Use the Glycemic Index and Lose Weight

In my article, "Glycemic Index 101", I outlined the basics about how our food choices affect blood sugar level in our bodies, insulin's response to that level, and how the Glycemic Index fits into controlling insulin release. This information will help you stay healthy and slimmer if you use it!

Pick Carbohydrates From the Low End of the Glycemic Index Table

The glycemic index is an easy reference gude to use. If you make it a daily habit to choose foods low on the index, and eat recommended portions, you can control your weight without counting calories or carbs.

The first rule is to pick foods from the low end of the list as often as possible. These are primarily whole grains, beans and most vegetables. which are absorbed more slowly into the blood stream.

While a GI number is assigned to each food on most glycemic indexes, the foods are grouped into low (GI of less than 55), medium (55-70) and high (above 70). It is not necessary to keep track of the actual GI number assigned to each food. Instead, learn which foods are at each level and make food choices accordingly.

The second rule is to become familiar with what a portion is, since most American's have over-eaten themselves into obesity.

What's the Glycemic Load?

The good news is that some vegetables or fruits have a high GI, but due to their micronutrient content, have a low glycemic "load" placing them into the "good" category. Many experts recommend using both the Glycemic Index and Glycemic Load in selecting carbohydrates.

David Mendoza explains glycemic load on the Living with Diabetes website, in his "Revised International Table of Glycemic Index (GI) and Glycemic Load (GL) Values-2008". He says, "A GI value tells you only how rapidly a particular carbohydrate turns into sugar. It doesn't tell you how much of that carbohydrate is in a serving of a particular food. You need to know both things to understand a food's effect on blood sugar. That is where glycemic load comes in."

This is all you really need to understand about GL unless you are some nutrition fanatic. Just use the same logic in understanding GL as in understanding the GI; the lower, the better.

An example of one food that moves from the "bad" to the "good" ranking when the glycemic load is applied, is watermelon. (I love watermelon, so I researched it thoroughly before I ruled it out after discovering its high GI number). As I reviewed various websites and indexes, I found many that commented about the exception of melon's GI related to its GL, explaining that it has to do with the high liquid content of the fruit

The August 1, 2006 Newsblaze.com article, "The Glycemic Index: Good Carb, Bad Carb" By Caroline J. Cederquist, MD, states, ".. watermelon has a pretty high glycemic index, about 75, which is even higher than table sugar. Does that make it bad for you? No. Because in spite of its high index, watermelon actually has a pretty low glycemic load".

Keep a Glycemic Index and Load Guide Handy

Hopefully, you now understand that choosing food from the GI/GL tables that rank low is importance for your health and maintenance of a healthy weight. Many foods just logically fall into the "high" ranking: donuts, processed cereal, white rolls, corn chips, etc. But the vegetables and fruit are a little harder to guess at. It really helps in the beginning to have a guide handy to reference. Keep one in the kitchen and in your purse or car. Use it when preparing meals or baking and take it with you when shopping.

There are several good books and resources online that can be used as a GI and GL reference guide. Here are five of them:

1. The South Beach Diet Good Fats Good Carbs Guides" by Arthur Agatston, MD
2. The Official Website of the Glycemic Index and GI Database
3. Living with Diabetes Website
4. Bella Online: The Voice of Women -check out the article about "go and no foods" and the Go and No Foods List
5. Natural-Health-Information-Centre.com

A Few Additional Tips about the Glycemic Index

The Official Website of the Glycemic Index and GI is a helpful resource. Here are a few tips from their FAQs:

-Low GI foods are whole grains, fresh fruit, vegetables and legumes.

-Pasta is included in the low GI list. However, the caveat is that it be cooked al dente, as the softer it is cooked, the higher its GI becomes.

-A refrigerated potato salad made with vinagrette dressing the day before eating will have a much lower GI than potatoes served hot from the pot.

-When baking, replace some of your refined flour with oat bran, rice bran or rolled oats, dried fruit, nuts, muesli, All-Bran or unprocessed bran. This will slow down digestion and reduce the overall GI.

-A pre-dinner drink tends to produce a 'priming' effect, switching metabolism from internal to external sources of fuel which keeps blood-sugar levels low".

-Eating a low GI meal prior to exercising results in better blood glucose concentrations and a more efficient rate of fat oxidation during the exercise activity.

(Reference their website for more in-depth information.)

Combine High GI/GL with Other Foods

The Official Website of the Glycemic Index states, "Eating high glycemic food along with protein and a low glycemic food will bring the average GI down into the medium range. They also explain, "The effect of eating a low glycemic food at one meal carries over to the next meal, reducing it's glycemic impact."

In her Newsblaze.com article, Dr. Cederquist also mentions that you should not completely eliminate high GI foods if they are nutritious She tells us "Fruits tend to have a high glycemic index, so I recommend that people take their fruits with a meal, or with some protein like cottage cheese or regular cheese. These protein sources help mitigate the fruits glycemic effect."

Now that you are educated about how your body's engine works and the importance of food choice, you are prepared to replace poor eating habits with a healthier plan. It's your job to keep your blood sugar as level as possible throughout the day.

Starting today, don't skip meals, eat foods in right portions, and choose from the low end of the glycemic index as often as possible. When necessary, combine high GI foods in such a way that you bring the GI into the medium range. Making these simple changes will help you get to the weight you want to be and stay there! Using the glycemic index is not a "diet", but a way to eat yourself slim and live healthier everyday of your life!

Related Reading:

"Understanding the Glycemic Index 101"
"Why Are Americans So Fat?"
"Portion Control: How Much Food is Enough?"
17 Day Diet Tips Blog

Resources:

dLife.com, a website resource for diabetics
Newsblaze.com
"The South Beach Diet Good Fats Good Carbs Guide" by Arthur Agatston, MD, Published 2004, Rodale Inc.
The Official Website of the Glycemic Index and GI Database