GI Diet
What is it?
GI stands for Glycaemic Index, a scale from 1-100 used for food and shows how fast your body will digest any carbohydrate contained in the food. Food with a high GI value is digested quickly providing energy for your body and muscle in the form of blood sugar or glucose. These foods provide a quick energy boost which might be useful if you are performing rigorous exercise.
However as part of an ordinary diet they are more likely to be converted by the body and stored as fat. The temporary high level of blood sugar can also cause a craving for more high GI foods when it has worn of.
In short, high GI foods can actually be addictive and more likely to be converted into body fat.
Low GI foods are digested more slowly and provide a steady release of energy to the body over a longer time. They are less likely to be converted into fat and less likely to cause food cravings, helping you to feel fuller for longer.
So all I have to do is eat low GI foods and avoid high GI foods?
Yes, when it comes to carbohydrates you should eat a mix of low and medium GI foods.
You also need to eat a balanced diet containing the right number of calories, as well as making sure the foods you choose have a rich supply of high quality proteins and fat.
Can a diet book or diet plan help me?
Yes, although you can achieve great results by replacing any high GI carbohydrate containing foods with low/medium GI carbohydrates that isn’t all there is to dieting and healthy eating. A GI dieting book or plan will often include many other ideas to help you slim and stay healthy as well as recipes and plans to follow.
The GI value of a food can also be affected by what you eat with it. For example drinking an acidic drink such as Orange or Grapefruit juice with a meal can actually lower the GI value of the entire meal while eating other things together can raise the GI value. It is quite complicated to work out the affects of these combinations. Many diet plans will suggest foods and recipes which work well together.
How do I tell if a food is low GI?
Sometimes it can be quite difficult but this Just Slimmers guide should help you start to make informed choices and assess a food’s GI value.
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