Both low-carb and low glycemic index diets can help you lose weight, improve your cholesterol levels, better manage your diabetes and reduce your risk of developing chronic diseases such as heart disease. However, your lifestyle and food preferences may be more suitable to one eating plan over the other. Moreover, because not everybody responds the same diet, it may be a good idea to give each of these diets a try for a few weeks to see which delivers the best results.
The Glycemic Index
The glycemic index is used to classify carbohydrate-containing foods according to how much they can influence your blood sugar levels. Foods with a low glycemic value, which is defined by a value of 55 or below, lead to a gentle and smooth rise in your blood sugar levels, while foods with a high glycemic index, defined by a value of 70 or above, lead to a sharp rise. Foods with a medium glycemic index value, ranging between 56 and 69, have a moderate effect. Basing your diet on low glycemic index foods and replacing high glycemic index foods with lower glycemic index options is associated with a healthier weight, enhanced athletic performance, improved diabetes control and blood cholesterol levels, and a decreased cardiovascular risk.
Low Glycemic Diets
A low glycemic index diet promotes the consumption of low glycemic index carbohydrates, such as sourdough bread, stone-ground whole-grain bread, basmati rice, whole-grain pasta, steel cut oats, quinoa, barley, beans and lentils. Temperate climate fruits, such as pears, apples, prunes, cherries, berries and oranges, as well as milk and yogurt also have low glycemic index values. A healthy low glycemic index meal should comprise low glycemic index carbohydrates as well as lean sources of protein and healthy fats. High glycemic foods, such as breakfast cereals, granola bars, white rice, potatoes, pretzels, rice cakes, candies and desserts should be avoided.
Low-Carb Diets
A low-carb diets limit your daily carbohydrate intake to between 50 and 150 g a day, while some plans recommend restricting your carbs more strictly, below 20 g a day, during the initial period to promote faster weight loss and eliminate carbohydrate cravings. If you follow a low-carb diet, starchy vegetables, such as potatoes and corn, grains, such as breakfast cereals, bread, muffins, crackers, pasta, rice and sugar-containing foods are usually cut off completely because of their high carbohydrate content. Fruits, milk and yogurt can usually be consumed in limited amounts, depending on your personal carbohydrate target. A healthy low-carb meal should be based on ample amounts of non-starchy vegetables, protein from eggs, meat, poultry, fish, seafood, cheese or low-carb vegetarian alternatives, and fats from butter, mayo, cream, bacon, oil, coconut, avocado, nut or nut butter.
Quality Vs. Quantity
While low glycemic diets emphasize the importance of choosing the best quality carbohydrates and avoiding the bad carbs, low-carb diets focus on restricting your total carbohydrate intake. The objective of both types of diet is to keep your blood sugar levels more stable throughout the day and minimize the release of insulin. Both the quality and the quantity of the carbohydrates you include in your diet can significantly influence your overall health, and experimenting with these diets is the best way to determine the plan to which your body responds best.
References
- University of Sydney: The Glycemic Index
- "American Journal of Clinical Nutrition"; International Table of Glycemic Index and Glycemic Load Values; Kaye Foster-Powell, et al.; 2002
- "Annals of Internal Medicine"; A Low-Carbohydrate, Ketogenic Diet versus a Low-Fat Diet To Treat Obesity and Hyperlipidemia; William S. Yancy Jr., et al.; 2004
- USDA National Nutrient Database: Nutrient Data Laboratory
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