People often turn to low-carbohydrate diets, such as a low-glycemic index diet, or low GI diet, when trying to lose weight. The GI ranks food based on how they affect your blood sugar levels after consumption. Low GI weight loss plans focus on the consumption of foods ranked low on the glycemic index and on reducing your calorie intake.
Purpose
A low GI weight loss plan helps control your blood sugar levels. When you consume low GI foods, you prevent the large fluctuations in your blood glucose levels that lead to sugar cravings and overeating, says Karen Collins, a dietitian and nutritionist who runs a private practice in Jamestown, N.Y. Decreased cravings and overeating can help control your calorie intake, which increases the amount of weight you lose.
Meal Planning
A low GI weight loss plan requires planning your meals to include foods with a lower GI value. If you do decide to eat a high GI food, combine it with a low GI food to help decrease effect the high GI food will have on your blood sugar, explains Lucy Beale and Joan Clark-Warner in their book, "The Complete Idiot's Guide to Glycemic Index Weight Loss, 2nd Edition." Collins advises that you also focus on the nutritional value of your meal. Some low GI foods contain high amounts of calories and few vitamins and minerals and should be eaten in moderation. If you limit your portion size of food to one serving and eat foods high in nutritional value, you will consume fewer calories overall.
Food Choices
Foods with more fat and fiber tend to have a lower GI value. Low GI foods include stone-ground whole wheat bread, sweet potatoes, legumes, lentils, non-starchy vegetables and most fruits; medium GI foods include whole wheat and rye bread, brown rice, quick oats and wild rice; and high GI foods include white bread, pretzels, popcorn, corn flakes, Russet potatoes and melons, according to the American Diabetes Association. Meats and fats have no GI rating because they do not contain carbohydrates and do not cause sugar fluctuations.
Factors Affecting GI Value
Food can vary in its GI value, depending on ripeness, cooking method and processing. Beale and Clark-Warner advise that riper foods, highly processed foods and foods cooked for longer periods of time have higher GI values. The variety of food also affects GI value. For instance, long grain white rice has a lower GI value than short grain white rice.
Expert Opinion
The American Dietetic Association advises against using low GI diets for long-term weight loss. It states that focusing on the GI of food may help you lose weight for the short-term, but it causes no significant difference in weight loss after the one-year mark. Long-lasting weight loss results from a lifetime commitment to reduced calorie consumption and regular exercise, not on the type of food you eat.
References
- "The Complete Idiot's Guide to Glycemic Index Weight Loss, 2nd Edition"; Lucy Beale and Joan Clark-Warner; 2010
- Karen Collins, M.S., R.D., C.D.N.; Dietitian and Nutritionist in Private Practice; Jamestown, N.Y.
- American Diabetes Association: The Glycemic Index of Foods
- American Dietetic Association: American Dietetic Association Publishes Evidence-based Nutrition Practice Guidelines for Registered Dietitians
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