LOW GLYCEMIC DIET PLAN : THE FACTS BEHIND IT

LOW GLYCEMIC DIET PLAN

In today’s time, everyone faces the problem of diabetes, weight loss, and heart disease; even a newborn baby is also born with some diseases. To resolve their problem, they go on a diet and eat healthy food, but does it affect their body? There is a way to consume food in our bodies. In some studies, it’s mentioned that a Low Glycemic diet plan helps humans reduce weight, the chance of heart disease, and blood sugar levels.

In this blog, we will share all the necessary information about a low glycemic diet plan.

What is the low glycemic diet plan?

Diabetes affects the human body widely; those affected people are unable to process sugar levels in their bodies which may affect maintaining healthy blood levels. A low glycemic diet plan helps to reduce weight, and blood glucose level in the human body. The low glycemic diet plan includes whole wheat grains, vegetables, and protein food like fish and meat. This diet prevents craving food and overeating, and once you start following this diet, it will be easy for you to monitor your food labels.

A low glycemic diet plan reduces the risk of macrosomia, the condition in which newborn birth weight is over, and also improve gestational diabetes in pregnant women. While you follow this low glycemic diet plan, monitoring your low glycemic index scale is also essential.

What is Glycemic Index Scale?

The Glycemic Index (GI) Scale helps to measure the glucose quantity absorbed in your bloodstream. This was created in 1980 by Dr. David Jenkins and a Canadian professor. In the Low Glycemic diet plan, the GI scale is important to guide the meal plan. GI scale is the rating system for food containing carbohydrates. The carbohydrate is found in whatever we eat, like cereals, vegetables, and fruits; eating any type of carbohydrates breaks into simple sugar to enter the bloodstream in the human digestive system.

There are two types of glycemic index:

  • High Glycemic index foods are limited foods that are highly processed and quickly digested. This increases the risk of developing insulin and obesity in the human body.
  • A low Glycemic index rating is between 55 and fewer the preferred choice. It is slowly digested, easily absorbed, and contains more fiber food.

What is all food to eat on a Low GI diet?

There is the following healthy and nutritious food to build your low GI diet:

Low-Glycemic Index Fruit

  • Strawberries
  • Oranges
  • Cherries
  • Coconut
  • Cranberries

Low-Glycemic Index Vegetables

  • Tomatoes
  • Cucumbers
  • Bok choy
  • Mushrooms
  • Artichokes
  • Brussels sprouts
  • Cabbage
  • Onions
  • Lettuce
  • Celery

Low-Glycemic Index Grains

  • Barley
  • Whole wheat kernels
  • All-bran and Fiber One cereal
  • Oat bran and rice bran cereals
  • Whole grain pasta

Low-Glycemic Index Dairy Products

  • Skim, low-fat, and whole milk
  • Plain yogurt
  • cottage cheese
  • Ricotta cheese
  • Soy milk and yogurt

Low-Glycemic Index Legumes

  • Split peas, black-eyed peas
  • Lentils
  • Edamame and roasted soybeans
  • Hummus
  • Bean dip
  • Tofu and soy-based meat substitutes

Low-Glycemic Index Nuts and Seeds

  • Peanuts
  • Nuts
  • Peanut butter
  • Nut butter

Low-Glycemic Index Seafood

  • Fish
  • Salmon
  • Prawns
  • Tuna

Low Glycemic Index Rice

  • Basmati rice
  • Black rice
  • Wild rice

What should all types of food avoid in a Low GI diet?

Try to replace your high GI foods with Low GI alternatives for better results.

High Glycemic Index Rice

  • Jasmine rice
  •  Arborio (used in risotto)
  • Calrose

High Glycemic Index starchy vegetables

  • Désirée
  • Red Pontiac potato varieties
  • Instant mashed potatoes

High Glycemic Index Savory snacks

  • Rice crackers
  • Corn Thins
  • Rice cakes
  • Pretzels
  • Corn chips

High Glycemic Index Breakfast cereals

  • Instant oats
  • Rice Krispies
  • Cocoa Krispies
  • Corn Flakes
  • Froot Loops

High Glycemic Index Breads

  • White bread
  • Bagels
  • Naan
  • Turkish bread
  • French baguettes
  • Lebanese bread

Factors that can affect the Glycemic Index food score

There are some following factors that influence GI score in food:

Cooking method:

Generally, the food techniques which take a long time to cook the food increase the sugars which will be digested and absorbed and increase GI score. 

Nutrient Quantity:

More protein and fat in your meal can reduce the GI score and slow digestion.

Ripeness:

Unripe fruits contain complex carbohydrates that break down sugar and increase GI scores.

Starch Structure:

Starch has two molecules- amylose and amylopectin. Amylose is difficult to digest, and on the other hand, Amylopectin is easy to digest. This increases the GI score. 

Benefits of Low Glycemic diet

Follow Low glycemic diet can help the human body to prevent and manage diseases: 

  • Weight Loss
  • Maintain Blood Sugar level
  • Reduce the risk of cancer
  • Improve Cholesterol level
  • Reduce the risk of Heart diseases
  • Helpful for Diabetes
  • Reduce calories
  • Reduced chance of excessive fetal growth or macrosomia

How Gi Diet can help you in weight loss?

You may be able to reduce weight or maintain a healthy weight by eating a low-GI diet. According to studies, it is believed that a low GI diet may help people lose weight, control their blood sugar levels, and minimize their chance of developing type 2 diabetes and heart disease.

Is Gi diet be helpful in diabetes?

Low GI foods are preferable for maintaining stable blood sugar levels since they tend to digest more slowly than high GI foods and are therefore less likely to trigger a sharp rise in blood sugar levels. You feel more satiated for a longer period of time and are less likely to feel hungry before your next meal if you choose low GI foods versus high GI foods.

Top 6 Principles of Low Glycemic eating

  • Eat Low Glycemic fruits and vegetables.
  • Eat slowly and chew the food properly in the mouth.
  • Add 3 times meals and 2 times snacks.
  • Portion size should be according to your diet.
  • Reduce the fruit juice quantity in your glass and consume limited concentrated sugar.
  • Choose healthy fat food items in your diet plan and eat skinless chicken.

The drawback of a Low GI diet

As Low GI diet has benefits with some drawbacks.

  • GI doesn’t provide a complete nutritional picture; consider the food’s fat, protein, sugar and fiber.
  • GI measures the effect of a single food on blood sugar levels.
  • GI doesn’t count the number of carbs we eat, determine their effect on your blood sugar levels.

What is the Dietician’s role in following a Low Glycemic diet?

Dietician is a specialist who can help and guide you to reduce your disease chances by using their education and experience. A doctor can help you by suggesting medicine, but here is the main role of the Dietician comes. Medicine will work until your diet is proper. Your food consumption affects your body more than medicines. Dietician makes your diet plan according to your health issues because we just know what we are eating but don’t know the exact nutrition our body is getting from that food. Before making your diet plans, Dietician gives you counseling and conducts a program to brief you about your health issues and diet plan. 

  • You’ll feel more accountable and driven if you get frequent sessions and check-ins. A dietician for a glycemic diet plan will help you at every step, monitor your development, and provide a tailored eating plan.
  • Your dietician for a glycemic diet plan can help you create a plan for slowly and healthfully gaining weight. You can always count on your health concern to your dietician and nutritionist to lead you in the right direction.
  • Hiring a dietitian to help you understand your nutritional needs is the greatest approach to staying healthy. We all need expert help to handle problems and direct us effectively because of the variations in our bodies.
  • Based on your nutritional requirements, your dietician creates a custom diet plan that can help you eliminate this issue.

How can exercise affect a Low Glycemic diet?

Doing physical activity with the diet shows progress early in the human body. When a person does exercise, it burns several increased calories. Being active boost good cholesterol and high-density lipoprotein in the human body. Regular exercise helps to manage health conditions like high blood pressure, Anxiety, Depression, and cancer. Physical activity helps to get complete sleep which is very necessary.   

The Bottom line

Everyone is busy building their career; they don’t even know how small diseases can cause harmful diseases for life. Following a Low Glycemic diet plan help you to manage obesity, heart pressure, and the diseases mentioned above. Consultation with a dietician is very important to prevent these diseases and brief you about the drawbacks as well. Following your Dietician’s guidelines can help you to follow a healthy lifestyle. 

The best part about consulting a dietician is they personally track your health process report. So don’t wait for someone’s suggestion; one late step could harm your life and health. Visit your Dietician offline and online, and follow a healthy lifestyle.

Book Free Consultation