Glycemic Index Diet Review

Diet Review

By Karen Asp

Consumers are already confused about what to eat, and the GI Diet only adds to that confusion. That being said, though, there are several good points to this diet.

For instance, many of the green-light foods you’re allowed to eat are healthy, low-fat, low-calorie choices, and the diet stresses quality as much as quantity of food. Meals contain a nice balance of carbohydrates, fats and proteins, and even the recommended weight loss of one pound per week falls within safe guidelines. Plus, although Gallop believes exercise doesn’t play as critical a role in weight loss as diet, he does encourage it in phase two.

The confusion, though, stems from Gallop's interpretation of the GI. Why, for instance, are some foods banned in phase one but not in phase two? Of course, Gallop explains that you’re only supposed to eat foods (green light foods) that enhance weight loss in phase one, but it's confusing, to say the least.

And that raises another question. While it's true that you should be eating healthier foods, does the GI really help you lose weight? Or do you lose simply because you're eating higher quality foods? That's a question researchers are still figuring out.

There’s also conflicting evidence about how your body responds to a low-glycemic versus a high-glycemic food. Many other factors, including how the food is cooked and what accompanies it, are involved.

Is the diet healthy?

This diet certainly isn't unhealthy, but that doesn’t mean it’s an entirely healthy choice. Its yellow and red light foods, which are supposed to be avoided because of their high glycemic nature, include some foods (like bananas, couscous and melons) that would otherwise be considered healthy. Besides, lumping foods into good and bad categories is just not a healthy way to eat.

What do the experts say?

Dave Grotto, R.D., L.D., spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association, thinks it’s unwise to base whole eating plans on the GI. “The glycemic index can be one tool to help you reach your goals, but if it’s your only tool, you may be destined to fail.” Why? Because the diet is hard to understand, which will make following it difficult, especially since food labels don’t list GI. Even more crucial? GI can't always predict how your body will respond to a food. "There are dozens of other factors that influence glycemic response," Grotto says. "Besides, there's little research to confirm that high glycemic foods are the smoking gun for obesity."

Who should consider the diet?

People who thrive on food lists and seek strict guidelines for eating. Also, people with health conditions like diabetes or heart disease might be advised by their doctor to follow a diet like this.

Bottom line

This isn’t an easy diet to understand or follow, and although some researchers are beginning to recommend low GI diets, there's still not enough evidence to guarantee its efficacy on weight loss, especially not one that splits into two phases. You can certainly try this diet, but don't be surprised if you struggle to follow it.

Foods

In this diet, a traffic light is used to separate foods into good (green), not-so-good (yellow) and bad (red) categories. Food lists are then created for breakfast, lunch, dinner and snack options. There are, though, two phases to this diet -- weight loss and weight maintenance -- and because of that, the food lists change slightly between the two phases.

Examples of green-light foods include legumes, barley, hummus, fat-free cheese, almonds, olive oil, apples, grapefruit, strawberries, seafood, lean meat and whole-wheat linguine. Red-light foods, on the other hand, include pizza, granola, cream of wheat, melons, cheese, peanut butter, hamburgers, processed meats, lentil soup and French fries.

See the Glycemic Index Diet at a Glance