Glycemic Index Diet: A Healthy Way to Lose Weight

The Glycemic Index Diet may not seem significant if you are not a diabetic, but lately studies have shown that this particular diet strategy is also a very effective way of losing weight. In fact, it is also one of the best and most recommended weight loss diets presently because it is not just effective but is also very healthy. So if you’re interested in losing weight, perhaps this is the solution you’ve been looking for. But first, what is this diet exactly?

The Glycemic Index Diet banks on the idea that carbohydrate foods have different effects on the body. The Glycemic Index is a unit of measurement used to rank carbohydrate foods based on how they cause blood glucose levels to increase. Those that cause only small, almost insignificant effects on blood glucose and insulin levels are called low GI carbs, while those that can cause a spike in a person’s blood sugar levels are called high GI carbs. Low GI carbs are considered as the healthier option since these provide you with the carbs that you need to sustain your body’s energy levels without the risk of causing health complications caused by high glucose levels such as heart disease and diabetes.

The Glycemic Index and Weight Loss – What’s the Connection?

Aside from helping reduce the risk of heart disease and diabetes, the Glycemic Index Diet also helps people lose weight the healthy way. Many people who want to lose weight tend to cut back on carbs, but what this does is to rip the body of the energy it needs. Thus, you can’t say goodbye to carbs completely. What you can do, however, is choose only the low GI carbs that will provide your body with the energy it needs without making you feel sluggish and weak.

Switching to A Glycemic Index Diet the Easy Way

If you’ve tried crash diets and have put your health at risk just to lose weight, the glycemic index diet is the solution for your weight loss worries. Now, for those interested in trying the low GI diet, you have to begin by compiling a list of low GI carbs and using them as alternatives to the high GI carbs that you usually eat. Here are some tips on how to do this.

• For breakfast, instead of eating regular white breads, try sour dough, whole wheat, or whole grain breads instead.

• Instead of breakfast cereals with high sugar levels, get oat, barley, or bran cereals and just use fruits to add flavor.

• Increase your fruits and vegetable intake.

• Don’t eat an entirely low GI meal. It’s enough to eat at least one low GI food in every meal. This way, you won’t get tired of low GI foods and you won’t quickly run out of recipes.

• Eat plenty of beans, lentils, and legumes. These are low GI foods with high protein levels.

One of the reasons why the Glycemic Index Diet works is that it won’t make you feel deprived. You don’t have to starve yourself or deny your cravings. All you have to do is to look for a low GI alternative to what you are craving for. And if you feel like rewarding yourself, you have a lot of low GI treats to choose from, like a whole grain sandwich with Nutella, a piece of sponge cake, a cup of milk chocolate, and even a Snickers bar. This is why most people who use this technique manage to see it through until they actually do lose weight.