A Low Glycemic Diet

After hearing about Nia Vardalos' successful weight loss, I decided to learn more about low glycemic diets.

This diet has Canadian roots! Over 20 years, Dr. David Jenkins, a professor of nutritional sciences at the University of Toronto developed the glycemic index. This index measures the speed at which carbohydrates break down in our digestive system and turn into glucose, the body's main source of energy.

A food that is digested and absorbed quickly has a high GI value. For example, a fast-food lunch of double cheeseburger, fries, and a Coke gives a short-term high, but we start feeling tired, sluggish, and hungry by mid-afternoon.

Low GI foods, such as fruits, vegetables, whole grains, pasta, beans and low-fat dairy products take longer to digest, deliver a steady supply of sugar to our bloodstream and leave us feeling fuller for a longer time. As a result, we consume less food and fewer calories, without going hungry.

In his book, The G.I. Clinic, Rick Gallop provides an easy-to-follow colour coded system. He has done all the calculations and measurements and sorted food according to the colours of the traffic light.

Red-Light Foods are to be avoided. With GI values greater than 70, they make it impossible to lose weight.

Yellow-Light Foods are mid-range GI foods that should be treated with caution. They should be avoided if you are trying to lose weight. If you have reached your ideal weight, you can occasionally indulge. They have GI values between 55 and 70.

Green-Light Foods are low GI, low in fat and lower in calories. With GI values less than 55, these are the foods that will allow you to lose weight.