Glycemic Index

The first question people usually ask is "what is the glycemix index" and "why is it important to me?".

So weightlossforgood.co.uk is going to tell you - just so know all there is to know about the Glycemic Index.

• The Glycemic Index (GI) was developed to help people (especially diabetics and athletes) maintain stable blood sugar levels (BSL)
• GI ranks food on a scale from 0 - 100 according to how much they raise blood sugar levels after eating
   
• Individual foods with a high GI immediately release glucose into the blood causing a rapid rise in BSL
   
• Individual foods with a low GI release glucose more steadily over several hours keeping BSL more even
   
• In summary, foods with a high GI lead to a bigger change in BSL than foods with a low GI
   

So why would this be significant?

WIth diets that are high in GI foods, there have been links discovered to obesity, heart disease, high blood pressure, strokes, cancer and diabetes. Obviously there are probably other factors involved, but all the same foods with a low GI maintain a healthy BSL and help us to lose weight - one proven way to lower our risk of developing the diseases mentioned above.

Glycemic Index and Weight Loss

So we decided to let you see the link between taking on board low GI foods as a way to ensure you lose weight, in a simple bullet list :

• High GI foods can force the body to store any excess energy as body fat
• Low GI foods can help with weight loss
• Low GI foods can keep you feeling fuller, for longer
• Low GI foods can lead to a faster metabolic rate
• Low GI foods can prolong physical exercise

Points To Remember :

You should never judge a food purely by its GI value - it doesn't tell you everything about what a food actually offers. Watch how much you eat - if your portions are too big, you will gain weight, whether you're eating low or high GI foods - obvious really. And make sure you exercise as often as you can - being active helps to control our weight and our BSL at the same time.

Why not have a look at the exercising at home section to help you with working out. Simple exercises you can do in the comfort of your own home.

If you want to see some values for typical foods, then see our GI food table which is on our dedicated GI diet review section.