Low Glycemic Index Diets: See How People Are Losing Weight and Becoming Healthier Than Ever!

I stay pretty up to date on health and fitness topics, so when a new diet surfaces, I begin to study up on it to see if it's any good or worthwhile. One of the most talked about diets that many Americans and A-list celebrities are following lately is the Low Glycemic Index diet. This diet has really caught on and fastly becoming one of the most popular diets in the US!

Let me begin by telling you that the main point of the Glycemic Index (GI) is to show how much a food raises our blood sugar levels. The glycemic index diet assigns a number to foods based on how it affects blood sugar. High glycemic foods are going to be numbered above 70. These will be sugars, potatoes, pastas, white rice, and white bread. Low glycemic foods will be numbered below 55. Low GI foods are grapefruit, whole milk, apples, pears, and Special K cereal for example.

On this diet, a person eats slow absorbing carbohydrates (low GI foods) and eats less of the fast absorbing carbs (high GI foods). Why? Well, low glycemic foods are slowly absorbed into the blood stream and provides a steady flow of energy and make you feel full. On the other hand, high glycemic foods are those carbs that are fast to absorb into the blood stream and cause a fast rise in sugar levels followed by a dip. A person who ate high glycemic foods will have a short amount of energy and will become hungry again within a short time. Thus, fast carbs are not good because they lead to snacking and weight gain.

The Internet is full of charts listing low glycemic foods and high glycemic foods. There is a full Glycemic Index Diet Chart at Glycemic Edge. It lists common foods and their GI number. The foods in that chart are arranged by category, such as breads, cereals, cookies, dairy, and meats.

All Bran and Special K are great low GI breakfast and snack cereals to eat because they contain more fiber than others. Fruits like apples, strawberries, and grapefruit are also a good low GI choice because of their fructose. Fructose being the sugar in fruits which is slowly absorbed when eaten. Yogurt and sourdough bread are good choices to add to your meal because of their acids. Their acids slow the rate of digestion which makes their GI number low.

Just because a food has a medium or high GI number, such as bananas, please keep in mind that the particular food could have a high nutritional value. You don't want to cut those completely out of your diet. The key is to eat those higher GI foods in more moderation!

The Low Glycemic Index diets are the diet of choice for many because it helps regulate blood sugar levels. It's a great diet for diabetics, it reduces the risk of heart disease, reduces cholesterol, reduces hunger, and helps people take control of their weight.