthy, continual and steady blood sugar amounts, you won't have the fluctuating tides of blood sugar that cause more fat to be stored in your body, along with intense feelings of hunger or exhaustion when the blood sugar spike has faded.

  1. Features

    • At the core of this program is the idea that certain carbohydrate-rich foods are healthier than others simply because they rank lower on the glycemic index scale of 1 to 100. To be considered "low" in value, foods will have a value of 55 or less. The middle range is 56 to 69. Foods that are considered high, because they quickly raise your blood sugar levels, have values above 70. General examples of low GI foods are fresh fruits, vegetables, legumes and whole grains.

    Fruits and Vegetables

    • Generally, most fruits and vegetables have low values on the GI scale. The exception is dried fruit, which is often quite sugary. Low GI fruits to include your diet are cherries (22), grapefruit (25) and pears (38). High GI fruits to eat sparingly are watermelon (72), cantaloupes (65) and pineapples (66). Low GI vegetables have more fiber and less starch, like cauliflower (30), bell peppers (40) and peas (40). Avoid pumpkin (75), parsnips (92) and mashed potatoes (70).

    Grains and Dairy

    • Typical white bread is an example of a grain that ranks incredibly high on the glycemic index. Better, low GI breads are those made from whole grains or oats. Oat products tend to have low GI values. The less processed or refined the grains, the better is is for the product's GI rankings. Sensible choices are brown rice and multigrain pasta.

      When it comes to dairy products, choose skim milk as opposed to whole. Low fat cheese and yogurt are acceptable as well.

    High GI foods

    • As a weight-loss program, followers would usually eschew foods with higher rankings on the glycemic index; however, there are exceptions. If you are not following this plan as a diabetic needing a careful balance of insulin, high GI foods can be acceptable when you have a legitimate need for a quick source of energy. An appropriate time would be after strenuous exercise. This could apply to high school athletes, body builders and long-distance runners. A rapid burst of energy, like you would receive from a bagel, can immediately start to repair body tissue.

    Considerations

    • While foods are generally healthy on the low side of the glycemic index, you don't want to always eat from such a narrow margin. An example is meat. Meat has so few carbohydrates that it hardly registers on the GI scale. However, one should not always indulge in this food because other nutrients are important to overall health as well. Red meat is often high in saturated fat and cholesterol. Also, while dairy products might rank low on this scale, it's important to consider fat content and choose varieties that are low fat or fat free.

    Expert Insight

    • Low GI diets are not endorsed by the American Diabetes Association. The ADA believes too many factors can influence a food's GI rating to appropriately call it an acceptable or unacceptable food.

Nutrition - Related Articles