The GI Diet assigns a ranking to carbohydrates according to how much they affect glucose levels. Dr. David Jenkins developed the diet to help patients with diabetes. This diet is helpful for diabetic patients who need to control their blood sugar instead of eating things that cause rapid changes in blood sugar.

The way each food breaks down in the body during digestion determines itsrating. The resulting numerical value tells the dieter how quickly the carbohydrates will release glucose into the blood. A quick rise in blood sugar is caused by high GI foods, while a slower rise is caused by foods with a lower GI number. Glucose is rated at 100. Foods are rated for their comparability to glucose, with the lowest rating being zero. A low GI food is one that has a number up to 55. Rankings of 56 to 69 are medium GI foods. Foods with a rating of 70 or more are high GI foods.

Eating low GI foods is the goal in order to stabilize blood glucose. This will require the body to make less insulin. Foods that are lower GI foods will provide steady energy to the dieter and not provide the energy crash that can cause food cravings. By eating foods with a low GI number, energy levels will be steady and hunger will be kept at bay. Eating high GI foods will provide rapid energy, but that energy will soon crash and make the dieter tired and lethargic. Because low glucose levels can cause cravings, the GI Diet causes weight loss by keeping blood sugar steady.

The diet also requires low fat foods. Some foods have been rated with a low GI number, but they still contain too much fat. Those foods are to be avoided along with high GI foods. When a dieter stays on the diet, eating the proper foods and avoiding high-fat foods, about 1 to 2 pounds can be lost every week. The GI Diet causes the steady weight loss that doctors recommend as being the healthiest type of weight loss.

The risk of heart disease and diabetes is lessened by the GI Diet, as shown in several studies. The American Diabetes Association recommends the GI Diet for this reason. Doctors, as well as nutritionists, recommend the diet because it improves overall heath and can result in weight loss. The key to the diet is staying on it for the long term and following a GI Diet meal plan. Many meals combine high and low GI foods, making it difficult to assess what the GI ranking is for any particular meal. Meals made for the GI diet have low GI ranked foods so that figuring out the GI number of the meal is mush easier. By following GI meal plans, the dieter can lose weight and keep their energy level at a steady level.