GI Diet
As one of the most recent diets to hit the streets the GI Diet has already become hugely popular. Based around the Glycaemic Index, the diet encourages you to eat foods that release sugar into the body more slowly. By releasing sugar slowly your body has a steady supply of energy, you are less likely to feel hungry between meals and this hopefully means you won't feel the need to snack. In contrast eating foods which release sugar quickly can lead to a sugar rush, you feel great and energised for a short time but when this feeling subsides you are likely to be hungry again.
So the magic is in the numbers, the Glycamic Index starts from 0 with 100 being the value of glucose. The values apply to all foods with a carbohydrate element, be it sugar or starch.
What Can I Eat
The diet works by splitting foods into three groups - those with low, medium and high Glycaemic Index values. Dieters are simply encouraged to eat plenty of food with low values and to avoid those with higher values. Some examples of foods in the three groups are shown below, you may be surprised at some of them:
Low
Apples
Salted peanuts
All bran
Sweet potato (boiled)
Pasta
Medium:
Pineapple
Digestive biscuit
Weetabix
New potatoes (boiled)
Basmati rice (boiled)
High
Watermelon
Rice cakes
Cornflakes
Baked potato
Brown/White rice (boiled)
A variety of factors can affect the GI value of a food, for example any processing will increase the value. Strangely, the addition of fat slows the bodies absorption of carbohydrates so a bag of crisps, usually considered a "bad" food for those on a diet, actually has a lower GI value than potatoes cooked without fat. Combining foods also has an effect on the GI value, for example a baked potato has a high GI value, adding a low value food such as baked beans will reduce the GI of the overall meal.
Pros
It's a flexible diet allowing a wide choice of foods so many people find it easy to sustain it.
From the health angle, experts at Diabetes UK believe that eating foods with a low GI value can reduce the risk of getting Type 2 diabetes. Research also shows links between low GI foods and improved levels of "good" cholesterol which can reduce the risk of heart disease.
Cons
It can be difficult to work out the GI value of a complete meal due to the effect of combining foods. A good book or meal plan is essential if you are trying to lose weight.
With many high fat foods having low GI values the dieter needs to make a conscious effort to keep their fat intake to a healthy well-balanced level. Portion sizes also need to be kept under control.
Our Verdict
Although it can be complicated, with the aid of a good book or diet plan this is a healthy and sustainable method of controlling your weight.
