Is a low glycemic index diet the “gold medal for preventing obesity”?

Everyone loves beauty. In today's society where thinness is considered beautiful, those who want to lose weight try every possible way to become thinner, thinner, and thinner in order to become beautiful! Among the many weight loss secrets, a "low glycemic index diet (low GI diet)" that claims to not require dieting or exercise is very popular among those who want to lose weight.

1. What is a “low glycemic index diet”?

Let's first understand what the glycemic index (GI) is. It refers to the ratio of blood sugar response levels of food containing 50 grams of carbohydrates to an equivalent amount of glucose or white bread in the body within a certain period of time (usually 2 hours). It is an indicator of the degree to which food causes blood sugar to rise in the human body. It represents how much blood sugar response a certain amount of a certain food will cause in the human body.

Foods are generally divided into three categories based on their effect on blood sugar and their GI:

Low GI food: GI < 55;

Medium GI foods: GI is between 55-70;

High GI foods: GI＞70.

GI table of different types of food (based on 100g)

2. Low GI diet helps with weight control

The core of the low GI diet is that the diet pattern is mainly based on the consumption of low GI foods. The principle of low GI diet to control weight mainly includes two aspects.

1. Reduce fat accumulation

High GI foods will immediately increase the body's blood sugar and stimulate the pancreas to release large amounts of insulin. The sugar will be converted into fat and accumulated in the body. Low GI foods are digested and decomposed slowly and steadily, causing relatively stable fluctuations in blood sugar and insulin. More sugar is consumed as an energy source.

2. Reduce food digestion speed and enhance satiety

Low GI foods generally contain more dietary fiber, which can effectively reduce the speed of food emptying and produce a long-lasting feeling of fullness. At the same time, it can lower the body's basal metabolic level and promote fat decomposition.

3. Low GI diet is not a “gold medal for preventing obesity”

Low GI foods help to increase the body's sense of fullness and reduce body fat accumulation, so a low GI diet is the "gold medal for preventing obesity". Can those who want to lose weight eat and drink as much as they want by adopting a low GI diet? Of course not! When eating low GI foods, those who want to lose weight should also pay attention to the following three points:

1. The GI of the same food is different in different states

The GI of food will change according to its maturity and processing method. Foods that are highly processed and mature tend to have a higher GI and are easier to digest and absorb, such as white bread with a GI of 87.9 and whole wheat bread with a GI of 69.0.

2. Low GI does not mean low calories

Although some foods have a low GI, they are still high in calories, such as avocado and sausage.

3. Low GI diet and intake are equally important

Even though all the foods in the diet are low GI foods, if the intake is not controlled it will still lead to fat accumulation and obesity.

Therefore, the essence of a low GI diet is to maintain food diversity and balanced combinations based on low GI foods, so as to satisfy your appetite while maintaining a healthy weight.

Source: Wang Zhengyuan

Editor: Chen Xiangxiang

Reviewer: Zang Jiajie Feng Xiaogang