Glycemic Index

In the past year or two, many people have started hearing about the Glycemic Index (GI), particularly how it effects weight loss or gain. But many still don’t really know what this is, or how it can help you lose weight. There are actually Glycemic Index diet plans
 these days which are based around the glycemic index, but just knowing what it is and how it works can go a long way towards helping you meet your own weight loss goals.

So what exactly is the glycemic index? It’s basically just a food chart, which tells you how fast specific foods are converted to sugars by your body.

When you eat foods that are converted to sugar by your body quickly, you experience a quick rise in insulin levels. These are referred to as “spikes”. Your body produces quick amounts of extra insulin to help deal with the extra sugar in your body. Once that sugar is dealt with however, your insulin levels drop very low, very quickly. And these drops are what cause hunger pains. In many cases they can cause you to be dizzy, nauseous, and irritable too. And of course the most basic response to these feelings is to eat again… too often most of us will grab a “quick” snack that’s filled with more simple sugars, thus we start the whole spike and drop insulin process all over again. The rating is influenced by many factors, including how much food you eat, how much the food is processed or even how the food is prepared. For example, pasta that is cooked al dente, or firm, has a slower glycemic response than pasta that is overcooked.

Foods which have or release quick sugars in this way, also have a high GI (glycemic index) rating. Now some foods are easy to recognize as having a high GI rating, because they have tons of regular sugar added to them from the start. Regular sodas for instance, or sweet rolls, cookies and pastries.

Other food items might not be so obvious though. Broccoli for instance, has a fairly low GI rating, while carrots – which are also quite healthy for you – have a high GI rating. Technically you have to eat a heck of a lot of carrots to experience the full glycemic load though, so eating small amounts of them is not usually a problem.

Some fruits such as grapes have high GI loads, while others such as strawberries are quite reasonable. White potatoes have a higher GI load than yams, or “sweet” potatoes do.

Using the Glycemic Index to regulate your food intake can make a world of difference with meeting your weight loss goals though. If you eat primarily foods which have a low GI load, you’ll actually stay feeling full and satiated for longer periods of time. You’ll also control your bodies insulin production. By keeping the insulin levels fairly even throughout the day, you don’t go through the cravings, sever hunger, and other responses noted above. And when you’re not experiencing those unpleasantries, you’re not as likely to grab quick sugar snacks on the run.

Keeping your body’s insulin production at fairly even levels throughout the day is one of the key secrets to losing weight. So get a copy of the glycemic index and try choosing low GI foods for a week or two. You might be surprised at how fast you start losing weight.

Free Online Glycemic Index Chart List of Foods

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Filed under: Weight Loss Tips

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