What I understand from the GI Diet

by M. V.
(Ambur Town)

It took me a while to understand what 'healthy eating' meant but now I am glad I made the effort to learn and I find there is more to read and learn every day with new nutrition research all the time and it is so interesting to read with some of the results they come up with, even funny.

I do like the GI diet a lot. Some foods are very high in GI such as potatoes, short grain rice, white bread, foods that are rich in simple carbs, sweet drinks and desserts. Please be aware that these items are all white in color and I try to avoid them as much as I can, but not completely. I find that it is OK to taste them once in a while, otherwise they will become the forbidden fruits I will crave for.

But I eat the colorful foods such as fresh vegetables, and fruits frequently or on daily basis as I know that they are very good for me and low in calories, well except for some high calorie fruits.

What I understand from Glycemic Index is I need to eat carbohydrate rich foods according to my body - blood glucose levels, or in other words how these foods will affect my blood sugar. Simple carbohydrates, in general, will quickly break down during digestion. Because of this quick breakdown, my body bloodstream will get high levels of glucose and this will mean the food is high in glycemic index.

Perhaps if carbohydrates are breaking down slowly, then automatically your blood stream will get slow levels of glucose and this will mean the food is low in GI. So I wonder if low GI is in a way similar to a low carb diet?

Besides, if you plan to follow the low GI diet, you don't need to follow any particular rules strictly, there are plenty of healthy foods that taste great on the low to medium GI list. It means, you won't need to be restricting yourself.

Instead of consuming simple carbohydrates like rice that would cause sudden spikes, I find that it is better for me to take cereal based items like oats, barley, porridge and bran.

If I eat any kind of unrefined bread, due to its high fiber content, and being lower in GI, I know that it is good for my health. I also limit potatoes and have sweet potatoes instead, but I will have the potatoes occasionally as they are quite nutritious too, and now that I am not all that weight conscious.

My diet is very rich in salads, vegetables and fruits. I also have a little bit of pasta and noodles, rather than rice. I love noodles with a variety of vegetables and some lean chicken. I try and make it as low salt and low sugar as possible.

Protein also has this nature of keeping me full. It feels a bit like 'fiber' in that sense. I use very lean meat, fish, skinless chicken and pulses regularly to lower the GI content of my meals.

I don't really eat fried foods nor get any cravings for them. I go for the steamed or roasted varieties. Of course I will not add oil or butter when I am cooking, otherwise it wouldn't be that different to frying.

Following a lower GI diet is not a difficult one. I find that the healthier I eat, the easier it becomes in time. The key is eating a variety of healthy foods from different nutrient groups. Supermarkets are filled with higher fiber, lower sugar, lower salt versions of most items these days and they don't really cost much more.