By Sam Jennings
The GI diet is now the UK‘s leading diet of choice among figure-conscious celebrities, with many switching to it from the Atkins Diet, due to it being considered as a ‘healthier‘ option by nutritionists.
The GI diet is based on the glycemic index of foods relied on by diabetics to control their blood sugar levels and basically works by reducing your intake of starchy carbohydrates and high sugar foods, while increasing your intake of wholemeal and slow-energy release foods such as nuts, avocados, wholemeal flatbreads, oats and pulses. Unlike the Atkins though, the GI diet does not ban fruit and vegetables.
The principles of the GI diet are:
- The higher the GI the quicker the food is converted into sugar, which, if not burned up immediately with exercise, is then stored as fat.
- Low GI foods give the body a steady stream of sugar and energy without creating a sugar surplus, the majority of which will be converted into fat.
Every diet has its Achilles heel and the GI diet is no exception. The diet breaker is the intense cravings for sugary foods.
Last updated: 31 May 2006
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