Understanding The Glycemic Index

You might have read about the GI in nutrition magazines, newspapers and even on food labels and might have wondered what the hype is about. However, this is no new weight loss pill or device, it is simply used to monitor and maintain weight. Initially only athletes and diabetics used it, however now just about anybody who cares about weight uses it.

This article presents the facts about the Glycemic Index (GI) so that you can decide for yourselves what the truth about it is.

What is it?

Glycemic Index measures the effect a food has on your blood sugar levels. If a food causes a rapid glucose release into your blood stream, it will have a high GI and vice versa.

Dr. David Jenkins and his team at the St Michael’s Hospital in Toronto developed this so that diabetics could monitor their sugar levels. However, two books The Zone, by Barry Seas and Sugar Busters!, by HI. Leighton Steward et. al. used it as a weight loss tool.

Does it work?

No two dieticians agree on this one. Some claim that a rapid sustained weight loss is possible by taking foods with a low GI. On the other hand, others warn that such foods leave out the vitamins and minerals and are no help in weight loss.

How accurate it is?

The GI of any food varies depending on its country of origin. For example, Canadian carrots had a GI of 92 whereas same amount of Romanian carrots had a GI of 16.

In addition to this, the American Diabetes Association (ADA), says that GI varies if the food is combined with other foods. While jam may have a high GI, if combined with whole wheat bread, the combination has a low GI.

Fat slows down the digestion and therefore, high-fat products have a low GI. Therefore, you would be taking a major risk if you rely only on GI.

Confusion around the GI

There is a lot of lack of data to conclude whether or not this is an effective tool for weight loss or management. It sure is very effective for diabetics and athletes, who have to regulate their blood sugar at all times.

However, for the regular person trying to lose weight or maintain lost weight, the picture is still foggy. The best thing to do is have a balanced diet comprising of 50-60% carbohydrates, 20-30% fat and 10-20% protein.