What Is The Glycemic Index
Over the last 30 years, research into food and blood glucose response has completely changed our carbohydrate classification system.
It has been learned that it is impossible to predict the impact on blood-glucose levels by certain foods, instead people are fed carbohydrate foods and the response is measured.
This response is known as the Glycemic Index (GI), its a measure of how quickly carbohydrate foods are digested and absorbed, and ranks carbohydrate foods according to their impact on blood-sugar (glucose) levels as indicted by elevated blood glucose.
Foods with a high GI are absorbed quickly into the blood stream and cause a rapid rise in blood-glucose levels. While foods with a low GI are broken down more slowly over time and keep blood glucose levels more stable (Remember that low is slow!).
Some carbohydrate foods will maintain your energy levels for hours, while some may cause your blood glucose to rise and fall. Different types of carbohydrate can also affect feelings of fullness in the stomach and this can influence hunger and your ability to control your body weight.
Why is the GI important When our blood glucose levels are stable we have plenty of readily available fuel for the brain and muscles. If our blood glucose levels drop too low (hypoglycaemia) we feel tired, dizzy and generally unwell. If our blood-glucose levels rise too quickly a rapid drop usually follows this.
Include low glycemic-index foods in meals and snacks to slow the release of glucose into the bloodstream. A low glycemic-index snack a few hours before exercise will help maintain your energy levels for more effective training.
After high-intensity exercise (strength training) a high glycemic-index snack should be consumed within 30 minutes. This will help replace energy and start the recovery process.
Low GI foods take longer to digest and help delay hunger pangs that little bit more and thus promote weight loss. So please choose your carbs carefully as this will lower your insulin levels and burn more fat. The secret is to swap high GI foods with low GI foods.
Step 1
Start with a healthy, well-balanced and varied diet based on a good nutrition program. The diet should be low in fats, moderate in carbohydrate and protein. The program should be high in fiber and contain a varied amount of foods to provide the required amount of vitamins and minerals.
Step 2
Look at the type of carbohydrates that you consume during the day. Look at the carbs that you eat the most, as these will have the most dramatic impact on your diet.
Try to change the carbs you eat the most with at least one low-GI one. (Replace potato with sweet potato, use noodles instead of rice.) Substituting half of your daily carbohydrate from high GI to low GI will result in an overall reduction in the GI of your diet