The Glycemic Index Diet

Written by Rick Gallop, a former President of The Heart and Stroke Foundation of Ontario, the book The G.I. Diet : The Easy, Healthy Way to Permanent Weight Loss, claims, "if you can understand a traffic light, you’ll understand this diet".

Gallop divides food into three groups based on their glycemic index, how fast they cause spikes in blood sugar levels. He separates food into green light, yellow light and red light foods. Glucose is set at a GI level of 100 and all other foods are compared against it. Red light foods should be avoided, yellow light foods are avoided during the initial weight loss phase and eaten occasionally during the ongoing maintenance phase and green light foods should form the basis of your diet throughout.

No special foods need to be purchased. Simply look up where your favorite foods fit in the plan, eat green, sample some yellow and avoid red. Period. Gallop says dieters should expect to lose one to two pounds per week and need not start with a crash diet. While this is a low carb diet it is not as high protein as most of the other diets and encourages dieters to cut fats as well as carbs. He also encourages exercising for 30 minutes each day and eating three balanced meals that include carbs, proteins and fats.

According to Gallop, followers of the GI diet should consider it a lifestyle change that they will adhere to for the rest of their lives, not a diet. It isn’t easy, though. For example consider this "Red Light foods" list and note all of the "good eats":

Baked beans w/pork

Refried beans

Alcoholic beverages

Regular soft drinks

Bagels

Croissants

Baguettes

Cake

Cookies

Cornbread

English muffins

Hamburger buns

Hot dog buns

Kaiser rolls

Melba toast

Muffins

Doughnuts

Pancakes

Waffles

Pizza

Regular Granola Bars

Stuffing

Tortillas

White bread

Millet

White rice

Instant rice

Rice cakes

Cold Cereals

Cream of Wheat

Granola

Grits

Muesli

Instant oatmeal

Croutons

Ketchup

Mayonnaise

Tartar sauce

Cheese

Chocolate milk

Cottage cheese

Cream

Cream cheese

Ice Cream

Whole/2% milk

Sour Cream

Yogurt

Butter

Coconut oil

Hard Margarine

Lard

Palm oil

Peanut butter

Regular salad dressing

Tropical oils

Vegetable shortening

Cantaloupe

Dates

Honeydew melon

Prunes

Raisins

Watermelon

Canned fruit in syrup

All dried fruit

Applesauce w/sugar

All fruit drinks

Prune juice

Sorbet

Bologna

Bratwurst

Regular eggs

Ground beef with 20% fat

Hamburgers

Hotdogs

Pastrami

Processed meat

Regular bacon

Salami

Sausages

Sushi rolls

All canned pasta

Couscous

Gnocchi

Macaroni and cheese

Noodles

Pasta filled with meat or cheese

Alfredo sauces

Sauces with sugar

Jell-O

Potato Chips

Candy

French fries