Glycemic Index What is it and can it help me lose weight

Glycemic Index

What is it and can it help me lose weight?

We all see references to Glycemic index diets in the media but have you ever wondered just what the Glycemic index is?

Glycemic index (or GI) can be defined as a 0 to 100 score for carbohydrates and how fast that particular food is likely to raise your blood sugar. The higher the score – the greater the blood sugar rise. For example, white bread is said to have a high Glycemic index score while fructose has a low GI score.

Knowledge of the Glycemic index has been very beneficial to diabetics but it can also be beneficial to dieters wanting to lose weight. Unfortunately, keeping up with the GI score of foods is a cumbersome process - not to mention the fact that we are all different and food will affect each of us differently.

Because foods with a low Glycemic index score are generally healthy, unrefined, rich in fiber, and have plenty of phytochemicals* - there is probably nothing wrong with following a low Glycemic index diet. Of course you would want to check with your doctor first.

If you were wanting to research following a low Glycemic index diet for weight loss I would suggest that you try one of the popular diets which guide you as to which foods to buy, when to consume them, and the portion sizes to consume. As said before – Keeping up with the GI of foods could be a very cumbersome process that most people will not want to do.