#HealthBytes: Here is everything to know about low glycemic diet
What's the story
A low glycemic diet is a diet plan based on the glycemic index (GI) and how food affects blood sugar levels.
GI is a measurement system of assigning numbers to foods according to their impact on blood sugar.
A low glycemic diet uses the glycemic index for meal planning.
Read on to understand more about how this diet works, its effects, benefits, and more.
Glycemic index ratings
The different glycemic index ratings and what they mean
The glycemic index ratings are generally classified into three categories: low, medium, and high.
Low GI foods are those that have GI which is 55 or fewer, medium GI foods have a value between 56-69, and high GI foods have values of 70 or more.
Foods with a low GI are digested and absorbed slowly and do not cause huge variations in blood sugar.
Diabetes
The impact of a low GI diet on diabetes
A number of studies observe that following a low GI diet can help in regulating the blood sugar levels in diabetic patients.
A low GI diet is also known to be helpful for women with gestational diabetes.
In addition, this diet also reduces the risk of macrosomia, a condition in newborns that is associated with short and long-term complications for the mother and baby.
Benefits
Benefits of following a low GI diet
The diet is often criticized for not concentrating on portion sizes. However, several studies observe that embarking on a low GI way of life will help in losing weight.
Further, the diet is beneficial for those who have diabetes and are looking for ways to bring their blood sugar under control.
Following a low GI diet also helps in reducing cholesterol.
Foods
Foods to have and avoid on a low GI diet
The purpose of a low GI diet is to swap high GI foods with those that have low GI values.
These include whole-grain or multigrain bread, fruits such as apples, strawberries, apricots, and peaches, veggies like carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, and zucchini, and starchy foods like sweet potatoes, yam, etc.
The foods that you should avoid include white bread, bagels, naan, cakes, sweets, and savories.