You might get that churning in your belly when anyone brings up the word 'Carbohydrates' during your diet. You hear close friends and family telling you to do away with carbs on your diet plan or carbs is the fat devil in disguise. It may surprise you to know that certain carbs react differently upon consumption. If you have done some reading before embarking on your diet, you would have come across terms like high and low Glycemic Index. Here's how you can integrate a low GI diet plan in your way of living.
What is the Glycemic Index?
First of all, the Glycemic Index (GI), measures the rate at which carbs break down in your digestive system to form glucose. And why is glucose critical? It is an crucial source of energy that is used by our cells and organs to carry out vital functions. Just like a car needs petrol to run, your body needs glucose to function.
Knowing what is High GI
High GI foods can trigger a 'Sugar Rush'. That sudden boost of energy you get after eating a boatload of sugary sinful stuff only to feel like a deflated balloon after a few hours. This effect is brought on by high GI foods. It provides a quick but unsustainable source of energy.
High GI foods:
a) Hamburger buns
b) Corn chips
c) Dates
d) Puffed wheat
e) Cornflakes
Focus on Low GI carbs
Usually food stuff you won't really take pleasure in eating. That's how it usually is with low GI food which does a good job of releasing glucose steadily into the bloodstream. Thus providing sustainable energy for you. Try to incorporate more fruits, vegetables and legumes in your diet.
Such foods would include:
a) Low fat yogurt
b) Pearl barley
c) Grapefruit
d) Sweet potato
e) Skim Milk
Now that you recognize what foods are low or high GI, how do you take advantage of this understanding to enhance your diet?
1. Choose Your Breakfast Wisely
Since young I'm sure you have heard countless times that what you have for breakfast is very important. Having a huge serving of pancakes drowned in maple syrup and downing it with a glass of coke isn't going to keep your body running at optimum rate for the rest of the day. You should be eating low GI foods to provide sustainable energy for the morning.
2. Do Not Eat 3 Big Meals
You will be able to manage your blood sugar levels more efficiently by eating 5-6 smaller meals throughout the day. To people that are working, this looks like an uphill task. You can prepare your meals the night before and bring it to work. It also helps prevent the dreaded 'Zzz Monster' attack after a heavy lunch.
3. Go Nuts, Go Green, Go Bananas
Add some variety in your diet by eating more fruits, nuts and veggies. Not only are these foods a good source of low GI, they offer other health benefits.
4. Fill Up your Fridge With Healthy Snacks
Time to start filling up your fridge with healthy stuff instead of chocolates and candy bars. Don't stray from a low GI diet plan and soon it will be second nature to reach for a healthy snack.
5. Have the Glycemic Index Chart Near By
This does not mean stick it and abandon it. Having a list close by allows you to quickly compare the GI between foods or deciding what to fill your grocery bags with.
Advantages Of a Low GI Diet Plan
So what good does consuming all these low GI food bring us? A low GI diet can bring you numerous health benefits.
a) Weight reduction
b) Decrease risk of heart conditions
c) Helps in reducing cholesterol levels
d) Regulates your hunger pangs and keeps you full longer
e) Diabetes management
Striving to incorporate a low GI diet plan into your way of life is not hard. It takes some work in the beginning to distinguish the good from the bad carbs. What I found demanding about this diet was making it a point to order to consume low GI carbs. Cooking at home was easy. Crunch time came when I had the restaurant menu in my hands. It was very tempting to order something fried or heavily buttered up. But the low G.I. dude in me said go for the boring grilled chicken breast with an extra serving of broccoli.
As much as I concur with the low GI diet plan, eating low GI food can get gloomy after awhile. You don't have to completely give up on your sweet sugary goodies for this diet to succeed. Just make sure that the majority of your meals and snacks are made up of Low GI food.
Author Resource:-
As a qualified dietitian and also a nutritionist, Kelly Kims enjoys sharing her passion for nutrition and healthy eating beyond her career as a clinical dietitian. In addition to her focus on nutritional intervention for disease management, she is a strong advocate of healthy home cooking and enjoys sharing her self-created diet recipes with her patients, clients, family and friends. Besides counselling patients for better health, she works closely with athletes to help them improve their performance through proper sports nutrition. In her own time, she regularly posts articles about healthy diets on her website which she is also a co-owner of.
![[Valid RSS feed]](http://www.freebie-articles.com/images/rss.gif "XML Feed For RSS")
Category Rss Feed
Print This Article
Add To Favorites