| Okay, the first couple of paragraphs might sound | | | | and the person's health to name a few. |
| slightly complicated, but it gets easier after that. | | | | Additionally, since few foods are eaten alone, it is |
| Bear with me.By definition, the glycemic index | | | | difficult to estimate the GI of a combined dish or |
| (sometimes abbreviated GI) is a way of ranking | | | | meal.Despite these drawbacks, the GI of a food |
| carbohydrates based on the short-term or | | | | or a meal can be estimated with some accuracy, |
| immediate effect they have on your blood | | | | and with proper knowledge of the GI of various |
| glucose level. When carbohydrates break down | | | | foods, a diet can be constructed that will help an |
| rapidly they are given a higher glycemic index | | | | individual lose weight while maintaining health. |
| than those that break down more slowly. Those | | | | There are charts, graphs, and even weight loss |
| with a high GI are digested more rapidly and | | | | programs that have ranked and ordered foods |
| encourage a rapid increase in blood glucose while | | | | and meals by their GI and can present these to |
| those with a low GI are digested more slowly and | | | | the consumer as a finished package, product, or |
| release glucose into the blood stream more | | | | reference. Some well known weight loss |
| gradually.The glycemic index of a food is | | | | programs which use the GI of foods to construct |
| expressed as a number. This number can be | | | | their eating plans and products are the South |
| arrived at a couple of different ways, but in all | | | | Beach Diet, the Atkins Diet, and the Nutrisystem |
| cases, some food, often glucose itself, is | | | | Weight Loss Program.FOODS WITH A LOW |
| considered to be 100. In some cases, researchers | | | | GLYCEMIC INDEXAs might be suspected, foods |
| may assign another food a value of 100 so that | | | | with lower GI's include most common fruits and |
| they can compare a particular diet to that | | | | vegetables, drinks and juices made from fruits |
| particular food...perhaps a food that is a staple in | | | | and vegetables, whole grain breads, eggs, most |
| the diet being examined.WHAT THE GLYCEMIC | | | | dairy products, fish, poultry and...oh happy |
| INDEX MEANS FOR YOUAs we said, foods with a | | | | day...chocolate. Low GI foods are generally |
| low GI take longer to digest and release glucose | | | | considered to be those with a GI of 55 or |
| into the blood stream more slowly than foods | | | | lower.GOOD CARB VS. BAD CARB OR |
| with a high GI. Regular and sustained consumption | | | | GLYCEMIC INDEXGenerally speaking, "bad" carbs |
| of high GI foods has been linked to an increase in | | | | tend to be foods with a high GI, while "good" |
| obesity and the development of metabolic | | | | carbs are foods with a low GI. As can be seen |
| disturbances. In fact, testing seems to show a link | | | | from the list above, choosing healthy |
| between weight loss, or at least weight | | | | carbohydrates, or low GI foods, does not have to |
| management, and a diet which relies heavily on | | | | be a chore. It is simpler for an individual to begin |
| low GI foods. Studies also seem to show that | | | | substituting healthy, low GI, foods and snacks for |
| there are other positive health effects as well in | | | | higher GI foods such as extra slices of cake, |
| addition to the improvement in health that may | | | | white bread, refined rice, foods sweetened with |
| occur as a result of healthy weight loss.Eating a | | | | sugar, and potato chips, than to try to subsist on |
| low GI diet over an extended time seems to | | | | many of the eating plans offered by fad |
| result in a lower risk of Type II Diabetes and | | | | diets.Donovan Baldwin is a Dallas area writer. A |
| coronary heart disease. A low GI diet may also | | | | graduate of the University Of West Florida (1973) |
| lower risk of atherosclerosis.PROBLEMS WITH | | | | with a BA in accounting, he is a member of |
| CHOOSING A LOW GLYCEMIC INDEX DIETWhile | | | | Mensa and has held several managerial positions. |
| a close approximation to the GI of a food can be | | | | He has written poetry and essays for his own |
| given, actual GI of that food may depend on a | | | | use, and instructional media in many of the |
| range of factors, including how ripe it is, how long | | | | positions he held. After his retirement from the U. |
| it has been stored, where it was grown, and the | | | | S. Army in 1995, he began writing articles on |
| processing it has undergone. The GI of a food | | | | various subjects for websites he owned as well |
| may actually fluctuate from individual to individual, | | | | as for use by other webmasters. He has a keen |
| and even within the same individual depending on | | | | interest in health, fitness, diet, and weight loss. |
| factors such as time of day, blood glucose levels, | | | | |