The glycemic index measures the potential of any carbohydrate to raise your blood sugar level. Foods are ranked on a scale of 1 to 100 in comparison to pure glucose, which scores 100. The higher a food scores on the glycemic index, or GI, the faster your body can create glucose and the higher your blood sugar will be. A low-GI diet regulates glucose and insulin production and may help you lose weight.
The Glycemic Index Diet
The GI diet is not necessarily a weight-loss diet, but it is designed to help you choose "good" carbs -- those that are rich in nutrients and high in fiber. Fiber slows digestion and your body's ability to produce glucose; so, instead of a rapid spike in blood sugar, you have a slow and steady supply. Because fiber adds bulk without adding calories, high-fiber foods such as vegetables, beans, fruits and whole grains can help you feel full eating less and can make it easier to wait longer between meals. Eating fewer calories should result in weight loss.
Low-GI Meals
The glycemic index testing facility at Sydney University in Australia maintains a free online database -- open to the public -- with the GI scores of all tested foods. The majority of your carbohydrates should score 55 or less to be considered low-GI. Foods that score below 70 are medium-GI foods, which you can eat occasionally. Try to avoid high-GI foods, which score 70 and above. Only foods that contain carbs are tested -- fats and proteins will not have a GI score. Your low-GI meal should combine low-GI carbs with healthy fats and lean protein.
Low-GI Breakfast and Lunch
Breakfast can be a choice of scrambled eggs with vegetables, low-fat yogurt with fruit, or a whole-grain breakfast cereal, such as oatmeal or muesli. If you'd like toast, try a multigrain bread made from whole rather than refined grains. Avoid foods such as pancakes and extras such as syrup and jam. Foods high in sugar tend to also be high on the GI. Lunch might be a vegetable or bean soup, a chef's salad -- hold the croutons -- or a sandwich made on whole-grain bread. Watch out for convenience foods such as pizza, and avoid fast food if possible. For example, french fries are a high-GI food, scoring 75 on the glycemic index.
Low-GI Dinner
Look for whole-grain versions of pasta, which can be made from brown rice or quinoa and will be lower on the GI than white pastas. A low-GI pasta combined with vegetables and chicken, shrimp or any lean protein or a vegetable stir-fry with brown rice would be a perfect low-GI meal. You can ensure that you're not overeating by dividing your plate in four equal quarters -- fill two quarters with vegetables, one quarter with lean protein and one quarter with your low-GI carb. A sweet potato, brown rice, quinoa, millet and barley are low-GI choices; couscous, white rice and a baked potato are medium-GI choices.
