With a GI diet plan you’re basically eliminating as much sugar from your diet as possible. What most people don’t realize is that sugar has a huge impact on your health. Some would go as far as to say that sugar is one of the worst things you can put in your body.

Some Foods to Eat When Following a GI Diet

Before you get started on a glycemic index diet plan, the first thing you’ll want to do is raid your cupboards and get rid of all the bad foods. You’ll want to ditch everything that is full of sugar and salt, expecially all the processed foods.

You’ll want to make whole foods a major part of your diet, such as whole grain cereals and breads. Eating fresh fruits and vegetables every day will be very important. And don’t forget things like raw carrots, green and red pepper, celery, and other raw vegetables.

Even if you spent just one weekend eating nothing but raw vegetables, oats, wheats and some fruits, you would see the positive results. Following this type of diet can do some pretty amazing things – all of which will benefit you.

With all the unhealthy foods readily available everywhere you look these days, it can be difficult figuring out what food is good for you and what is bad. If you have any questions, you can always talk to a nutritionist. They can help you with setting up a glycemic index diet that is right for you. That’s probably a good place to start.

Originally, research on GI began as a way to control diabetes. The basic idea of GI was to reduce the problems associated with insulin by identifying the foods that have higher impact on the blood sugar.

The Glycemic Index system ranks the food items from 0-100, with the lower ranking being better. This is done as per the effect of various carbohydrate food sources on the level of blood sugar after eating. When consuming foods with low GI values (less than 55), there is a gradual rise in the sugar level, and it is easy on the body. Foods between 55-70 are known to be intermediate GI foods, and more than 70 are high GI foods.

Some Useful Low GI Diet Recipes Worth Considering

Chicken with lemon would be a healthy, and tasty, low Gi recipe to consider.

Ingredients:

1. 8 boneless skinless chicken thighs
2. 2 tbsp lemon juice
3. 2tbsp olive oil
4. 3 cloves of crushed garlic
5. 2tbsp of white wine

Instructions:

Mix all the ingredients in a bowl and coat the chicken thoroughly. Chill for about 20 minutes, and then grill for another 10 minutes on each side under high heat. You can serve it with basmati rice, baby carrots or steamed broccoli.

Beef with pepper is another great low GI diet recipe.

Ingredients:

• 12 oz of lean beef that has been trimmed of all the visible fat
• 3 cloves of crushed garlic
• 4 chopped bell peppers
• 3 chopped carrots
• Juice of two lemons
• 2 cups of chopped broccoli
• 8 oz can of chick peas
• 10 oz of cooked basmati rice

Make sure to include asparagus, cucumber, artichoke, lettuce, fennel, tomatoes, bell peppers, broccoli, green beans, cabbage, collards, kale, parsley, cauliflower and cilantro in your diet, as these vegetables have a low GI index. Raw vegetables have low GI due to their fiber content. Cooking these vegetable raises their glycemic number as it alters the quality of fiber, making the carbohydrates more readily available to the body.

Foods such as white bread should not be a part of your GI diet, as it isn’t a high fibre food and has a high GI (70). Make sure you eat bran cereals and avoid cereals such as Cornflakes.

And don’t forget the holiday season! It is very important to follow low GI recipes during this season, otherwise you’ll end up overeating the processed and refined foods such as pies, cakes and cookies. You don’t have to deprive yourself of the seasonal treats, just try to combine them with low GI foods and you should be okay.

There’s a lot of foods rich in carbohydrates, but they’re all different and act differently in our bodies. GI or glycemic index ranks the carbs as per their effect on the blood glucose level of the body.

There Are Many Benefits to Following a Low GI Diet

Diets that are high in glycemic index can be harmful to your body. For obese people who are inactive, consuming foods which are high GI can be very risky. Gradually following a low GI diet tickles glucose in the blood stream, and keeps the energy level balanced.

Here are a few things that a low GI diet can do:

• Help you lose weight
• Increase your body’s sensitivity to insulin
• Reduces blood cholesterol level
• Reduce the risk of heart disease
• Controls your hunger by making you feel full longer
• Prolong physical endurance
• Manage the symptoms of PCOS
• Improves diabetes control
• Re-fuels the carbohydrate stores after exercise

A low GI diet can include any of the following foods:

• Breakfast cereals based on barley, bran and oats
• Whole-grain breads
• Basmati rice
• Most types of fruits and vegetables
• Spaghetti
• Noodles
• Quinoa
• Salad with vinaigrette dressing

GI ranking is done from 1-100. Foods with a low GI value slowly raise blood glucose levels in the body. Very high levels of glucose can be damaging to our blood vessels and arteries.

• Low GI foods have a range of less than 55
• Medium GI foods have a range between 55 and 69
• Hi GI foods are considered anything over 70

Eating a low GI diet prevents the sudden spikes, and dramatic falls of blood glucose, providing a stable stream of energy. This reduces the risk of heart disease, and many other chronic diseases which occur due to fluctuations in blood-glucose.

A sudden increase in the glucose also stimulates hunger. Following a low GI diet will make you feel full for a longer period of time, which results in you eating less frequently.

It’s recommended that at least two of your meals in the day include low GI foods. You don’t have to know about the GI value of each food.

Fruits and vegetable must be eaten every day, and most potatoes, except for sweet potatoes,  should be avoided. If you insist on consuming high GI foods, make sure that you eat small portions, and mix them up with low GI foods. It’s also important to note that just because you’re following a low GI diet, it doesn’t mean that you can indulge.

If you’re looking for low GI recipes, you’ll be glad to know that it’s easy to find them in cookbooks or on the Internet. These are recipes which are simple to follow and great for your health.