The Gi plan diet certainly seems to be taking off at the moment. Endorsed by an ever-growing band of celebrities it seems that this is the diet of the moment. But how exactly does the GI weight loss program differ from the other diets on the market and what does GI stand for?
The Glycaemic Index weight loss system is based on the fact that some sugar-based carbohydrates affect the glucose levels in the body differently to the more complex starch based carbohydrates. A nutritional expert called Dr. David Jenkins made the claimed discovery, that many sugar-based foods do not greatly affect the sugar levels in the blood, in the early 1980’s.
This means, according to the GI diet, that foods that provide a slow delivery of sugar to the body will be helpful to weight loss, in that it will prevent the dieter from feeling the need for energy and so curb hunger and the need to keep on eating.
By contrast, foods with a high glycaemic index provide a sudden influx of sugar to the body that gives you energy at first, but then leaves you feeling tired and hungry, as the need for more energy kicks in.
This leads to the need for more sugar to get the quick rush of glucose to replace the loss of energy, which in turn has the same effect. This constant need for more sugary food means that weight loss is not likely to be achieved.
There is a plethora of information about the glycaemic values of different foods for weight loss, so there is no problem in ascertaining the value of anything that you wish to include in your weight loss diet. The general concept of the diet is fairly straightforward. You eat more of the foods with a low GI than you do of the foods with a high GI.
This is however not the entirety of the GI weight loss system as it also encourages the dieter to limit their intake of high fat foods, even if they are also low GI foods. This aspect, of course, means that as well as being based on the glycaemic index of a food; the GI diets are also, in part, a low fat diet.
The GI weight loss diet is easy to follow if you are eating standard foods that easily recognizable in the GI indexes. The problem is that many foods have different GI’s depending on whether they are cooked, or the state of ripeness of foods such as fruit.
This can, if you are not experienced with this diet be very time consuming and make the whole thing, not very user friendly. It can be especially difficult when a meal is prepared with many different ingredients, to work out the GI value of the whole meal.
When you have got over this initial hurdle and are used too the different values of foods, then the whole weight loss system starts to be a lot more easy to use. And you need to spend a lot less time looking then up to see if they are within the allowed limits.
The GI weight loss system can be very healthy in that it actively encourages the dieter to eat fruits and complex carbohydrates, such as brown rice and pasta. Many health professionals believe these types of foods may contribute towards a healthier diet. It also discourages the intake of processed foods and also foods that are high in fat, such as fried foods like French fries or chips.
The GI diet can be a very healthy weight loss system and does not require you to give up the foods that you like. Although restrictive it can be a very varied and enjoyable diet as so as you get used to working out the different values of food groups.