Be Healthy and Lose Weight with GI Diet

Invented in 1981 as a treatment tool for diabetes to help diabetic patients maintain stable blood sugar, the Glycemic Index (GI) has now replaced the older method of classifying carbohydrates according to their “simple” or “complex” chemical structure. Although calories, saturated fat and general nutritional considerations (as well as exercise) are important factors in any healthy Weight Loss plan, the glycemic index (along with Glycemic Load) has become the new standard for healthy carbohydrates.

The GI diet is a major step forward in dietary health and weight reduction. First, unlike low-carb diets, it doesn’t focus on the quantity of carbs you can eat - instead, it focuses on carb-quality. GI diets recommend we avoid refined carb foods like: white-flour bread-snacks, processed cereals and sugary soft drinks, instant rice/pasta, and cookies. Instead, we should eat unrefined carbs, such as whole grains like oats, basmati or brown rice, whole grain bread and bread-snacks. These wholegrain carbohydrates are rich in minerals, vitamins and fiber and take longer to digest than refined carbs - which means they keep us satisfied for longer. Also, by avoiding refined carbs we will reduce our intake of trans-fats which (like saturates) are believed to have a serious adverse health effects on our arteries.