The GI or Glycemic Index Diet
GI Diet Summary
The GI is all about eating the right carbohydrates - ones that slowly release sugar into your system rather than ones that give you a sugar rush and raise your insulin levels. High GI foods can increase risk of heart disease, diabetes and obesity - so sticking to low GI can help you lose weight and improve your health.
In practise, the GI diet means lots of vegetables, fruits and whole grain foods, and avoiding foods with a high GI. The Glycemic Index (hence GI) of each food is calculated from real tests on people's blood sugar levels after eating a food, and each food is indexed against sugar (glucose) which has a glycemic index of 100.
History of the GI Diet Program
Dr David J Jenkins and his colleagues at the University of Toronto developed the concept of the glycaemic index in the early 1980s in order to explain how carbohydrates affect blood sugar. His first of 15 scientific papers on this subject was published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition in March 1981. Jenkins is still a professor of nutrition in Toronto. The idea of a GI Diet Program however has developed later, with the diet becoming increasingly popular through a serious of books and magazines in 2005 and beyond.
Foods to Eat
- Vegetables: 5 times a day
- Wholegrains, bread and pasta: 3 to 6 portions a day
- Fruit: 2 to 3 times a day
- Nuts and seeds, and their oils: 2 to 4 times a day
- Protein, in the form of meat, eggs or low fat dairy products: up to 3 times a day
Foods to Avoid
- White bread, rice, potatoes, sweets, cakes, biscuits
- Red meat in excess
Other relevant pages on Fit and Trim:
Top Tips to Succeed on the GI Plan
- Eat healthy, low GI food in moderation
- Love those oats and grains
- Eat lots of vegetables and fruit
- Eat wholemeal pasta
- Try basmati rice - it's lower GI than white or brown rice
- Sweet potatoes are lower GI than normal potatoes
- Mix up foods to improve GI - for example, adding vinegar to food may reduce its GI
Watch Outs and Health Risks
The GI diet is widely endorsed as one of the most healthy and scientifically-supported popular diets. However, there are a few watchouts: the GI of specific foods can vary a lot, for example based on how ripe your vegetables are or how they are cooked; GIs of the same food can vary according to portion size (which has led to the concept of glycemic load); and it can also be hard to predict the GI of a meal when you mix foods up. Also, each individual body's reaction to different foods is different.
Celebrities on the GI
Remours include Kylie Minogue, Kim Cattrall, Naomi Campbell, Steve Redgrave, Bill and Hilary Clinton (they try every diet).
More info: Links and GI Diet Books
Discuss The GI on our Diet Forums
Read more about The GI at Wikipedia
Buy books from Amazon.co.uk on the GI Diet
