Glycaemic Index, better known as GI diet, has been creating a buzz among celebrities. The media storm caused by GI diet has been on the spotlight for quite some time now. This is because GI diet is not just another celebrity craze, rather, GI diet has turned into the most sought-after diet since many nutritionists and dieticians have been wondered by GI diet as well.
The Glycaemic Index: An Introduction
It all started in 1981 by a nutrition professor named Dr. David Jenkins. Dr. Jenkins was interested on how various foods that are rich in carbohydrates affect blood sugar levels of diabetic people. He then discovered as his studies progresses that starchy foods extremely affect blood sugar levels of diabetic people as opposed to common beliefs of that time. Also, there are some sugary foods that affect diabetic people but the effect is insignificant or not that great.
Afterwards, Dr. Jenkins develops a scale and he named it Glycaemic Index. Glycaemic Index is capable of ranking sugar-containing foods based on the effect they can make on the blood sugar levels of every individual.
Gylcaemic Index Works and It Will Work for You, Too
The scale of GI is from 0 to 100 and it employs glucose in scale measurement. The GI value of glucose is 100 and this serves as the reference. And the effect of other foods that may contain sugar will be compared to the sugar levels of glucose. And as what has been mentioned above, GI informs us if a particular food can raise the blood sugar levels significantly—dramatically, moderately, or just a bit.
The Relationship of Glycaemic Index and Losing Weight
There is at theory that connects GI and losing weight. According to Glycaemic Index, foods with a low GI scale gradually release sugar into the blood. This then will provide you with a stable supply of energy. And the much better effect would be to leave you a feeling of satisfaction and you will less likely to take your snacks or additional meals.
On the contrary, foods with a high GI scale cause fast and short-lived increase of your blood sugar. And the effect would be: you will feel lack of energy and hunger within a short span of time. And what you end up doing is to take your snack and/or your meal. If an individual does this practice regularly, it can cause overeating and worse abnormal weight gain.
The Power of GI Diet
Why is GI diet popular again and has been considered as an excellent resort in dieting? The GI diet encourages individuals to eat adequate food with a low GI value. This also means that through GI diet, people avoid foods with high GI value. And as you maintain a GI diet, you prevent swings in blood sugar and help you feel fuller for a longer period of time.
And when you take GI diet it is also recommended that you cut down your fat intake as well particularly saturated foods. You have to limit yourself from taking fats-containing foods that have low GI value but rich in fats. Such foods include crisps, chocolates, and milk.
Learning More Things about the GI Diet
GI diet has some limitations as well. But that doesn’t mean it isn’t an effective diet choice. GI diet is unable to determine GI values of some meals. In other case, there are foods that measure low GI value but such foods contain a few nutrients. One classic example of such foods are crisps and chocolates which have high fat content but contain only few minerals and vitamins.
However, given such limitation, GI diet can still be employed since GI diet plans recommend individuals to cut down their fat intake to make GI diet more effective. For instance, instead of taking whole milk, you can take skimmed milk since it has low GI value but still contains the nutrients that your body needs.
Going healthy and staying healthy are not a tough job at all especially if you resort to GI diet. This will not only help you reach your dream to become much healthier and much slimmer but it will help you gain longevity, to feel better, and to be away with any disease.
