The glycemic index is a scale upon which carbohydrates are ranked, based on their effects on blood sugar levels. The index ranges from 0 to 100; lower-ranking carbohydrates have a lesser effect on blood sugar than higher-ranking ones. For you to follow a low-glycemic-index diet, most of your food intake should come from low-glycemic-index foods; high-glycemic-index foods should be avoided.
Glycemic Index
Foods ranked from 0 to 55 are classified as low-glycemic-index foods. These foods produce small increases in blood sugar levels, if they affect blood sugar at all. Examples include peanuts, kidney beans, whole milk and bananas. Foods with a glycemic index of 56 to 69 are medium glycemic foods, which have a moderate effect on your blood sugar levels. While you may consume some of these foods on a low-glycemic-index diet, you should limit your intake. Examples of medium glycemic foods include pears, baked beans and apples. High-glycemic-index foods, which are ranked 70 or higher, should be eliminated from your diet. These foods have the most severe effect on your blood sugar, causing rapid increases in glucose. Some examples of high-glycemic-index foods include potatoes, white breads, pasta and rice.
Low-Glycemic-Index Diet and Diabetes
The original low-glycemic-index diet was created as a dietary tool in an effort to help diabetics control blood sugar levels. In healthy individuals, blood sugar levels are controlled by the hormone insulin, which is produced by the pancreas. Type 1 diabetes patients do not produce insulin; those with Type 2 diabetes either do not produce enough insulin or their cells do not respond well to insulin. As a result, blood sugar levels remain high after the ingestion of carbohydrates. The low-glycemic-index diet can help ensure that blood sugar levels remain steady, even without insulin.
Low-Glycemic-Index Diet and Weight Loss
Researchers observing individuals who were on low-glycemic-index diets have discovered that, in addition to controlling blood sugar levels, adherence to a low-glycemic-index diet may also lead to weight loss. Fluctuations in blood sugar were linked to weight gain, and the low-glycemic-index diet became the basis of many commercial diet programs, including the South Beach Diet and NutriSystem, according to EveryDiet.org.
Considerations
According to White Coat Notes, a study done by "The New England Journal of Medicine" reported that people following a low-glycemic-index, high-protein diet were able to maintain weight loss for a longer period of time than those following a high-glycemic-index, low-protein diet. The difference between the two diet groups was approximately 5 lb.
References
- Every Diet: Low Glycemic Index Diets
- "The Boston Globe"; High Protein, Low Glycemic Index Diet Helps Keeps Pounds Off; Elizabeth Cooney; November 24, 2010
- "Nutrition and You"; Joan Salge Blake; 2008
