Foods that aid weight loss

Glycemic diet is the new rage now and everyone is trying it for weight loss and a better health. We explain what the diet is about and its benefits. Several studies have shown that the low-GI diet may reduce blood sugar levels, result in weight loss and lower the risks of heart diseases and type 2 diabetes.

What is a Glycemic Index?

The most essential part of a healthy diet comprises of breads, cereals, fruits, vegetables and dairy products and all these are pact with carbohydrates. When you eat any form of carbohydrate the digestive system breaks it down into simple bits of sugar which enter the bloodstream. However, not all carbohydrates are the same as different food impacts blood sugar levels differently. This is where the GI or Glycemic Index plays a vital role.

GI is a measure that ranks food according to their effect on your blood sugar levels. With three categories low, medium and high, one must opt for the food that come under low on the GI and avoid medium and high for significant weight loss.

Some examples of the GI rating of various carbohydrates include:

Low GI (less than 55): soy products, beans, fruit, milk, pasta, grainy bread, porridge and lentils

Medium GI (55 to 70): orange juice, honey, basmati rice and wholemeal bread

High GI (greater than 70): potatoes, white bread and short-grain rice. Here is a simple diet plan you can follow.

Early morning (between 6am - 7am)

1 cup tea with cinnamon (dalchini) Roasted gram (chana) (approx. 20gm)
Breakfast (between 8am - 9am)
2 gram flour (besan) cheela
1 cup curd

Mid-morning (11am)

1 medium-sized seasonal fruit (approx. 150 gm)

Lunch (between 1pm - 1.30pm)

Cucumber (kheera) and capsicum (simla mirch) salad, 1 bowl of kidney beans (rajma), 1 cup raita with onion (pyaaz) and mint (pudina) 2-3 medium-sized millet rotis

Evening (4pm)

A cup of sprouts chaat,  Evening snack (6pm) 1 cup tomato (tamatar) soup

Dinner (8pm-8.30pm)

Radish (moolie) salad, 1-2 bowls of cabbage (patta gobhi)
1 bowl of chicken/fish gravy/ masoor dal, 2 millet or wholewheat rotis
Bedtime 1 cup low fat milk

— The writer is a nutritionist from Delhi