Glycemic Food List

Some of the most popular diets in recent years are based on the glycemic food list or glycemic index.(Glycaemic Index in the UK)

What is the Glycemic Food List?

The Glycemic Index or glycemic food list is a list of major foods which are classified according to how quickly they are converted into sugar. Carbohydrates are given a GI rating between 0 and 100, with 100 being the GI for sugar and therefore at the highest end of the scale.

The higher the GI, the more quickly the food is converted into sugar in the blood stream - and the more quickly that level of sugar drops, giving rise to hunger and in some cases an addiction to sugary foods.

Keeping our blood sugar levels fairly even throughout the day means we'll stay full for longer, which is clearly good news for dieters!

Diet and nutrition are an important part of any weight loss program and if you eat correctly and follow a sensible exercise routine, you should soon start to burn the fat.

However, it's important to remember that healthy weight loss involves burning about one to two pounds of fat per week. So, can a low GI food intake be considered a healthy weight loss diet? As with any weight loss program, it's important to eat a balanced diet to ensure that you are getting all the vitamins and minerals your body needs.

 How to Use the Glycemic Food List

Selecting foods which are low GI and eating sensible portions will enable you to control cravings and lose weight, but it's also important to go for low fat foods. Low GI foods include pasta, porridge, stoneground wholemeal bread, milk and even milk chocolate. So eating large quantities of these will certainly not enable you to lose weight!

One of the ways in which you can use the glycemic food list to your advantage, is to increase the portions of vegetables that you eat each day. Including low fat proteins in your meals will also help you to keep hunger at bay.

Let's have a look at where some carbohydrates fall on the glycemic index.

Right at the bottom of the glycemic index come many of the fruit and vegetables, which in fact, most people don't realise contain carbohydrates. Many of these are low in calories, which means that they can be safely eaten in large quantities.

Examples of green leafy vegetables with a GI of less than 15 are cabbage, celery, spinach, watercress, brussel sprouts, asparagus, mange tout and sugarsnap peas. Some root vegetables and tubers are also in this GI range and include ginger, parsnip, radish, swede and turnip.

Many fruits are also low GI but since they don't contain as many nutrients as veggies, shouldn't replace them. So the advice to have 5 portions of vegetables per day and a couple of pieces of fruit is sound. Fruits to eat on your low GI diet include apples, apricots, mangos, oranges, grapes, kiwis, strawberries and raspberries.

Cornflakes are high on the list at a GI of 92 in the US, and so oatmeal (porridge) would be a better choice for breakfast with a GI of 49. Bear in mind that prepared foods, despite having the same name and perhaps even brand, will vary from country to country depending on ingredients.

French fries are pretty high GI at 75, but baked spuds are even higher at 85. However, don't forget that French fries have a high fat content. Sweet potatoes and yams are lower on the scale with GIs of 44 and 37 respectively.

Bread varies considerably depending on type/size of slice with pumpernickel being low at 41, but French stick high at 95. Wholemeal rye is a good choice at 58, but wholemeal wheat is around 76.

Sugar, glucose, sucrose and honey are high and to be avoided. Remember that cakes and snacks and pastries have high levels of sugar and often fat as well.

You can find out more about the GI of foods on the glycemic food list. and then apply this knowledge to change your eating habits.

Becoming familiar with the glycemic food list should help you with weight loss, but you do need to take into account fat content and be sure to eat a balanced diet.