So What Is the Glycemic Index
and Why Is It Important?

     The glycemic index is a fantastic tool to use to be thin for life, to live longer and to be in the best shape possible!    All weight loss plans, if they are to be permanent, must be based on it to stabilize your blood sugar.     Controlling your blood sugar is the key to enduring fat loss - NOT dieting.

     It's not hard to use this index once you understand how it works.    It boils down to this: keeping your cells sensitive to insulin prevents weight gain and diabetes.   This is a "sugar" index that tells you how a food affects your insulin and blood sugar.

The reason diets don't work is because without blood sugar control you get weight gain rebound. That means when you go off the diet your fat comes back with a vengeance! 

     Your fat cells don't go away - they just repopulate and more are created when you go back to eating  high glycemic foods.   That's why you get fatter after dieting.

     The key to the glycemic index being most helpful for losing fat is to think of it in a big picture way and not be too "number bound." Just as with calories, it's so important not to be obsessive about it but just use it as a guide to make healthier food choices.     Rather than looking up the index for each food it's simpler and more effective for weight management to eat foods that you know are low glycemic. 

     It is for this reason that we do not put the actual index number on our low glycemic food list but in case you see these numbers on food products, here they are:

High Glycemic - GI over 70

Moderate Glycemic - 56 - 69

Below 55 is low glycemic

     Eating low glycemic foods not only prevents obesity but it promotes your health in every way!

     And since today the numbers of people who are obese or have diabetes have reached staggering proportions, it is more important than ever to understand the relationship between food and blood sugar.

     This is the healthiest way for everyone to eat and the only way for us to lose fat permanently.     This is not because you are following some rigid diet plan but rather because you are eating whole foods in their natural state.

     During glycemic clinical trials scientists measure how much the food raises blood sugar and affects insulin. They determine if a food stimulates the enzyme responsible for storing fat, Lipase (LPL.) A low glycemic food is digested slowly and thus raises the blood sugar gradually helping you to maintain increased energy longer. This is why high fiber foods like beans, raw nuts, seeds, sprouted grains and pasta are low on the glycemic index; they take longer to break down and digest.

      What does the glycemic index tell us about high glycemic foods? These are the highly refined foods, foods with high fructose corn syrup, white breads, white sugar, in fact most foods that are white!       A high glycemic food metabolizes quickly and stimulates insulin to bring blood sugar levels down. It reduces energy and causes that "let down" feeling and triggers hunger.      LPL, the fat enzyme,  is released when high glycemic foods are eaten.

     For many years dieticians and nutritionists thought that it was the fats in our diets that made us fatter so low fat diets were very popular.     However, after years of low fat dieting it is obvious that this is not the case.

     Now scientists have learned to differentiate between fat-stimulating and non-fat stimulating carbohydrates.   They have learned we can eat good fats in moderation (30% of your food intake)  and stay thin when we don't eat high glycemic foods.

     Instead of restricting all carbohydrates we can pay attention to the high glycemic carbohydrates and eat accordingly.

     Thanks to the research done on this "sugar" index, we now know that low glycemic carbohydrates do NOT stimulate fat storage or elevate blood sugar and insulin levels.

     The glycemic index list of foods can guide you to make the best food choices for your waistline and for your health. You can also keep this way of eating very simple by just keeping in mind these ideas:

     The less processed the food is the lower it's glycemic index will be. Instead of refined grains choose the whole grains. Eat whole fruit instead of drinking fruit juices.    Eat more healthy fats, high fiber foods and add protein to your meals to stay full longer and slow down your digestion.    Apply these simple low glycemic principles so that you will be the right weight for YOU and healthy for life!

     You don't need the diets, they don't work anyway.

*  Treat yourself to a weight management consultation with a weight management advisor including a written, personal, low glycemic plan right for YOU to reach your healthiest weight. This is an aggressive, comprehensive plan. You will get three months of coaching so you can make the necessary changes.

     For a complete list of low and high glycemic foods and more about the glycemic index see the articles below!

Glycemic Load

Too much of a good thing can be a glycemic load. That means that too much of even low glycemic foods can raise your blood sugar!

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