The low glycemic index diet has gained a lot of popularity in recent times, and to understand how this diet works, it is important to understand firstly what the “glycemic index” is. The glycemic index (GI) is the measure of the effect that carbohydrates have on blood sugar levels and foods that have a low GI are those that break down slowly and release energy more gradually into the blood stream.
The GI concept was developed at the University of Toronto my Dr David J Jenkins and his colleagues zero in on foods that are suitable for diabetics. The low glycemic index diet was developed around the understanding that foods with a high glycemic index give a quick burst of energy to the body, which however dissipate soon thereafter and leave one craving more food.
The diet also bases itself on the understanding that high GI foods that make available to the body a lot of ready energy can hamper weight loss since the body will turn to this energy source rather than the body’s fat stores.
The idea behind the low glycemic index diet is that by eating foods that have a low GI, you satisfy the body’s hunger in a better and more sustained manner, thereby lowering the desire to eat more often. The low GI diet doesn’t cut out carbs in the way that the Atkins diet does; but rather seeks to substitute high GI carbs with low GI substitutes such as sweet potato, long grain rice, high soy and linseed breads etc.
Over time, studies have shown that a low glycemic index diet can have several benefits such as being able to prevent type 2 diabetes and coronary heart disease and even cancer and macular degeneration of the eyes. People who have a high GI diet are also seen to be more likely to be obese or overweight.
So clearly the low GI diet does have quite a few advantages. However there is also some amount of criticism that this diet tends to attract.
• Some foods that are high in calories from fat as well as salt, could have low GI and so may not aid weight loss.
• Some experts contend that not enough conclusive research has been done on the subject that the low glycemic index diet does in fact work.
The GI of a given food is not constant and may vary due to factors such as the ripeness (of say a fruit), the length of time the item has been stored, the way that it has been cooked or the amount it has been processed, and also the different types of a given food – the glycemic index of different types of potato may vary very greatly indeed.
• The way that the glycemic index of a food affects one person may be quite different from the way that it impacts another. The time of day, levels of blood glucose, and insulin resistance also impact the way that the GI of any given food interacts with the person.
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