Glycemic Index Diets

Could fruits be sabotaging your diet?

With many dieting fads out there telling consumers contradictory things, it may be difficult to know what is or isn't right. Some literature actually condemns fruit as a part of a healthy diet. Professor Paul LeBlanc, Professor in the Department of Health Sciences here at Brock University,  explained why these authors might be condemning fruits, and what is the truth regarding it.

Many new dieting regimens are warning that fruits, once believed to be a staple in healthy weight management, might instead be hurting your chances of shedding pounds. Author of the increasingly popular book The 4 Hour Body, Timothy Ferris, states as rule four in his book, "don't eat fruit". He argues that if your ancestors were from Europe they had little if any access to fruit over the winter months, thus we don't necessarily need it.

Health Canada still recommends around eight servings of fruits and vegetables per day for adults between 19 and 50-years-old. If Health Canada states that fruit is important in a healthy diet, then why would some diet plans swear it off completely?

What might be lost on those who read these diet plans is that too much of anything — even fruit — is not the best thing for you. What makes fruit a potential enemy is that, although they provide us with important nutrients and vitamins, they also have carbohydrates. They help with many important bodily functions required for a healthy life.

Moderation and smart consumption of any of the food groups is a key factor in maintaining a healthy body weight.

LeBlanc helped to dispel any myths surrounding fruits being a poor choice for those looking to lose weight. When asked if fruit could be the problem in weight loss plans, he replied with a resounding "NO".

"The main issue in any weight loss program is establishing an environment in which energy intake must be lower than energy output," he said. "That means eating less calories and burning more [by] being physically active in a modest and consistent fashion."

The popular WeightWatchers program has given fruit a rating of 0, which may lead some to believe it couldn't cause any sort of weight gain. When asked about it, a representative said that although eating too much fruit can prevent weight loss, it is still very important to have some as part of a healthy diet.

Not all fruits are created equal. Some will score higher on the Glycemic Index (GI), which measures how quickly carbohydrates and fructose will be released into the bloodstream. However, most fruits have a low GI rating, meaning they are less likely than other carbohydrates to cause weight gain. Also fruit, in its raw form, has plenty of fibre which causes you to feel full earlier than other foods, which would discourage overeating.

Valuable Information Regarding Glycemic Index Diet

There are many diet programs today that are based on glycemic diets. Glycemic Index Diet or GI diet, according to Wikipedia, is a measure of the effects of carbohydrates on blood glucose levels. Carbohydrates that break down rapidly during digestion releasing glucose rapidly into the bloodstream have a high GI; carbohydrates that break down slowly, releasing glucose gradually into the bloodstream, have a low GI. But if you have been through a lot of diet programs and you fail, you might not want to take a look at Glycemic Index diet . But if you quit now, do you think you will find what you are searching for? Right now, GI diet is one of the most effective diet programs. Why not try getting some first-hand information about it? After all, there is no harm in reading, right?

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