Adding low glycemic index foods into your diet can help lower the risk of various heart diseases and diabetes. Following a low glycemic index diet plan can be your easiest way of controlling your weight and reducing the amount of cholesterol in your body. It can also help keep your body’s insulin sensitivity at normal. Instead of eating fatty foods, you may opt for complex carbohydrates in order to reduce the intake of calories. Low glycemic index oatmeal, pasta, whole grains, sweet potatoes and brown rice are some of the examples of complex or healthy carbohydrates that you can include into your diet. White bread and white rice are considered as processed carbohydrates, and these do not contain essential nutrients and fiber that can help your body stay healthy. Foods low glycemic index can help promote a slow but continuous supply of glucose to your bloodstream. These are also recommended in order to maintain high energy levels. A glycemic index diet is often misinterpreted as a diet program meant for those who are suffering from diabetes. However, you should know that you can also follow this diet if you want to start losing weight and gaining a healthier body.
Foods contained in GI recipes range from 1 to 100. Foods with a GI value of 55 or less are known as low glycemic index foods, foods ranging from 56 to 69 are medium GI foods and high GI foods if the glycemic index value is from 70 and above. When following a low GI diet, you have to make sure that your meals contain at least one food that has a high or medium GI value. You are also required to include fresh fruits and green leafy vegetables into your diet. Eating white rice is not prohibited as long as you eat in moderation but make sure that you avoid the consumption of flour. It is also essential to include brown rice and whole grain products into your diet. Also, fried potatoes should be avoided but you may opt for the grilled, baked or boiled ones.
When following a glycemic index diet, you do not have to worry about your menu as there are various types of foods that you can include into your recipes. The foods that you can include into your glycemic index recipes are readily available and you can even check out for its list on some glycemic index books or websites. Here is a list of some of the foods that you can include into your low GI diet:
- fructose = 53
- honey = 58
- maltose = 105
- lactose = 46
- glucose = 100
Seeing the list above, you will not know why most dietitians would ask you to avoid consuming white sugar (sugar glycemic index) and this is due to its high GI value. Other foods that you can opt for include:
- wheat kernels = 40, parboiled rice = 48, pearl barley = 25, all bran = 41, rye = 33, cracked barley = 48, apples 37, avocadoes = 42, dried apricots = 30, cherries = 20, grapefruits = 23, pear = 35, oranges = 40, plum = 36, asparagus = 14, peach = 41, eggplant = 13, cabbage = 10, green peas, 15, spinach = 14, sweet potato = 52, yam = 50, summer squash = 12, zucchini = 15, carrots = 49, onions = 10, mushroom = 10, skim milk = 32 and macaroni – 47
After seeing the above list, you will notice that it is not really a diabetes glycemic index diet as it can be beneficial for you if you want to start losing weight. There are lots of other glycemic index diets that you can opt for. What is important is that you make sure that you avoid excessive consumption of unhealthy carbohydrates and focus on the healthy ones to help keep your body healthy and to obtain your ideal weight.
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