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The
G-Index
Diet
Theory:
This weight loss program is
based on the Glycemic Index (a rating system indicating how different
foods affect the rise blood sugar). The basic premise is simple: foods
that have a low Glycemic Index (GI) are best for dieters because they
promote a slow, moderate rise in blood sugar and insulin after a meal –
factors which help keep hunger in check. The goal of the dieter is to
build a foods plan around low Glycemic Index foods.
This way the hunger is minimized, and there is less tendency to overeat.
This diet was designed with the following food plan in mind:
- Specially
selected sugars and carbohydrates that prevent wild swings in blood
sugar and insulin – and in appetite
- Not
all carbohydrates are equal for the purpose of losing weight.
- Some
carbohydrates (“bad” diet foods) actually increase your hunger.
These foods include carrots, popcorn, honey, baked potatoes, oat
bran flakes, most whole wheat breads, shredded wheat, watermelon,
raisins, and lima beans
- Low
amount of fat, especially saturated fat (Each day’s menus contain
only about 25 percent of calories from fats, and saturated fats are
always less than one-third of total fat calories.
- High
amounts of fiber
- Low
to moderate calorie intake
- No
“forbidden” foods. Anything can be eaten, so long as certain basic
ground rules are observed
The book includes a chart
of foods divided into three headings: Low GI (highly desirable),
Intermediate GI (moderately desirable), and High GI (less desirable)
Some foods with a low GI include
–
- Breads
– European-style coarse rye bread, wheat breads made from
predominantly whole grain, sprouted or cracked wheat
- Cereals
– Kellogg’s All Bran and General Mills Fiber One
- Pasta
– Buckwheat (kasha), barley, bulgur, couscous, pasta (all types)
- Muffins,
Crackers, Snacks – fruit-based muffins,
Health
Valley
, Nature’s Choice, Frookie, Nonfat frozen yogurt
- Legumes
(Beans, Peas) and Starchy Vegetables – Butter beans, chickpeas,
cluster beans, haricot beans, lentils, kidney beans, peas, pinto
beans, soy beans, sweet potato or yam
- Sweeteners
– fructose, lactose, fruit jam or jelly with only fructose added
- Fruit
– Apples, applesauce, apricots, blackberries, blueberries,
cantaloupe, cherries, honeydew melon, grapefruit, grapes, oranges,
peaches, pears, plums, raspberries, strawberries, tangerines, fruits
juices including unsweetened apple juice or cider, cranberry juice,
grapefruit juice, grape juice, orange juice
- Vegetables
– Asparagus, beans, bean sprouts, broccoli, cabbage cauliflower,
eggplant, greens, kohlrabi, leeks, mushrooms, okra, onions, pea pods,
peppers, rutabaga, sauerkraut, spinach, summer squash, tomatoes,
tomato and vegetable juices, turnips
- Milk
– skim milk, ½ percent fat, 1 percent fat, buttermilk, evaporated
skim milk, nonfat dry milk, nonfat plain yogurt, a few brands of
nonfat frozen yogurt
Weight Loss Rules:
- Don’t
skip meals or snacks
- Be
especially conscientious about sticking to the G-Index at snack time
- If
you slip and eat a high G-Index food between meals, combine it with
about 50 calories of fat (1/2 tablespoon of natural peanut butter or
one-half ounce of cheese)
- You
are allowed to use one or two teaspoons of sugar daily as a sweetener,
or up to four teaspoons of fructose
- Limit
your fats, including the ones you use prescriptively
- Cut
back on caffeine
- Drink
a minimum of eight 8-ounce glasses of water, plus other fluids, every
day
- Don’t
punish yourself if you violate the diet.
You can undo much of the damage by devoting twenty-four hours
to a regimen of all low GI, low-fat foods.
- Expect
some minor “withdrawal” discomfort during the first three days you
go off high G-Index foods
- Regular,
moderate endurance exercise will increase your weight loss and help
you stay on the diet
- Most
people on the G-Index Diet don’t need vitamin or mineral
supplements. One exception
is that people who are milk intolerant will need a calcium supplement
- Select
the calorie level that is best for you – Nearly all women and small
men should use the 1,200 calorie diet for weight loss; most other men
should use the 1,500 calorie plan
- Assemble
the basic equipment you need to make healthy recipes – a nonstick
frying pan or skillet, a nonstick cooking spray, and a microwave oven
- Choose
sugar-free items from your supermarket whenever possible.
- Nonfat
yogurt should always either plain of fruited with an artificial
sweetener
- Low-calorie
salad dressings should contain no more than 10 calories per tablespoon
- Whole-grain
bread or other whole wheat products should be low on the Glycemic
Index
- Diet
cheese should be no more than 55 calories per ounce and should be at
least 95 percent fat-free.
- Eggs
should be cooked with nonstick cooking spray
- You
may substitute equal amounts of whole fruit for fruit juice for whole
fruit
- Reduced-calorie
mayonnaise should contain no more than 20 calories per tablespoon.
Sample
G-Index Diet Meal Plan
- Breakfast:
Old-fashioned oatmeal, All-Bran, or Fiver One cereal (fructose added
as sweetener); pear slices; whole-grain toast with diet margarine; 1
small slice of drained bacon; orange juice; coffee
- Lunch
–
Turkey
(white meat) sandwich on 100 percent sprouted, cracked wheat, or
stone-ground whole wheat bread with reduced calorie mayonnaise; pasta,
bean, and chickpea salad with low-calorie dressing; skim milk
- Dinner
– Mixed green salad (asparagus, spinach, radishes, string beans,
pinto beans); broiled chicken breast; boiled potatoes; broccoli;
low-calorie salad dressing; fresh strawberries; 1 small square of
chocolate or 1 small piece of cheese or sugar-free low-fat frozen
yogurt
- Snack
– Toasted pita bread or higher-fiver muffin (fruit-based); 1
one-inch square cheddar cheese; frozen yogurt cup (no sugar added);
orange juice
Richard
N. Podell, M.D., F.A.C.P. and William Proctor. 1993.
New York
: Warner Books, Inc.
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