LOW "GI" RICE

PLACE OF SOURCE - JALPAIGURI, WEST BENGAL

Normal rice we consume on a regular basis has a glycemic index (GI) of about 75, hence it is part of a “High GI” diet.

INTRODUCTION TO GLYCEMIC INDEX (GI):

BACKGROUND:
A glycemic index (GI) diet is an eating plan based on how foods affect your blood sugar level. The glycemic index is a system of assigning a number to carbohydrate-containing foods according to how much each food increases blood sugar. The glycemic index itself is not a diet plan but one of various tools — such as calorie counting or carbohydrate counting — for guiding food choices.

The term "glycemic index diet" usually refers to a specific diet plan that uses the index as the primary or only guide for meal planning.
Many popular commercial diets, diet books and diet websites are based on the glycemic index, including the Zone Diet, Sugar Busters, and the Slow-Carb Diet.

PURPOSE:
The purpose of a glycemic index (GI) diet is to eat carbohydrate-containing foods that are less likely to cause large increases in blood sugar levels. The diet could be a means to lose weight and prevent chronic diseases related to obesity such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease.

WHY YOU MIGHT FOLLOW THE GI BASED DIET:
You might choose to follow the GI diet because you:

• Want to lose weight or maintain a healthy weight
• Need help planning and eating healthier meals
• Need help maintaining blood sugar levels as part of a diabetes treatment plan Studies suggest that a GI diet can help achieve these goals

UNDERSTANDING THE GI VALUES :
There are various research methods for assigning a GI value to food. In general, the number is based on how much a food item raises blood glucose levels compared with how much pure glucose raises blood glucose. GI values are generally divided into three categories:

• Low GI : 1 to 55
• Medium GI: 56 to 69
• High GI: 70 and higher

RESULTS:
Depending on your health goals, studies of the benefits of GI diets have produced following results:

• WEIGHT LOSS:
  Studies show that a low GI diet may also promote weight loss and help maintain weight loss.
• BLOOD GLUCOSE CONTROL:
  Some clinical studies have shown that a low-GI diet may help people with diabetes control blood glucose levels.
• CHOLESTROL:
  Reviews of trials measuring the impact of low-GI index diets on cholesterol have shown fairly consistent evidence that such diets may help lower total cholesterol, as well as low-density lipoproteins (the "bad" cholesterol) — especially when a low-GI diet is combined with an increase in dietary fiber.

REGULAR FOOD ITEMS WITH GI VALUES (Source: Harvard Health Publishing):

For details and benefits of Low GI diet

• Article 1- Paper in NIH (National Institute of Health) website
• Article 2- Paper in NIH (National Institute of Health) website