What is the Glycemic Index?
As you already know, not all carbohydrates are created equal. In fact, some carbohydrates can help you to lose fat while others will make it very easy for you to pack on the pounds. It does not take a rocket scientist to know that there is a difference between a head of lettuce and a hamburger bun. Both are carbohydrates but they are clearly in different classes. The Glycemic Index (GI) is a method of ranking carbohydrates by looking at how each food impacts the blood sugar.
Controlling blood sugar and insulin response is a key factor in losing fat. If your blood sugar is high then insulin is high as well. This elevation in glucose and insulin results in fat being stored making it very difficult to lose fat. Low carbohydrate diets look to control insulin and blood sugar by simply removing carbohydrates from the diet altogether. While this is certainly one approach to fat loss, it has proven to be very difficult to maintain and the studies show that the majority of people fall off of this diet within a year and gain the fat back. The glycemic index allows us to rank foods by impact on blood sugar. The goal is to eat more of the foods with low GI numbers and avoid the foods that are closer to 100.
Benefits of following a low glycemic index diet include:
- Improved Weight Loss
- Helps to normalize blood sugar
- Prevents diabetes
- Decreases inflammation
- Helps you to control hunger and cravings
- Helps to decrease risk of heart disease
- Helps to lower cholesterol
- Improves physical endurance
To access a free database that provides the glycemic index of thousands of foods visit www.glycemicindex.com.
[...] to resemble what nature produced and thus are typically lower in calories, slower absorbing (Low Glycemic Index) and more [...]
[...] mentioned in a previous post titled, “What is the Glycemic Index”, the glycemic index tells us how fast the carbohydrates in a particular food enter the blood. Foods [...]
[...] I cannot tell you how many diet programs I have evaluated over the years, just too many to keep track of. The glycemic index diet is one program that has received much attention in health and fitness magazines and is usually discussed as one tactic in a more comprehensive weight loss program. The magazines will often suggest that you eat low-glycemic foods with little discussion about what that means. To find out more about the glycemic index, see our brief discussion “What is the Glycemic Index” in our blog”. [...]