A diet plan focused on how the blood sugar level is affected by foods is called glycemic index food diet. The glycemic index is an arrangement of allocating a digit to foods containing carbohydrates regarding how much intake of these foods increases blood sugar.
The glycemic index is not categorized as a diet plan but one of the different instruments for guiding the choices of food, for example, counting calories or carbohydrates.
The word “glycemic index food chart” typically refers to a particular diet that uses the index as the main or only food preparation guide. In contrast to other plans for weight loss or maintenance, a glycemic index diet does not generally specify the quantity of food or the ideal amount of calories, carbohydrates, or fats.
The glycemic index diet, including the Zone Diet, the Sugar Busters, and the Slow Carb Diet, is used in many commercial diets, diet books, and diet pages.
Purpose of GI Food Chart or GI Diet
The aim of a glycemic index (GI) diet is to consume foods containing carbohydrates that do not lead to high blood sugar levels.
The diet can be a way of reducing weight and aids in preventing chronic obesity-related diseases like cardiovascular and diabetes diseases.
Why you should follow the GI food chart?
You can consider following the GI diet because:
- You are looking forward to reducing weight or achieve a healthy weight
- In your diabetes treatment plan, you want to maintain your blood sugar level
- Want to adapt to a healthier lifestyle
- To follow the diabetes diet plan, you can follow the GI diet.
Studies show that a GI diet will contribute to these objectives. However, if you eat a balanced diet, keep a healthy weight, and get enough exercise. You can be benefitting your health the same.
Before beginning a weight-loss diet, check with your doctor or health care provider, particularly if you have any health problems, including diabetes.
GI food chart values
Many research methods are available for allocating a GI value to food. The number is usually defined on each quantity of food which aids in raising the levels of blood glucose in comparison to how much pure glucose increases blood glucose. In general, GI values are divided into three categories
- Low GI values: 1-55
- Medium GI values: 56-69
- High GI values: 70 or more than 70
Healthier food choices can be adapted by comparing these values.
Food details
In a GI diet, foods with low values are the key prescriptions. The following are examples of medium, middle and high GI foods:
- Low GI: Majority of fruits, green vegetables, chickpeas, carrots, lentils, bran breakfast cereals, and kidney beans.
- Medium GI: Sweet corn, raw pineapple, raisins, bananas, oat breakfast cereals, and multigrain, rye, or bran bread.
- High GI: White bread, potatoes, and white rice.
Benefits of GI diet
1. Weight loss and GI diet
According to the results of a study, a low GI diet can also play a vital role in not only reducing your weight but help maintain the weight you lost.
However, figures from another report showed a considerable range of GI values for the same foods. In the determination of food choices, this spectrum of GI value variability is an inaccurate reference.
2. Blood glucose control
It is found in studies that the total quantity of carbohydrates in foods is a precise predictor of blood glucose response than the GI.
The easiest way to manage blood glucose is to measure carbohydrates for most people with diabetes, based on the study. You should measure your blood glucose levels with the help of blood glucose monitors or glucometers on daily basis.
3. Cholesterol
Evaluations of trials that measure the influence of low-GI index diets on cholesterol showed very clear evidence those diets may help lower total cholesterol along with the bad cholesterol known as low-density lipoproteins, particularly in combination with an increase in dietary fiber.
A good source to consume fiber in low to moderate GI is to eat fruits, vegetables, and whole grains.
4. Appetite control
The result of a low GI diet has control in appetite. High GI foods are thought to lead to rapid blood glucose increases, rapid insulin reactions, and a rapid re-introduction of feeling hungry. On the other hand, low GI foods will delay hunger. This hypothesis has yielded mixed findings from clinical investigations.
Furthermore, if a low-GI diet is suppressing appetite, this diet could lead to people preferring to consume less and to control their weight more effectively in the longer term. However, this effect is not found in long-term clinical trials.
