Glycemic Index Diet
Evaluating Your Glycemic Index Diets Options
Evaluating Your Glycemic Index Diets Options
The Glycemic Index, or GI, is a food ranking system based on how certain foods affect blood sugar levels. In the past several years, it has been widely recognized that certain foods result in wide fluctuations in blood sugar, or steep rises in blood sugar levels that could result in heart disease and diabetes over the long-term.
The Glycemic Index ranks foods according to their affect on blood sugar, and glycemic index diets are recognized as a way to maintain a healthy balance through eating foods that are ranked as having a low glycemic ranking. The Glycemic Index diet ranks foods from 0 to 100, with the lower numbers assigned to those foods that do not raise blood glucose levels too quickly, or to harmful levels.
Health benefits of glycemic index diets
Glycemic index diets help people reach several healthful goals, including: weight reduction and maintenance; protection from or control of diabetes; and protection from heart disease. Science Daily (July 26, 2006), reported the results of the first 12-week randomized and controlled trial comparing the effects on weight loss and cardiovascular risk between low glycemic index diets and high protein diets. The results were reported in the Archives of Internal Medicine, and they showed that while no one diet can be a cure-all, a low gi diet including carbohydrates significantly reduces one’s risk cardiovascular risk.
Popular glycemic index diets
There are several popular glycemic index diets. Following are some of them that have been recognized as helping individuals reach weight-loss goals and attain better health.
1) The Zone Glycemic Index Diet – This glycemic index diet provides nutritionally balanced meals with a ratio of 40:30:30, meaning that the diet contains 40% carbs, 30% proteins and 30% fat. It is considered low carb and low glycemic. The diet restricts foods with a high GI.
2) The Ornish Glycemic Index Diet – This glycemic index diet, popularized by Dr. Dean Ornish prescribes foods that are low fat, and supports the consumption of fruits, vegetables and grains. It is considered a very strict diet, as there is very little if any fat in the diet, which may make one crave more to eat.
3) The South Beach Glycemic Index Diet – This glycemic index diet supports good carbs vs. bad carbs, and is an answer in some respects to the Atkins diet, which essentially bans most carbs. The South Beach Diet prescribes foods based on the glycemic index, supporting the “good carbs” with a low GI, and restricting intake of “bad carbs” that have a high GI.
4) The Atkins Glycemic Index Diet – This was one of earliest diets to recognize the effect of carbohydrates on body systems. It is still one of the most popular diets. Atkins is truly a low-carb, low glycemic index diet prescription. It results in quick weight loss. One issue surrounding this diet is Atkins’ support of some high fat foods. While restricting carbohydrates, Atkins diets allow red meat and other high fat foods to a greater extent than some other low glycemic index diets.
5) The Mediterranean Glycemic Index Diet- Many doctors prescribe a diet that originates from the Mediterranean countries, as this region’s popular foods include olive oil, healthy fruits and vegetables, grains, fish and poultry, but not too much red meat. Studies have found a lower incidence of heart disease in countries around the Mediterranean, and point to the more healthful, low gi recipes of Mediterranean folks.
Learn much more about the health benefits of glycemic index diets by visiting Best Glycemic Index Diet. Empower you and your body with the large body of evidence to support glycemic index diets, and more information on the importance of the glycemic index.
