Guide to a Low Glycemic Diet

It seems as though there's a new diet or eating plan in the papers, on TV or online every day, getting our attention before we even know how it works and how it benefits the body. This makes it difficult to determine which eating plan is right for you. One plan being bounced around today is the low glycemic diet. What is it, how does it work and what will it do for you?

Glycemic Index

After the food you eat enters the gut, your body breaks it down, releasing the glucose, or sugar, in the food. The body requires insulin to process this sugar, and the amount of insulin needed is measured using the Glycemic Index (GI). Each food has a GI value on a scale from one to 100.

High Glycemic Foods

Foods that break down quickly and flood your body with a lot of glucose require a lot of insulin to process them. These foods are called high glycemic foods. These include fried foods, most breads and cereals, bananas, dried fruits, fruit juices, starchy root vegetables, processed meats, full-fat dairy products, most alcoholic drinks and candy. A food with an index above 70 is considered high glycemic.

Low Glycemic Foods

Foods that break down slowly and provide a more even flow of glucose into your body require less insulin to process. These are low glycemic foods, and they include most lean meats, fish and seafood, most whole fruits and vegetables, whole grain breads and cereals, beans, brown rice, eggs, low-fat dairy, sugar-free drinks and low-fat condiments. Food with a GI below 55 are considered low glycemic foods.

Goal of the Diet

The goal of a low glycemic diet is to provide your body with a slow and steady level of glucose from food, allowing insulin levels to remain low and balanced. This helps make digestion more efficient and does not throw your body into stress. This natural regulation of insulin is why a low glycemic diet is recommended for diabetics.

Scientific Studies

Studies by Dr. David Jenkins of the University of Toronto and Dr. Mark Pereira of the University of Minnesota, both published separately in the Journal of the American Medical Association, have shown that the low glycemic diet is effective in helping to control and prevent diabetes. Dr. Jenkins' study compared a low glycemic diet to the traditionally recommended high-fiber diet and found it to be better in combating diabetes symptoms. Dr. Pereira discovered that a low glycemic diet was more successful in fighting diabetes than a low-fat diet.

Weight Loss

Many commercial diets, such as Sugar Busters and the South Beach Diet, use this basic idea. Their success comes not only from eating low GI foods, but also through restricting calories. Studies have not shown that these diets are any more effective for weight loss than any other calorie-restricting diet. However, some claim that the eating patterns adopted in a low glycemic diet offer a better chance of keeping the weight off.