6 Reasons You Should Try a Low GI Diet

Not all carbs were created equal. Although carbohydrates are an important part of our diets, some are better for you than others.

Refined carbs are usually highly processed, for example, white bread, cereals and cakes. Complex carbs, on the other hand, are complex in a good way. They provide us with more nutrients and minerals. They are also low GI carbs. Complex carbs include:

legumes
wholegrain breads and cereals (like rolled oats and natural muesli)
nuts and seeds
cooked and cooled low GI potatoes, pasta and rice

What does low GI mean, anyway?

The Glycemic Index (GI) is a tool that measures how carbohydrates affect blood glucose levels. It then ranks the quality of carbs.

High GI carbohydrates cause blood sugar levels to spike and then crash, whereas low GI foods are digested and absorbed more slowly, reports the Glycemic Index Foundation.

Dietitian and nutritionist Rebecca Gawthorne is a fan of eating low GI and says that swapping to low-GI carbs has a multitude of health benefits.

“A low-Gl diet can help you achieve and maintain your goal weight, fuel your brain with power, provide you with longer lasting energy, improve your mood and help you achieve more at the gym,” said Gawthorne

Here are six scientifically backed ways a low GI diet can help you feel great and improve your health.

1. Lose weight and keep it off

Low GI foods take longer to digest helping you to lose weight by controlling your appetite, delaying hunger and reducing food cravings. A low GI diet supports your body to burn more fat and is an effective way to stop the kilos creeping back on.

Recent research, by Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health, found people who ate more whole grains were less likely to gain weight in middle age, than those eating refined carbs, such as sugary foods and starchy vegetables.

2. Boost energy

Eating more good quality carbs will give you longer lasting energy. A low GI diet also provides greater staying power for exercising and extended endurance during tough workout sessions. This is because low GI carbs are broken down slowly, trickling a steady supply of fuel into your tank for balanced energy.

3. Stop breakouts

Yes, it is true, that eating too much sugary foods, or a high GI diet, can cause breakouts. The good news is switching to a low GI diet can reduce acne by up to 50% in just 12 weeks.

4. Stay focused

Glucose helps our brain function at its best. Our body turns carbohydrates into glucose and this makes choosing the good quality carbohydrates important. Low GI carbs deliver a sustained supply of fuel to our brains helping to improve our mood, concentration and mental performance.

5. Lower your risk of gestational diabetes

For those expecting or planning, reducing the GI in your diet during pregnancy is one of the safest ways to help your bub grow at a healthy rate and it can reduce complications, too. A low GI diet also lower your chances of developing gestational diabetes and it helps protect your child from the future risk of obesity and diabetes.

6. Live longer

A recent study looked at the diets of more than half a million people and found those with a higher GI diet had a greater risk of dying early and a 30% greater risk of death from stroke than those with a lower GI diet. On the flip side, following a low GI diet has also been shown to reduce the risk of developing type 2 diabetes, heart disease and some cancers including breast, endometrial and colorectal cancer.