When you are trying to lose weight you want to take in less calories (through food and drink) than your body uses up (in metabolism and activity). You also need to eat a variety of different foods from all the different food groups to make sure that you get all the vitamins and minerals your body needs to work properly.

 

Do not skip meals. Have breakfast, morning tea, lunch, afternoon tea, dinner and dessert, with lots of fruits and vegetables, which are low in GI.

 

The Benefits of Low Glycemic Diet

 

GI stands for glycaemic index. It measures the amount of sugar in a food and how this affects our blood glucose levels. Foods low in GI have less glucose and therefore will have a less harsh impact on our bodies.

 

Some have reported that a low GI diet may also lower your risk for various diseases and illnesses such as coronary heart problems, diabetes and other chronic health challenges.

 

There are various books and publications outlining foods low in GI, but for a guide, these are some foods low in GI : Barley, beans, lentils, peas, sweet potatoes, yam, Cherries, grapefruit, peaches, apples, kiwis, bananas (not too ripe ones), Skimmed milk, plain yogurt, soy drinks.

 

If you must eat rice, make sure it’s Basmatic rice (58 on the GI scale) and not jasmine white rice. Refined white flour and refined white rice are almost 100 on the GI scale!

 

How we should eat :

 

 

• Include lots of fruits and vegetables in your diet
• Eliminate or cut down foods high in sugar, salt, alcohol and fat
• Use/consume the right kinds of fat – olive and fish oils
• Drink plenty of water – up to 3 litres every day. Your body needs the hydration that water offers it to work towards releasing the toxins in your fat and out of your body.

 

It’s important to have a well-balanced, varied diet.

 

Don’t forget to eat your breakfast – that’s a very important meal and it’s your first meal of the day. Actually, eating breakfast is good for weight loss. In fact, people who eat breakfast are more likely to maintain a healthy weight.

 

Don’t limit yourself too much. You will want to enjoy all the vitamins, minerals and antioxidants from the variety of food that you consume. Slow down, and enjoy your food. There’s a tendency to rush through our meals, rather than enjoying each mouthful that we have been blessed with.