low GI diet anyone?

wannabe
wannabe Posts: 29
edited September 20 in Health and Weight Loss
So i was told by my dr. i need to be on a low GI diet with some of the health conditions i have. I have done some research on it and its kind of confusing. i understand its mostly about the carbs and sugars that i need to watch bc it effects my blood sugar. but learning what i can and cant eat is seeming hard. so do i worry more about carbs and sugars than calories and fat? bc i always looked at those before...i have seem some lists of low glycemic foods but its stuff ive never heard of!!!! cactus???? i dont eat cactus....i love bean burritos....guess ill forget that. and potatoes :(. i mean some things are obvious like breads and potatoes.....and what is the glycemic load/ glycemic index....how am i supposed to figure all that out at the grocery store or a restaurant.....i bought a book and it gives me an equation to figure out the load but i have to know the index first....*rolls eyes in frustration* someone give me some advice please..sry so long im just frustrated and confused btw im a carboholic

Replies

  • drvvork
    drvvork Posts: 1,162
    This a good question and I will be watching to see if anyone has a good answer for you.
  • LisaCookies
    LisaCookies Posts: 12
    You should get the GI diet book by Rick Gallop. I have this plus the GI diet cookbook. Both have recipies and a list of foods that are OK and ones you can avoid. Alot of the recipes use beans, veggies, lean meat and whole grains. I'm not following the diet right now but it is good. I like alot of the recipies. You're basically cutting out processed foods - white bread, white pasta, & sugar. There are a few things I'm not crazy about with the diet when it comes to some restrictions on fruits, ie; no bananas, watermelon. I think some of these still have great nutritional value and I would think in moderation these foods should be OK. I'd definetly look at these two books anyhow
  • jb_sweet_99
    jb_sweet_99 Posts: 856 Member
    I am currently on this diet, I got all the Rick Gallop books from the library, you can eat all the foods in the green section you want, but you don't have to eat them all. And you can have potatoes, but only boiled new potatoes, if you microwave them they process too much and you want your body to do that. And I eat bananas, just not all the time, they are a yellow food. He says that if you follow the diet 90% of the time, you will still succeed, and he's right. I've lost 8 pounds since starting it. I checked the book a lot in the first couple weeks now it's easier, I only look there if I'm unsure now. The G.I. diet cook book is fantastic, there are desserts you can have in there too which makes it much easier to adjust!
    Good luck! :bigsmile:
  • Jesusfollower72
    Jesusfollower72 Posts: 95
    I have down a lot of research on it because my body responds really well to a low GI diet. The glycemic index is a numbering system based on how certain foods affect your blood sugar. When your blood sugar is too high your body goes into fat storage mode. When your blood sugar is low or level, your body stays in fat burning mode.
    One tip, ALWAYS have lean meat and healthy fat (olive oil, nuts, etc) with every meal and eat them first. This will help keep your blood sugar from spiking because protein and fat have no impact on your blood sugar.
    Another tip, the more a food is "broken down" for you, the faster is spikes your blood sugar. The harder your body has to work to break down the food, the more level your blood sugar will stay. For example, eating an whole apple is better than applesauce, but applesauce is still better than apple juice.
    Also stevia is a natural no calorie sweetener that doesn't impact the blood sugar either.
    Just for info, I did about 6 months of ready a bunch of "diet plan books" (at my library) and the "diets" that have the most staying power are the ones based on the glycemic index.
    Most veggies are low on the glycemic index, except for corn, carrots and peas. Bananas are high glycemic as well. The more fiber a food has the lower it will be on the glycemic index as well.
    I hope that helps.
    God bless,
    Karen
  • ivykivy
    ivykivy Posts: 2,970 Member
    You could also check out the New Glucose Revolution. As someone already stated make sure you have protein at every meal especially if you have a high GI carb. You can have the bean burrito b/c beans are balanced just use a low carb tortilla.

    It's seems all the books are just fancy ways of counting carbs without admitting they are carb counting books. I just find it easier to count carbs so I can have what I want.

    You still have to worry about overall calories if you want to lose weight. But most low carb plans don't have you count calories since it is easier to down 3000 calories worth of cookies than it is 3000 calories worth of chicken breast.

    Make sure the fat you have is healthy fat like nuts and seeds and olive, coconut oils.
  • wannabe
    wannabe Posts: 29
    thank you everyone! im sure i have a lot of research to do...i did read that certain food combinations can work really well and help for this type of diet. its all so new to me. i found a helpful hint which i hope is pretty good,,,,,instead of figuring out the index/load have about 30 grams carbohydrates or less for a meal for losing weight and have 90 to 120 grams a day. that would be easier but i still need to make sure theyre "good carbs"

    thank you, its goood to know im not the only one.
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