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Glycemic Index Diet FoodGlycemic Index Diet Food refers to food with a low glycemic index. The glycemic index refers to the effect that the carbs have on our blood glucose levels. When we eat high glycemic index carbs, our blood glucose level rises and remains high while our body processes the food. When we eat food with a low glycemic index, our blood sugar rises only by a small amount. When we eat low glycemic index foods our energy level is more constant and we feel fuller for longer. Scientists have shown that eating carbohydrates with a low glycemic index encourages weight loss and is better overall for weight management and our health. Foods that are low on the Glycemic Index therefore are great diet foods. Scientific research has shown that these are also much better for people who suffer from diabetes. Foods that are low on the glycemic index are wholegrains like oats, barley and bran. Potatoes are ranked high on the glycemic index and as such as not a good glycemic index diet food, even if you skip the butter and sour cream. Pasta, on the other hand, is ranked low and so switch from potatoes to pasta if you are in the mood for some comfort food, but eat pasta with tomato sauce, not with heavy, creamy sauce. However, don’t use this knowledge as an excuse to over do it. You still need to count overall caloric intake if you want to be sure of maintaining or losing weight. Glycemic index diet foods, such as whole grains and pasta, have been shown to have a secondary effect of continuing to produce their benefits in the body even if the next meal you eat is not necessarily rich in low glycemic index foods. So it is worth trying to incorporate foods low on the glycemic index every meal. The great part about this fact is that if your diet is rich enough in low glycemic index foods, you don’t have to eat them to the exclusion of all other carbohydrates. So what are glycemic index diet foods? Most fruit, vegetables and legumes are classified as low glycemic index, along with whole grains. Not all vegetables rank low however. Potatoes, parsnips and sweet potatoes have a higher GI so be careful with quantities if you eat these. Remember, a food has to be a carbohydrate in order to have a glycemic index. Refined sugars, white flour and other highly processed carbs are high glycemic index, whereas unprocessed sugars, such as raw cane sugar, rank lower. Since meat, poultry, cheese and other proteins don’t contain carbohydrates, you can’t measure the glycemic index in these foods. Good fruits and vegetables to eat include apples, pears, citrus fruits, pineapple, papaya, apricots, plums and peaches. Also very low on the glycemic index are lentils and chickpeas and all kinds of beans. Most kinds of nuts, including peanuts, are also low GI foods, but these are also high in fat, so include them in your diet but eat them in moderation. Philip Kustner
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