Glycemic Index Diet

LOW-GI

Low GI Life Plan

The glycemic diet is formed from the glycemic index (GI).

If you’re not diabetic or have normal blood-sugar numbers, you may be unfamiliar with the glycemic index.

For those of us who have to constantly measure or be vigilant with our blood-sugar levels, the glycemic index is an important tool.

The glycemic index was created in the 1980s to help people manage and prevent diabetes.

It ranks food based on the amount of time it takes glucose to get into the bloodstream.

Those foods which release glucose rapidly have a higher GI; those that release glucose more gradually generally have a lower GI.

Lower GI scores are better because foods that release glucose quickly can cause spikes in blood-sugar.

This diet contains a mix of proteins, fats and carbohydrates.

It focuses on carbohydrates that are lower on the glycemic scale.

The diet is built upon the belief that too many carbohydrates from the wrong sources can cause the body to produce too much insulin.

Excess insulin can cause side effects like  low energy levels and  hunger.

On this diet, 40 percent of your total calories come from unrefined carbs like whole-grains, fruits, and vegetables.

Thirty percent of your calories will come from lean protein sources like fish and eggs.

The remaining 30 percent of your diet will consist of healthy fats like avocados, olive oil, and nuts.

The goal of the meal plan is to include each type of food in every meal so you create balance and prevent wild swings in blood sugar levels.

This diet is proven to be an effective way to lose weight in the long term.

No, it doesn’t promise rapid weight loss like some diet plans.

Yet, precisely because you don’t remove any food groups and maintain a good ratio for each, you can expect the weight to stay off.

Researchers have found that those who ate foods that had a high glycemic load (which includes refined grains, starches, and sugars) gained more weight than those who ate foods with a low glycemic load (foods such as nuts, dairy, and certain fruits and vegetables).

Other research has shown that going lower on the glycemic index (GI) scale will help you lose weight.

Maureen’s plate of Tuna Salad A Very Low GI Meal

Researchers found that the best diets for weight loss were high in protein-rich foods like fish, nuts, and yogurt, which helped prevent weight gain.

Avoiding refined grains, starches, and sugars further helped, as did replacing all meat consumption with other protein-rich foods like fish,eggs and cheese.

The glycemic index diet goes beyond calories; it encourages you to look at the way foods are digested and metabolized in your body and what impact that has on your body weight and how full you feel after eating.

Use a glycemic index list as a weight-loss tool by selecting low-glycemic foods or balancing out a high-glycemic food choice with a lower-glycemic one.

Use the information in the glycemic index list below to add healthy benefits to your food choices.

GI Of Popular Foods

GI Of Popular Foods

The Shopper’s Guide to GI Values: The Authoritative Source of Glycemic Index Values for More Than 1,200 Foods (The New Glucose Revolution Series)

Despite this slight variation the index provides a good guide to which foods you should be eating and which foods to avoid.

The goal for weight loss on the glycemic index diet is to consume mostly nutritious low-glycemix foods and incorporate medium- and high-glycemic foods rarely.

The glycemic load takes into consideration both the glycemic index of a food and the amount of carbohydrate in the portion of food eaten.

The glycemic load is calculated by multiplying the glycemic index value by the number of grams of carbohydrate, then dividing by 100.

In general, a serving of food with a glycemic load of 1—10 is considered to have a low glycemic load.

11—19 is a medium glycemic load.

and 20 or higher is a high glycemic load.

For those with diabetes, you want your diet to have GL values as low as possible.

The Glycemic Index Range is as Follows:

Low GI = 55 or less
Medium GI = 56 – 69
High GI = 70 or more

Breakfast Cereal

Low GI
All-bran (UK/Aus) 30
All-bran (US) 50
Oat bran 50
Rolled Oats 51
Special K (UK/Aus) 54
Natural Muesli 40
Porridge 58
Medium GI
Bran Buds 58
Mini Wheats 58
Nutrigrain 66
Shredded Wheat 67
Porridge Oats 63
Special K (US) 69
High GI
Cornflakes 80
Sultana Bran 73
Branflakes 74
Coco Pops 77
Puffed Wheat 80
Oats in Honey Bake 77
Team 82
Total 76
Cheerios 74
Rice Krispies 82
Weetabix 74

Staples

Low GI
Wheat Pasta Shapes 54
New Potatoes 54
Ravioli 39
Spaghetti 32
Tortellini (Cheese) 50
Egg Fettuccini 32
Brown Rice 50
Buckwheat 51
White long grain rice 50
Pearled Barley 22
Yam 35
Sweet Potatoes 48
Instant Noodles 47
Wheat tortilla 30
Medium GI
Basmati Rice 58
Couscous 61
Cornmeal 68
Taco Shells 68
Gnocchi 68
Canned Potatoes 61
Chinese (Rice) Vermicelli 58
Baked Potatoes 60
Wild Rice 57
High GI
Instant White Rice 87
Glutinous Rice 86
Short Grain White Rice 83
Tapioca 70
Fresh Mashed Potatoes 73
French Fries 75
Instant Mashed Potatoes 80

Bread

Low GI
Soya and Linseed 36
Wholegrain Pumpernickel 46
Heavy Mixed Grain 45
Whole Wheat 49
Sourdough Rye 48
Sourdough Wheat 54
Medium GI
Croissant 67
Hamburger bun 61
Pita, white 57
Wholemeal Rye 62
High GI
White 71
Bagel 72
French Baguette 95

Snacks & Sweet Foods

Low GI
Slim-Fast meal replacement 27
Snickers Bar (high fat) 41
Nut & Seed Muesli Bar 49
Sponge Cake 46
Nutella 33
Milk Chocolate 42
Hummus 6
Peanuts 13
Walnuts 15
Cashew Nuts 25
Nuts and Raisins 21
Jam 51
Corn Chips 42
Oatmeal Crackers 55
Medium GI
Ryvita 63
Digestives 59
Blueberry muffin 59
Honey 58
High GI
Pretzels 83
Water Crackers 78
Rice cakes 87
Puffed Crispbread 81
Donuts 76
Scones 92
Maple flavoured syrup 68

Legumes (Beans)

Low GI
Kidney Beans (canned) 52
Butter Beans 36
Chick Peas 42
Haricot/Navy Beans 31
Lentils, Red 21
Lentils, Green 30
 Pinto Beans 45
Blackeyed Beans 50
Yellow Split Peas 32
Medium GI
Beans in Tomato Sauce 56

Vegetables

Low GI
Frozen Green Peas 39
Frozen Sweet Corn 47
Raw Carrots 16
Boiled Carrots 41
Eggplant/Aubergine 15
Broccoli 10
Cauliflower 15
Cabbage 10
Mushrooms 10
Tomatoes 15
Chillies 10
Lettuce 10
Green Beans 15
Red Peppers 10
Onions 10
Medium GI  
Beetroot 64
High GI
Pumkin 75
Parsnips 97

Fruits

Low GI
Cherries 22
Plums 24
Grapefruit 25
Peaches 28
Peach, canned in natural juice 30
Apples 34
Pears 41
Dried Apricots 32
Grapes 43
Coconut 45
Coconut Milk 41
Kiwi Fruit 47
Oranges 40
Strawberries 40
Prunes 29
Medium GI  
Mango 60
Sultanas 56
Bananas 58
Raisins 64
Papaya 60
Figs 61
Pineapple 66
High GI
Watermelon 80
Dates 103

Dairy

Low GI
Whole milk 31
Skimmed milk 32
Chocolate milk 42
Sweetened yoghurt 33
Artificially Sweetened Yoghurt 23
Custard 35
Soy Milk 44
Medium GI
Icecream 62

 

Glycemic Load Table

FOOD Glycemic index (glucose = 100) Serving size (grams) Glycemic load per serving
BAKERY PRODUCTS AND BREADS
Banana cake, made with sugar 47 60 14
Banana cake, made without sugar 55 60 12
Sponge cake, plain 46 63 17
Vanilla cake made from packet mix with vanilla frosting (Betty Crocker) 42 111 24
Apple, made with sugar 44 60 13
Apple, made without sugar 48 60 9
Waffles, Aunt Jemima® (Quaker Oats) 76 35 10
Bagel, white, frozen 72 70 25
Baguette, white, plain 95 30 15
Coarse barley bread, 75-80% kernels, average 34 30 7
Hamburger bun 61 30 9
Kaiser roll 73 30 12
Pumpernickel bread 56 30 7
50% cracked wheat kernel bread 58 30 12
White wheat flour bread 71 30 10
Wonder® bread, average 73 30 10
Whole wheat bread, average 71 30 9
100% Whole Grain® bread (Natural Ovens) 51 30 7
Pita bread, white 68 30 10
Corn tortilla 52 50 12
Wheat tortilla 30 50 8
BEVERAGES
Coca Cola®, average 63 250 mL 16
Fanta®, orange soft drink 68 250 mL 23
Lucozade®, original (sparkling glucose drink) 95 ±10 250 mL 40
Apple juice, unsweetened, average 44 250 mL 30
Cranberry juice cocktail (Ocean Spray®) 68 250 mL 24
Gatorade 78 250 mL 12
Orange juice, unsweetened 50 250 mL 12
Tomato juice, canned 38 250 mL 4
BREAKFAST CEREALS AND RELATED PRODUCTS
All-Bran®, average 55 30 12
Coco Pops®, average 77 30 20
Cornflakes®, average 93 30 23
Cream of Wheat® (Nabisco) 66 250 17
Cream of Wheat®, Instant (Nabisco) 74 250 22
Grapenuts, average 75 30 16
Muesli, average 66 30 16
Oatmeal, average 55 250 13
Instant oatmeal, average 83 250 30
Puffed wheat, average 80 30 17
Raisin Bran® (Kellogg’s) 61 30 12
Special K® (Kellogg’s) 69 30 14
GRAINS
Pearled barley, average 28 150 12
Sweet corn on the cob, average 60 150 20
Couscous, average 65 150 9
Quinoa 53 150 13
White rice, average 73 ± 4 150 43
Quick cooking white basmati 67 150 28
Brown rice, average 68 ± 4 150 16
Converted, white rice (Uncle Ben’s®) 38 150 14
Whole wheat kernels, average 30 50 11
Bulgur, average 48 150 12
COOKIES AND CRACKERS
Graham crackers 74 25 14
Vanilla wafers 77 25 14
Shortbread 64 25 10
Rice cakes, average 82 25 17
Rye crisps, average 64 25 11
Soda crackers 74 25 12
DAIRY PRODUCTS AND ALTERNATIVES
Ice cream, regular 57 50 6
Ice cream, premium 38 50 3
Milk, full fat 41 250mL 5
Milk, skim 32 250 mL 4
Reduced-fat yogurt with fruit, average 33 200 11
FRUITS
Apple, average 39 120 6
Banana, ripe 62 120 16
Dates, dried 42 60 18
Grapefruit 25 120 3
Grapes, average 59 120 11
Orange, average 40 120 4
Peach, average 42 120 5
Peach, canned in light syrup 40 120 5
Pear, average 38 120 4
Pear, canned in pear juice 43 120 5
Prunes, pitted 29 60 10
Raisins 64 60 28
Watermelon 72 120 4
BEANS AND NUTS      
Baked beans, average 40 150 6
Blackeye peas, average 33 150 10
Black beans 30 150 7
Chickpeas, average 10 150 3
Chickpeas, canned in brine 38 150 9
Navy beans, average 31 150 9
Kidney beans, average 29 150 7
Lentils, average 29 150 5
Soy beans, average 15 150 1
Cashews, salted 27 50 3
Peanuts, average 7 50 0
PASTA and NOODLES
Fettucini, average 32 180 15
Macaroni, average 47 180 23
Macaroni and Cheese (Kraft) 64 180 32
Spaghetti, white, boiled, average 46 180 22
Spaghetti, white, boiled 20 min, average 58 180 26
Spaghetti, wholemeal, boiled, average 42 180 17
SNACK FOODS
Corn chips, plain, salted, average 42 50 11
Fruit Roll-Ups® 99 30 24
M & M’s®, peanut 33 30 6
Microwave popcorn, plain, average 55 20 6
Potato chips, average 51 50 12
Pretzels, oven-baked 83 30 16
Snickers Bar® 51 60 18
VEGETABLES
Green peas, average 51 80 4
Carrots, average 35 80 2
Parsnips 52 80 4
Baked russet potato, average 111 150 33
Boiled white potato, average 82 150 21
Instant mashed potato, average 87 150 17
Sweet potato, average 70 150 22
Yam, average 54 150 20
MISCELLANEOUS
Hummus (chickpea salad dip) 6 30 0
frozen vegetables reheated in microwave oven 5 min 46 100 7
Pizza, plain baked dough, served with parmesan cheese and tomato sauce 80 100 22
Pizza, Super Supreme (Pizza Hut) 36 100 9
Honey, average 61 25 12

By choosing low-glycemic foods, you’ll naturally eat fewer calories, feel fuller for longer, and lose weight.

When you follow a low-glycemic lifestyle, you’re not always eliminating the foods you enjoy.

If you enjoy your food choices, you’re more likely to continue with this healthier way of eating.

Strive to maintain an even carbohydrate intake at meals .

gi-diet

GI: How to succeed using the Glycemic Index diet (Collins Gem)

Choose foods that are higher in fiber and monounsaturated fat, enjoy seafood that contains beneficial omega-3 fatty acids more often, and decrease the amount of saturated fat, trans fats, cholesterol, and sodium that you consume.

Fortunately, low-glycemic fruits, vegetables, legumes, and whole grains already meet these heart-healthy nutrition guidelines, so simply incorporating a variety of these low-glycemic foods into your diet each day can help protect you from heart disease.

Lettuce is a very low glycemic index food more so than any other food!

Our fresh homegrown lettuce and scallions

Knowing which foods to eat before, during, and after exercise based on their glycemic index level helps people maximize their energy and recovery time.

The human body digests and metabolizes low-glycemic foods slowly, thereby providing a continued amount of energy for working muscles.

Start your day with a breakfast that’s built on lower-glycemic foods to provide longer-lasting energy and wake up your brain.

Serve a low-glycemic breakfast cereal (such as rolled oats), top it with some fruit, and pour a glass of goats milk for a balanced, low-glycemic breakfast that’ll give you sustained energy throughout the morning.

Food cravings occur for many reasons, both physiological and psychological, but one core cause of food cravings is erratic blood glucose levels.

When your body’s blood glucose levels go through high spikes throughout the day, you can wind up feeling hungry hence the unwanted yet nagging food craving.

Breakfasts, lunches, and dinners that are overloaded with high-glycemic foods can also send your blood glucose levels sky-high.

To keep your food cravings under control, choose low-glycemic foods for your meals and snacks,match these foods with protein and monosaturated fat sources.

Hummus Beiruti Recipe: Hummus Beiruti is a Lebanese version of Hummus that adds a copious amount of garlic, bringing a touch of spice to it. Drizzled with olive oil, this dish is mainly paired with wholegrain Pita bread.

Ingredients Of Hummus Beiruti

  • 500 gms chana kabuli
  • 100 gms tahina
  • 15 gms cooking soda
  • 30 gms garlic
  • 3 Lemon
  • 50 ml olive oil
  • flat parsley, chopped
  • onion, chopped
  • chilli, chopped

How to Make Hummus Beiruti

  • Soak chickpeas in water for overnight.
  • Boil the chickpeas, wash properly with cold water. Allow the chickpeas to cool.
  • Add chickpeas, tahini paste, and crushed ice in a food processor. Remove the hummus and add chopped onion, chilli, parsley and lemon juice.
  • Garnish with olive oil, chopped tomatoes and paprika powder.

Brown Rice vs. White Rice - Which Is Best for Diabetes?

Two food groups are generally safe to eat in greater amounts when you want to lose weight: vegetables and fruits.

These foods (particularly vegetables) contain lower calorie levels and lower glycemic loads than most other foods.

As for the calorie factor, a whole cup of raw vegetables or a half cup of cooked vegetables is, on average, a mere 25 calories. That’s a lot of food for such a small calorie amount!

On the fruit side of things, most fruits tend to have a low-glycemic load, and one small piece averages out to 60 calories. Sure, that’s not as low as the veggies, but it’s still lower than many other food groups.

Of course, you can’t pursue weight loss and health without taking a look at all the foods you consume, including your protein and fat sources.

Some examples of lean-protein sources are skinless chicken breasts, lean cuts of beef and  eggs, fish  and soy foods like tofu.

Believe it or not, fat is healthy when it’s the right kind and when you consume it in moderate amounts.

Omega-3 fatty acids found in fatty fish, chia seeds, and flax seeds (among other foods) are essential for good health.

Look for unsaturated fat sources, specifically oils, seeds, nuts, nut butters, olives, and avocados.

Do your best to limit saturated fats like butter and cream, and avoid trans fats like hydrogenated oils.

 

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Eating the right amounts of low-glycemic fruits and vegetables along with portion-controlled low-glycemic starches is great, but if you’re pairing those foods with excessive amounts of butter, oils, or high-fat meats, your hard work may all be for nothing. Pay attention to your portion sizes!

Low-glycemic foods can become high-glycemic foods if you eat too large of a serving.

The low-glycemic status of many foods is dependent on you consuming the right portion size, meaning if you eat more than that amount, your glycemic load will add up.

So if you eat two servings of pasta rather than one, you wind up with a higher glycemic load for that whole meal.

More food equals more calories.

Adding more calories with large portion sizes will defeat your efforts at weight loss quickly.

Whether or not your calories are coming primarily from low-glycemic foods, eating too many of them raises your insulin levels and causes you to gain weight.

Portion sizes are probably one of the biggest culprits in weight gain.

People are eating larger portion sizes than ever these days, a fact that correlates directly to the rate of weight gain in many countries.

Glycemic Index Diet Plan

Glycemic Index Diet Plan

The Gl Cookbook and Diet Plan: A Glycemic Load Weight-Loss Program with Over 150 Delicious Recipes

 

Eat more of the Following Carbohydrate Foods

All green vegetables including broccoli, courgettes/zucchini, green beans, kale

All white vegetables including cauliflower, white cabbage, mushrooms, radishes

All salad vegetables such as lettuce, cucumber, peppers, tomatoes

Whole fruits such as apples, cherries, grapefruit, pears, plums, oranges, strawberries, peaches

Pulses such as lentils, chickpeas and dried beans

Seeds such as linseeds/flax, pumpkin, sunflower, sesame and hemp

Nuts such as almonds, brazils, walnuts, pine nuts, macadamias and peanuts

Plain yoghurt

High fibre, unsweetened cereals

High fibre, whole grain bread *

Sweet potatoes *

Whole wheat pasta *

Brown basmati rice, buckwheat grains, quinoa, bulgur wheat, pearl barley *

* whole grains, starchy vegetables and some fruits are in between on the GI scale – treat them cautiously until you know you can include them in your diet and still lose weight

Cut out or Severely restrict the Following Carbohydrate Foods

Starchy vegetables such as parsnips

Fruit yogurts and desserts high in sugar such as imitation mousse

Fruit juices

White bread, baguettes, bagels

Cream crackers, white rice cakes

Iced cakes and pastries, filled biscuits/cookies, doughnuts

Scones, crumpets, waffles

Sweet pies

Fruit canned in syrup

Breakfast cereals containing sugar

Baked and mashed potatoes, chips/fries

White rice

Corn and rice pasta

Pizza

High sugar jams/jelly

Crisps/chips and other potato- and corn-based snacks

Fruit drinks containing added sugar

Fizzy drinks containing sugar

Sweets/sugar candy and chocolate bars/chocolate candy

Thickened soups

Table sugar

Ice cream containing glucose syrup or high levels of other sugars

Swap these higher GI foods…

… for these lower GI foods

Refined sugary cereal Old-fashioned oatmeal porridge
Cornflakes or rice krispies All bran or muesli
White bread sandwich Whole grain / granary bread sandwich
Baked potato Basmati rice, wholegrain rice or sweet potato
White rice Basmati rice or wholegrain rice
Biscuits/cookies Small handful of nuts, or raw vegetable sticks
Cola or other regular fizzy drink Caffeine free herbal tea (or better still, water)
Sweets/sugar candy Apple or pear or other low GI fruit
Fruit-filled chocolate bar Plain dark chocolate (70% or more cocoa solids)
Jam/jelly or marmalade on toast Egg on toast
Curry with rice Curry with chickpeas or lentils
Rice cakes Oatcakes
Pretzels Walnuts

Follow a meal plan that is tailored to a healthy lifestyle and helps achieve goals for stable blood glucose, cholesterol and triglycerides levels, blood pressure, cholesterol and weight management.

For more great Health and Nutrition Tips refer to the website positivehealthwellness.com.

14 Simple Ways to Stick to a Healthy Diet

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