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13th December 2007

Why Low Glycemic Index Foods?

By Ashley

low gi foods Recently I was reading about foods that are considered to have a low GI - or a low glycemic index and how incorporating them into your diet can help you lose weight.  My first thought was, “is this another fad diet” or is this something we should be doing. Of course I’m no expert, but after looking into it, it appears as though it isn’t a fad diet. Instead, it’s just a way of eating that includes foods that will help keep you feeling full for longer. The whole theory behind a low GI diet is that the foods will slowly release sugar into your blood so that you have a steady supply of energy and you’ll feel satisfied for longer. Interesting, isn’t it?

Keep in mind though, some foods that have a low GI index are high in fat, so you’ll want to make sure you try to keep your fat intake to a minimum as well. So what foods are considered to be low GI? First you’ll need to know what the glycemic index range is.  A Low GI is 55 or less, a medium GI is 56-69, and a high GI is 70 or more.  This site has a great list of low, medium, and high GI foods broken down into different categories which is extremely helpful. Below are several examples of foods that have a low GI of 55 or under:

BREAD GI
Whole wheat bread 49
All-bran 50
Oat-bran 50
VEGETABLES GI
Raw carrots 16
Tomatoes 15
Cauliflower 15
Broccoli 10
Green beans 15
FRUITS GI
Apples 34
Grapes 43
Oranges 40
Strawberries 40
Peaches 28
STAPLES GI
New potatoes 54
Sweet potatoes 48
Wheat tortilla 30
Brown rice 50
Meat ravioli 39
SNACKS GI
Nutella 33
Walnuts 15
Oatmeal crackers 55
Nuts and raisins 21
LEGUMES GI
Kidney beans 52
Chick peas 42
DAIRY GI
Skimmed milk 32
Sweetened yogurt 33
Custard 35
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