Why Eating Off The Low Glycemic Food List Is Smart

As the old saying goes, you are what you eat. Eating items off the low glycemic food list is important when your health matters, you're controlling diabetes or you're trying to lose weight.

Foods that fall into the low glycemic category can assist with weight loss while promoting better overall health. When they are coupled with other smart food choices and portion control the body benefits significantly.

Paying attention to glycemic load in everyday consumption is much easier than many people realize. While a glycemic index diet might call for extreme discipline in monitoring intake and the numbers represented, common sense can serve as an overall guide.

What Is Glycemic Load And How Does It Affect The Body?

Glycemic load is simply a number assigned to a particular food based on its carbohydrate content and how it affects blood glucose levels in the body. The higher the number, the greater the negative impact on the body.

Generally, simple carbohydrates, such as processed snacks and white bread, tend to have a greater influence in raising blood sugar levels. This can cause problems for diabetics that need to keep sugar levels under control to maintain better health.

It also impacts those who are trying to lose weight by triggering the release of insulin. When glucose levels are too high and too much insulin is released,the body will go into fat storing mode.

But not all snacking is bad. With a low GI plan, snacking is actually encouraged. Here are 5 low glycemic snacks that promote weight loss.

How Glycemic Index Weight Loss Works

When glycemic index is taken into account during a diet, the basic premise is to maintain sugar levels to promote fat burning or immediate energy use rather than storage. This is a healthier option for people who want to lose weight, control diabetes or just maintain their current weight.

Eating with glycemic numbers in mind essentially mirrors what a gestational diabetes diet looks like. In regard to carbohydrates, people who want to follow this path will need to keep consumption low, but not eliminate carb-containing foods entirely. Instead of white bread, a sandwich might be made on whole grain bread instead.

Some of the foods that fit well with the low glycemic food list include:

• Whole grains
  
• Fresh fruits with the exception of watermelons
  
• Fresh vegetables with the exception of potatoes

Common Sense Considerations

When trying to follow a low glycemic plan, make sure to include other healthy choices. Overall, a diet with lean meats, legumes, low-carbohydrate dairy and other healthful choices is important. Also pay attention to portion size to gain the maximum benefits. Even low glycemic foods can boost blood sugar if they are eaten in overabundance.

Following a diet that includes low glycemic food list items can help keep weight and sugar levels under control. Common sense is a good guide for following this type of diet.

6 Low Glycemic Index Foods that Burn Fat

Focusing on nutrition instead of calories with low glycemic index foods and exercise is the best way to burn fat and build muscle.

Overall calorie counts per day do matter, but by focusing on nutrition, your daily calories will naturally be reduced simply by eating healthier foods.

Add these low glycemic foods to your diet to help burn the fat.

1. Chicken

Your body burns more calories digesting protein than it does digesting fat. Low glycemic index foods like chicken contain few to no carbs and keep your blood sugar levels steady.

The key is to select lean cuts of meat like chicken breast.

Avoid buying pre-marinated chicken, so you can be in control of the fat, seasonings, sodium and preservatives. Be cautious of low fat poultry food labels because it can often be high in saturated fats if it includes dark meat and skin.

2. Salmon

Salmon is a great choice to boost your metabolism and health since it contains omega-3 fatty acids.

Omega-3 fatty acids lower the hormone leptin in your body which is associated with a higher caloric burn. This essential fatty acid has many health benefits from reducing inflammation to reducing cholesterol and apoproteins in people with diabetes. So consume fish at least three times a week!

3. Eggs

An egg is another one of those great low glycemic index foods. Eggs are super high in protein and contain vitamin B12, which your body needs to break down fat cells.

Be careful of consuming too many eggs though since it can put you over the recommended daily amount of cholesterol. Instead, remove the yolk and eat the egg whites which are still high in protein with no fat or cholesterol.

4. Beans

Beans are a great “no meat” source of protein, fiber and iron. Keep a variety of beans like black, soy, red, navy, kidney, white, and lima as an alternative or addition to your dishes.

A cup of these low glycemic index foods can replace a two ounce serving of meat or fish.

If using canned beans, be sure to rinse the beans well to remove any sodium added during processing. Avoid refried and baked beans. Refried beans contain tons of saturated fats while baked beans are loaded with sugar.

5. Whole Grains

Every body needs carbohydrates to function, just be sure that you’re choosing the right kind of carbs.

Whole grains like brown rice, quinoa, whole grain oats, and whole grain bread are excellent sources of complex carbs, fiber, and nutrients to help keep your metabolism up and insulin levels low. High levels of insulin in your blood is what causes your body to store fat.

Avoid processed carbs like white bread, white rice, bagels, and english muffins. It contains little nutrients and are loaded with starch which causes your blood sugar and insulin levels to spike.

Also, color is not an indication of a whole grain since molasses is added to give it a brown color. So don’t be fooled.

Here’s a tip! Look at the daily percent value of fiber on the food label. The higher the %DV, the better indication of whole grains contained in that item.

6. Oatmeal

Oatmeal is one of the best low glycemic index foods available. It’s great to eat at breakfast and it’s loaded with soluble fiber which keeps you full, your blood levels steady and reduces cholesterol by flushing bad digestive acids out of your system.

The best type of oatmeal to consume is unsweetened coarse oats rather than instant ones since instant is made from smashed oat grains, it is digested quicker. 

5 Low Glycemic Snacks That Help Promote Weight Loss

For anyone wanting to lose weight, low glycemic snacks should be included in a healthy diet. You just need to learn how to snack wisely, which is quite simple with the ideas listed here.

What happens to our body when food is scarce is it will store energy in the form of fat as a survival mechanism to protect ourselves from starvation.

This is exactly what we don’t want, but happens when we don’t snack between meals. That’s because your body doesn’t know when its next meal is going to be, so it’s afraid to shed the extra pounds.

What’s worse is you end up eating more than you need at each meal which is the culprit for weight gain and blood sugar fluctuations.

So for diabetics and dieters, start incorporating two low glycemic snacks daily. A snack between breakfast and lunch, and another between lunch and dinner. This will help keep blood sugar levels normal and shed those unwanted pounds!

The key is to look for snacks that are low in sugar and high in protein and fiber. These five our my favorites:

1. Yogurt

   (2% plain Greek yogurt or low, non-fat American yogurt)
   Yogurt is full of calcium which promotes muscle growth and probiotic bacteria which supports your immune system. Plus! Greek yogurt has more than double the protein of standard American style yogurt and less sugar.
   Helpful tip: For a tastier low glycemic snack, add berries with some nuts or seeds to your yogurt or make a delicious smoothie using Greek yogurt.




2. Almonds

   
   Almonds are an excellent source of heart healthy monosaturated fats and protein. Just be sure to eat them whole (with skin) to double the antioxidant dose and limit yourself to just a serving (a handful).Helpful tip: When buying nuts, look for dry roasted (no oil added), unsalted.




3. Dips

   (Guacamole, Hummus, Tomato salsa)h3 These are great low glycemic snacks with a serving of plain chips. Hummus for example is composed of chickpeas or garbanzo beans, which have been shown to help regulate blood sugar.
   One study found people who added chickpeas to their diet ended up taking in fewer total calories.
   Helpful tip: Enjoy hummus with baby carrots for added benefits for vision and skin soothing beta carotene.




4. Cheese

   
   Select low fat varieties with skim milk as the first ingredient. Non-fat or 1% cottage cheese are great too.
   Helpful tip: Add fresh berries to your cottage cheese for an even healthier snack or black pepper for flavor.




5. Fruit

   
   Fresh whole fruits like berries, cherries, apples, grapes, oranges and grapefruit are great low glycemic snacks. They have the most fiber and fewest grams of carbohydrates per serving.
   Helpful tip: Be cautious of over ripen fruits. The more ripe a fruit is the higher its sugar content.

Getting Started with Low Glycemic Diets is Easy!

Why is everyone still talking about low Glycemic diets even though they were introduced over 20 years ago?

It’s for these reasons: They are the best way to attain normal blood sugar levels, achieve healthy body weight and they make an excellent diabetes meal plan.

But what exactly are these diets? And how easy is it to create your own diets?

What are Low Glycemic Diets?

The are diets based on the selection of foods from the low end of the Glycemic Index scale. The Glycemic Index (GI) scale was created by scientists as a way of comparing foods according to the type of carbohydrates found in them.

Before the Glycemic Index was used to create diabetes meal plans, dietitians compared carbohydrate foods by placing them into two categories: simple sugars and complex sugars.

Scientists soon realized that this was far too simple of a way of looking at them, and it didn’t help those with high blood sugar levels attain normal blood sugar levels either. And frankly a diabetes meal plan based on this method failed frequently and normal blood sugar levels were rarely achieved.

Once researchers tested foods for the rise in blood sugar after the food was eaten, a whole new world of science opened up to them. One-half of a grapefruit raised the blood sugar level half as much as a slice of whole grain bread! A baked potato raised the blood sugar twice as high as a piece of chocolate! And ice cream and yogurt had Glycemic indexes about half that of jasmine rice!

The scientists were on to something big here! As they kept testing foods, they began creating a Glycemic Index list, which became separated into three different levels: low GI foods, medium GI foods, and high GI foods.

The higher the GI of a food, the greater the rise in the blood sugar level after that food was eaten. The lower the GI of a food, the lower the rise in the blood sugar level after that food was eaten.

By concentrating on building a diet based around foods that were low on the GI list, you could create Low Glycemic Diets, and not only feel better, but possibly show significant improvement in your health and blood sugar levels if you were diabetic.

What To Know about the GI

One of the first things to learn about Low Glycemic Diets and the GI is how to categorize foods.

Here are some general guidelines:

1. Only foods with carbohydrates are rated on the Glycemic Index. This includes breads, pasta, fruits, beans, starchy vegetables, milk and dairy products, candy, chocolates, pastries, pies, cookies and other desserts.



2. Because foods that are fats or proteins usually don’t contain even a smidgeon of carbohydrate, they are rated 0 on the Glycemic Index.



3. Some foods may contain fat and carbohydrate like peanuts and cashews. Any food that contains carbohydrate is rated on the Glycemic Index.

Learn how to create a low glycemic diet here.

Scientists also came up with Glycemic Load Indexes for the carbohydrate foods.

Healthy Eating: Ten Nutrition Tips for Eating Right

Healthy Eating: Ten Nutrition Tips for Eating Right

	Choose good carbs, not no carbs. Whole grains are your best bet.
	Pay attention to the protein package. Fish, poultry, nuts, and beans are the best choices.
	Choose healthy fats, limit saturated fat, and avoid trans fat. Plant oils, nuts, and fish are the healthiest sources.
	Choose a fiber-filled diet, rich in whole grains, vegetables, and fruits.
	Eat more vegetables and fruits. Go for color and variety —dark green, yellow, orange, and red.
	Calcium is important. But milk isn't the only, or even best, source.
	Water is best to quench your thirst. Skip the sugary drinks, and go easy on the milk and juice.
	Eating less salt is good for everyone's health. Choose more fresh foods and fewer processed foods.
	Moderate drinking can be healthy—but not for everyone. You must weigh the benefits and risks.
	A daily multivitamin is a great nutrition insurance policy. Some extra vitamin D may add an extra health boost.