What is a glycemic index diet?
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HealthCorps answered:The glycemic index diet is a low-glycemic diet based on the idea that eating foods with low gylcemic index rankings balances blood sugar -- and can help you lose weight. The glycemic index concept refers to a ranking system that looks at carbohydrate foods from the perspective of how much a person’s blood sugar is raised after eating the food. The original concept evolved in order to help patients with diabetes manage their blood sugar, but it found its way into mainstream consumer markets. It is a concept used in other diet programs like The Zone Diet and Sugar Busters. The index measures how much a 50 gram portion of a particular carbohydrate food raises a person’s blood sugar level, compared to a control food like pure sugar or white bread. Obviously all foods that contain sugar as an ingredient or building block will raise blood sugar, but your glycemic response is mediated by how much and what kind of sugar, cooking method, degree of processing and quantity of that food you ingest.
The glycemic index runs from 1-100, and dieters are encouraged to eat foods that fall in the lower range of the index. The actual food plan can differ, based on caloric needs, food preferences and other variables. Exercise is strongly recommended.Helpful? 1 person found this helpfulThe glycemic index diet is a low-glycemic diet based on the idea that eating foods with low gylcemic index rankings balances blood sugar -- and can help you lose weight. The glycemic index concept refers to a ranking system that looks at... More -
Paula Greer answered:This is a diet that ranks foods based on their effect on your body’s response in blood glucose levels. Foods that spike your levels have a higher glycemic point value while foods that don’t spike your levels have a low glycemic index.
Some researchers believe that individuals who follow a low Glycemic Index diet over many years are at a significantly lower risk of developing both type 2 diabetes and coronary artery disease. High blood glucose levels or repeated glycemic spikes following a meal may promote these diseases through oxidative stress to the blood vessels and by the increase in insulin levels. In the past elevated sugars after meals were felt to only affect diabetics but newer data shows elevated sugars after eating presents and increased risk for atherosclerosis for non-diabetics as well.
There was a study in Australia that suggests that having a breakfast of white bread and sugar rich cereals over time may make a person susceptible to diabetes, heart disease, and even cancer.
A study published in American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that age related adult macular degeneration is higher by 42 percent for those eating a high glycemic index diet and that eating a low glycemic index diet would eliminate 20 percent of these cases. Using the glycemic index can allow someone to pick foods that produce more stable glucose and insulin levels. It has limitations as everyone can have a different response depending on their glucose and insulin resistance but most scientists would agree that consuming carbohydrates with a low glycemic index and controlling or counting carbohydrate intake will produce the most stable blood sugar levels.
This is a diet that ranks foods based on their effect on your body’s response in blood glucose levels. Foods that spike your levels have a higher glycemic point value while foods that don’t spike your levels have a low glycemic index.... More -
The glycemic index is a numerical index that ranks carbohydrates based on their rate of glycemic response (i.e. their conversion to glucose within the human body). Glycemic index uses a scale of 0 to 100, with higher values given to foods that cause the most rapid rise in blood sugar. Pure glucose serves as a reference point and is given a glycemic index (GI) of 100.
Foods with a high GI are those that are rapidly digested and absorbed and result in marked fluctuations in blood sugar levels. Low-GI foods, by virtue of their slow digestion and absorption, produce gradual rises in blood sugar and insulin levels and have proven benefits for health.
Glycemic index values are determined experimentally by feeding human test subjects a fixed portion of the food (after an overnight fast) and subsequently extracting and measuring samples of their blood at specific intervals of time. The earliest known work on the glycemic index was done by Dr. David Jenkins and associates at St. Michael's Hospital in Toronto, Canada. The diet increased in popularity when Rick Gallop published "The G.I. Diet: The Easy, Healthy Way to Permanent Weight Loss" in 2001.
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The glycemic index is a numerical index that ranks carbohydrates based on their rate of glycemic response (i.e. their conversion to glucose within the human body). Glycemic index uses a scale of 0 to 100, with higher values given to foods that... More
