Jennifer Collins - Glycemic Index Diet: Improve Health, Using the Glycemic Index Guide, With Delicious Glycemic Index Recipes

The glycemic index is a method of ranking foods based on howthey affect blood sugar levels. Its a scale which is often used by dieticiansto demonstrate the impact of consuming certain foods and beverages.Essentially, the glycemic index, or GI, measures how a certain food will affectyour blood sugar in comparison to glucose.

Foods which rank higher on the glycemic index are, generallyspeaking, those which are broken down more quickly by the digestive process,causing a spike in blood sugar levels in a relatively short time frame; thesefoods are generally those which contain higher levels of refined sugars andother simple carbohydrates. By comparison, foods which rank lower on theglycemic index are digested more slowly and instead result in a more modestincrease in blood sugar levels over a longer period of time.

Foods which cause a sudden peak in blood sugar levelscontribute to a higher risk of diabetes, heart disease and a variety of otherillnesses. These spikes in blood sugar levels can eventually cause you todevelop insulin resistance and ultimately, diabetes. By the same token, a dietwhich is rich in low glycemic index foods helps reduce your risk of diabetesand also makes it far easier to lose weight.

What it all really comes down to is carbohydrates. Allcarbohydrates are broken down into glucose by the digestive process, but simplecarbohydrates, especially refined grain products and refined sugars, areespecially problematic. When you hear people talking about a low GI diet, whattheyre referring to is a diet which greatly reduces and in some cases,completely eliminates foods which are high on the glycemic index. These foodsare generally substituted with lower GI alternatives (whole grains like brownrice instead of white rice and whole wheat flour instead of white flour, forinstance).

Whether or not you choose to take your diet to this extremeis a choice that youll need to make for yourself with the advice of yourphysician. If youre just trying to lose weight rather than going on a low GIdiet at the recommendation of your doctor, youll need to decide for yourselfhow often or if youll go a little off of your diet for a higher-GI treat.

The glycemic index scale ranks foods from 1 to 100 (with 100being pure glucose). There are three broad categories to keep in mind if youretrying to watch the GI value of your diet. There are what are considered highGI foods, which rank at 70 or greater on the index, medium GI foods, rankingbetween 56 and 69 on the index and low GI foods; these are foods which rank at55 or lower on the index.

Examples of high GI foods include white bread, white rice,glucose (obviously), maltose and some starchy vegetables like potatoes (but notsweet potatoes) and parsnips.

Medium GI foods include some of the starchier fruits (likebananas), partially refined grain products (like many mass produced wheatbreads which are not specifically labeled as whole wheat) and ice cream, amongothers. Beer is generally also classified in the medium GI category, althoughthis may vary depending on the particular style of beer.

Low GI foods are largely complex carbohydrates (the goodkind) whole grains, most vegetables and fruits, beans, nuts and certainnatural sweeteners like fructose. Most wines and distilled spirits fall intothis category as well, although obviously, it is highly recommended to consumein moderation.

Why Choose a Low GI Diet?

Other than the obvious health benefits such as a lower riskof developing heart disease and insulin resistance leading to diabetes, thereis a lot of evidence that its easier to lose excess weight and maintain ahealthy weight on a diet which consists chiefly of low glycemic index foods.This is due to the fact that the average persons energy expenditure is higherwhen eating a low GI diet even after they lose excess weight. Their energyexpenditure is also higher than that of people who eat a low fat diet which isnot designed with the glycemic index in mind. There is still research going oninto this area, but the results thus far seem to bear out what proponents ofthe diet have said for some time now.

A low GI diet offers many benefits, but like any other diet,its not a panacea. You still need to exercise common sense in terms of portionsizes and to make physical activity a regular part of your life. The AmericanDiabetes Association endorses the diet to a certain extent, but notes thatbeyond the GI value of foods, people need to be mindful of the total amount ofcarbohydrates in their diet and use their own judgment about what and how theyeat along with other lifestyle factors which affect their health.

Eating a low GI diet doesnt have to mean completelyeliminating all of the foods youre used to having, but some may need to bereplaced with alternatives which have a less drastic effect on your blood sugarlevels. White bread is largely out, however, as is white rice, sugar-ladenbreakfast cereals made with refined grains (and refined sugars) and sweetenedsoft drinks. These are foods which really should be avoided, except perhaps asrare treats, whether youre on a low GI diet or simply concerned about yourhealth in general. Instead, try having whole wheat bread or brown rice, oatmealor seltzer.

A low GI diet isnt just about weight loss, although youcertainly can lose weight by eating this kind of diet. Its about feelingbetter and living a healthier and more than likely, longer life. Its a dietwhich isnt meant to be a one week crash diet, but a long term (even lifelong)change in lifestyle which can greatly reduce your risk of developing many ofthe most common diseases in the industrialized world, improve your health andgive you more energy due to avoiding the blood sugar roller coaster of a highGI diet. Youll probably lose those extra pounds youve been carrying in thebargain, which is a nice side benefit, no matter how you slice it.

Two quick notes about the recipes in this book are in order.Here and there in the book you will find ingredients listed in recipes whichare somewhat higher on the glycemic index; theyre used in fairly small amountsand of course, you shouldnt be eating any single recipe three meals per day.At the same time, you should feel free to make appropriate substitutions wherenecessary in order to adjust them for your own particular requirements.

Youll also note that the dessert section of this bookconsists of just one recipe. This isnt a mistake. There are of course low GIdessert recipes out there, but desserts have been largely omitted from thisparticular book for two reasons: skipping dessert (or having a piece of fruitfor dessert) is never a bad idea. Additionally, the vast majority of dessertrecipes can be made relatively low GI through some very simple adjustments suchas using sugar substitutes rather than refined sugars and where possible, wholegrains instead of white flour.

In other words, if you can cook enough to use a recipe, youcan probably handle reworking existing dessert recipes for a low GI diet easilyenough. No one cookbook can give you every possible recipe; but after youvetried a few of the recipes which follow, youll be excited about cooking low GIdishes and ready to do some exploring of your own think of this book as yourlaunch pad to healthy culinary exploration. Without further ado, lets get tothe recipes!