Glycemic index is known as GI in short and is an indication of the effect that carbohydrates have on the sugar levels of the blood. The carbohydrates which can be broken down at a fast rate at digestion will also release glucose quickly into the blood. Such carbohydrates are termed as high GI foods. On the other hand those carbohydrates that release glucose at a slower rate are known as low GI foods. Such a classification was started during 1980 - 81 as a result of the research conducted at University of Toronto. The research was undertaken to classify foods to decide upon foods that are best suited for diabetic patients.
Diets that take into consideration the Glycemic index of foods is increasing in popularity. Experts too feel that dieting plans that use Glycemic index will be effective in promoting weight loss in a person. As it is known to be a healthy method for losing weight, many people are interested in knowing about it. Generally you may think that a low Glycemic index diet bears resemblance to low carbohydrate diet. But actually they are quite different: in a low carbohydrate diet, it is important to limit the quantity of carbohydrate eaten but in a low Glycemic index diet, emphasis is placed more on carbohydrates having low GI.
Carbohydrates that have lower GI needs lower insulin and helps in the control of blood glucose in the long run. The following foods are known to have a high GI: glucose, white rice, white bread, water melon, baked potatoes and corn flakes. The following food items have medium GI: sugar, sweet potato, and whole wheat. Foods with low GI have been listed here: nuts, yoghurt, milk, pulses and legumes, pasta, nearly all the fruits and most vegetables (excluding watermelon, potatoes).
You can make use of some ideas to make sure that the food that you consume regularly falls in the low or medium category when Glycemic index is taken into consideration. It is not necessary to completely avoid food items that have a high Glycemic index. This will prevent you from avoiding foods that have a higher Glycemic index compared to other foods but have great nutritional value. You can eat high GI foods and low GI foods if you want to maintain a medium GI level on a given day. At the same time, it is also important not to eat those low GI foods that have high fat content regularly.
The Glycemic index diet plan can reduce the chances of the onset of diabetes. It is better than some other diet plans as it allows you to eat some foods that are restricted in other diet plans. You can add some vinegar to your meal for reducing the GI. If you consume dietary fibre that is soluble, the GI is reduced as it has the ability to reduce the pace of gastric emptying. Substitute unrefined breads in place of refined breads as unrefined bread has more fibre content. This reduces its GI compared to the GI of white breads.