LOW GI DIET

Do you want to improve your figure, look and feel better, feel less stressed, look younger and have a boost of energy?

So you can follow the basic principles of low Glycaemic Index (GI) diet for at least four weeks and you can rest assured that you will be very satisfied the way you feel and look.

The Glycemic Index Diet is one of the few popular diets to come along that is truly sensible and possible to follow for one’s entire life. It also lacks many of the excessive “foods to avoid” that so many diets have.  You will eat normal food, so you would not seem like you are on a diet.  You can also have snacks in between meals.  You can still have tea and coffee and an occasional glass of red wine.

Low GI foods help you to keep you feeling full for a longer period and so you will eat less.  Thus, it will bring about steady weight loss.

The GI meal plan looks at the whole picture to achieve the right nutritional balance. You will consume foods from all the food groups -  carbohydrates, proteins and fats.  You will enjoy a low GI, unrefined, complex carbohydrates with lean protein foods such as lean red meat, chicken and fish and healthy fats such as olive oil and canola oil at every meal and snack.

The low GI carbohydrates are also full of antioxidant minerals and vitamins.  These protect the body from chronic diseases such as cancers, heart disease, and also hold back the ageing process.

The GI diet allows you to limit simple sugars while increasing fibre intake to help achieve stable blood sugars and avoid hunger. This plan can also help you stay energetic even when you're reducing calories to lose weight.  This is not a fad diet that causes dramatic weight losses and subsequent gains.

In order to be healthy, about half of the energy should come from carbohydrates.  Carbohydrates are founds in starchy foods such as pasta, bread, cereals, rice and potatoes.  It is also found in fruits, cakes, honey and biscuits.  All the carbohydrates have the ability to raise glucose levels in the blood.

The speed at which this digestion to glucose occurs and the amount it raises glucose levels in the blood is measured on the glycaemic index (GI), a scientific scoring system that ranges from 0-100.  Glucose, one of the most rapidly absorbed carbohydrates, has been given a score of 100.

The faster a carbohydrate food is digested, the more rapidly glucose levels rise in the blood and the higher the GI score.  A sudden increase in the blood glucose levels triggers a large surge of the hormone insulin from the pancreas to remove the glucose from the blood.  The high peaks of insulin in the blood make you feel tired and hungry.

On the other hand, the slower the carbohydrate food is digested, the slower it raises the blood glucose levels and the lower the GI score.  Thus, eating low-GI carbohydrate foods causes a steady rise in the level of glucose in the blood which in turn leads to a small and gentle rise in insulin.  Small increases in insulin keep you feeling full and energised for hours after eating and also encourage the body to burn fat.  Low GI carbohydrates are those natural, unprocessed foods such as whole grain cereals where the tough fibrous skin takes long to digest.

It is very important to consume proteins with this type of diet as they slow down further the digestion of carbohydrate foods and thus decrease the GI score even further.  Protein rich foods include chicken, rabbit, turkey, lean red meat, low- fat dairy, soya milk and soya mince, pulses and legumes such as lentils and beans, nuts and seeds.

The low GI eating plan will help you to lose weight.   However, remember that variety and moderation are the ‘secret words’ for a healthy diet and so do not overindulge in any food, no matter how healthy it is!!

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