Low-glycemic diet

The G.I. Diet was developed by Dr. David J. Jenkins, a professor of nutrition at the University of Toronto and later turned into a successful line of diet books by author and former president of the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Ontario, Rick Gallop. According to the publishing company, Virgin Books, the G.I. Diet has sold over two million copies.

G.I. stands for Glycemic Index, a medical term used to measure the speed at which carbohydrates break down in the digestive system to form glucose (sugar). Glucose is the body's source of energy - it is the fuel that feeds your brain, muscles, and other organs. Sugar is set at 100, and all foods are indexed against that number. So foods that are quickly digested have a high G.I. and foods that are digested more slowly have a lower G.I.

EXAMPLES OF G.I. RATINGS

High G.I.		Low G.I.*
Foods	Rating	Foods	Rating
Sugar	100	Orange	44
Baguette	95	All Bran	43
Cornflakes	84	Oatmeal	42
Rice Cakes	82	Spaghetti	41

• Any food rating less than 55 in the G.I. is considered low

According to the G.I. Diet, when you eat high G.I. foods, such as corn flakes, your body rapidly converts them into glucose, which dissolves in your bloodstream, spiking your blood sugar level and giving you that familiar sugar rush or high. When you eat a low G.I. food, such as oatmeal, it will break down more slowly and deliver the glucose into the bloodstream at a slower but steady rate.

See also

• List of diets

External links

• Low GI recipes and cooking resource