THE GI DIET: Losing Weight with Blood Sugar Control

Glycemic index diet is a general term for a weight-loss diet that’s based on choosing foods and beverages that are thought to prevent rapid increases in your blood sugar level. Glycemic index diets are based on the idea that controlling blood sugar levels leads to weight loss.

The Glycemic Index (GI) is a scale that measures the speed at which 100 grams of a carbohydrate enter the blood as sugar. The index assigns numbers to carbohydrate foods based on the speed at which it is consumed. In order to build muscle mass, you need to increase your caloric intake from carbohydrates. Dieters, when they are trying to lose weight, avoid fast-acting carbohydrates. Yet, when you have reached your weight loss goal, in order to retain and build muscle mass you need to eat fast-digesting carbohydrates or you will put your body in the condition for muscle loss.

Carbohydrates are vital to building muscle mass, therefore, if you fail to eat the right amount you’ll never gain the size and mass you want. Weight training with high levels of intensity requires glucose which is the basic energy source that enables the muscles to contract and lift the weights you need to stimulate muscle growth. The best nutrition sources for this are: potatoes, rice, pasta, grains, fruit, and other carbohydrates that store sugar found in muscle tissue. Eating these carbohydrates coupled with the right type and amount of protein allows you to train harder and longer.

Another advantage to eating the right amount of carbohydrates is the hormonal change that enables muscle growth. Insulin will turn on the system responsible for collecting glucose from what you eat, and will transfer it into muscle glycogen. Insulin will also increase your muscle’s ability to absorb amino acids found in proteins.

Muscles are made of protein, but if you fail to injest the right amount of carbohydrates on a high protein diet the protein will be wasted because it will be burned up as fuel. Consuming adequate amount of carbohydrates will allow your muscles to recover and grow because protein breakdown will come to a screeching halt. If you want to build muscle mass you must train your body to respond to carbohydrate foods the right way. Muscles depleted of glycogen have very sensitive insulin receptors and carbohydrates will be stored as glycogen first before stimulating fat storage.

Another way to manipulate the speed at which high-glycemic carbohydrates enter the blood stream is to include fiber. Adding a small amount of vegetables dulls the rate at which high-glycemic carbohydrates are absorbed. If you keep your diet to the right amount of protein, a vegetable, and a high-glycemic carbohydrate (mashed potatoes for example) your GI will drop because the protein and vegetable will off-set the carbohydrate.

Purpose

Diets based on the glycemic index steer you toward foods and beverages with low glycemic index rankings to help you lose weight and, in turn, reduce risk factors for certain chronic diseases.

Why you might follow the glycemic index diet. You might choose to follow the glycemic index diet because you:

» Believe that a diet that regulates blood sugar will help you lose weight quickly or easily.
» Believe that you have blood sugar imbalances related to your current diet,
» Think that following this diet will help you achieve overall healthier eating habits
» Think that you can stick with this diet for the long term.
» Have friends who are doing the glycemic index diet.

Check with your doctor or health care provider before starting any weight-loss diet, especially if you have any health conditions, including diabetes.

Diet details

Proponents of the glycemic index diet, sometimes called a low GI diet, say that high blood sugar levels are linked to a variety of health problems, including diabetes, obesity and heart disease. They say that following a diet based on the glycemic index can help you choose foods that will result in weight loss and prevention of chronic diseases. But scientific evidence supporting the role of the glycemic index diet in weight loss remains uncertain and controversial. And you might be able to achieve the same health benefits by maintaining a healthy weight and getting enough exercise.

Blood sugar basics

Sugar (glucose) is a main source of energy for the cells that make up your muscles and other tissues. Glucose comes from two major sources: carbohydrates in food and extra stores in your liver. Carbohydrates come in the form of sugar, starch and fiber. After you eat or drink something with carbs, your body breaks down each type of carbohydrate in essentially the same way, converting it into sugar — except for fiber, which passes through your body undigested. The sugar then enters your bloodstream. From there, it enters individual cells throughout your body to provide energy. Extra sugar is stored in your liver and muscles in a form called glycogen.

Two hormones from your pancreas help regulate the level of blood sugar. The hormone insulin moves sugar from your blood into your cells when your blood sugar level is high. The hormone glucagon helps release the sugar stored in your liver when your blood sugar level is low. This process helps keep your body fueled and ensures a natural balance in blood sugar.

Blood sugar imbalance

Some food is thought to disrupt this natural balance by creating large spikes in your blood sugar level. When your blood sugar and insulin levels stay high, or cycle up and down rapidly, your body has trouble responding and over time you may develop insulin resistance. Insulin resistance is associated with a host of health problems, including:
» Type 2 diabetes
» Obesity
» High blood pressure
» Stroke
» Heart disease

Glycemic index ranking

The glycemic index ranks foods and beverages based on how they affect your blood sugar level. Foods are scored on a scale of 0 to 100. Only foods and beverages that contain carbs are ranked, since that’s what affects blood sugar. You can find extensive lists online and in books of GI rankings, but many foods and beverages remain unranked. Manufacturers can pay to have their brand-name products ranked by Sydney University Glycemic Index Research Services in Sydney, Australia, which maintains a comprehensive database of glycemic index values for carbohydrate-containing foods.

Foods ranked by the glycemic index are given scores:
» High: 70 and up. Examples include instant white rice, brown rice, plain white bread, white skinless baked potato, boiled red potatoes.
» Medium: 56-69. Examples include sweet corn, bananas, raw pineapple, raisins.
» Low: 55 and under. Examples include raw carrots, peanuts, raw apple, grapefruit, peas, skim milk, kidney beans and lentils.

Foods and beverages with high glycemic index scores are rapidly digested by your body. This causes a spike in your blood sugar, which is then followed by a rapid decline, creating wide fluctuations in your blood sugar level. In contrast, items with low glycemic index rankings are digested more slowly, raising blood sugar in a more regulated and gradual way.

Because low glycemic index foods are absorbed more slowly, they stay in your digestive tract longer. This may help control appetite and delay hunger cues, which can help with weight management. Balanced blood sugar also can also help reduce the risk of insulin resistance.

Love thy neighbor and his dog… See ya on the other side…

Jesse