Not all carbohydrate foods are created equal, in fact they behave quite differently in your body. The glycemic index or GI describes this difference by ranking carbohydrates according to their effect on our blood glucose levels. Only foods that contain carbohydrates have GI ranking meaning foods made up of protein or fat do not.
Why Choose LOW GI carbs
Choosing the carbs that produce only small fluctuations in our blood glucose and insulin levels – is the secret to long-term health reducing your risk of heart disease and diabetes and is the key to sustainable weight loss. However, having these foods is not enough, you still need to eat every 2-3 hours whilst watching your portion sizes. Having too much low GI food will turn it into a high GI food and produce an insulin spike.
This becomes easy as low GI foods are harder not to binge on because you are giving body what it wants. Part of the reason you get crave unhealthy food is because your body is screaming out for some thing healthy to function properly. Also having a protein source at every meal will help keep your insulin levels stable.
So yes, that sugary treat is doing your weight loss efforts no good. It’s not just about energy in versus energy out. Switching your diet to eating mainly low GI carbs that slowly trickle glucose into your blood stream keeps your energy levels balanced and means you will feel fuller for longer between meals.This is also the way you avoid that mid afternoon slump which invariably leads to the biscuit jar.
The Benefits of following a Low GI diet
Eating a lot of high GI foods can be detrimental to your health because it pushes your body to extremes. This is especially true if you are overweight and sedentary. It is impossible for you to burn fat when your insulin levels are elevated from consumption of high GI foods!
- Low GI diets help people lose and control weight
- Low GI diets increase the body’s sensitivity to insulin
- Low GI carbs improve diabetes control
- Low GI carbs reduce the risk of heart disease
- Low GI carbs reduce blood cholesterol levels
- Low GI carbs can help you manage the symptoms of PCOS
- Low GI carbs reduce hunger and keep you fuller for longer
- Low GI carbs prolong physical endurance
- High GI carbs help re-fuel carbohydrate stores within 45 minutes of exercise.
I recommend nutritious sources of high GI carbs including fruit and white potato. This is the only time it is beneficial for your body to enjoy High GI carbs.
How to Switch to a Low GI Diet
The basic technique for eating the low GI way is simply a “this for that” approach – ie, swapping high GI carbs for low GI carbs. You don’t need to count numbers or do any sort of mental arithmetic to make sure you are eating a healthy, low GI diet.
- Use breakfast cereals based on oats, barley and bran
- Use breads with whole grains, stone-ground flour, sour dough
- Reduce the amount of potatoes you eat
- Enjoy all other types of fruit and vegetables
- Use Basmati or Doongara rice
- Enjoy pasta, noodles, quinoa
- Eat plenty of salad vegetables with a vinaigrette dressing
Choosing low GI diet foods is one of the best ways not only to stabilize glucose levels in the blood and keep insulin levels at normal but this is also the best strategy for long-term and sustainable weight loss.
