The low GI Diet, which is based on the Glycemic Index system, is one very healthy diet to follow, and it has many positive aspects to it. If you happen to be eating healthy and you’re feeding a family as well, this system works well for everyone.
The GI Diet is not actually a “diet” in the traditional way – it’s more a change in your eating habits. This plan teaches you to cut out foods that will enter your bloodstream quickly. You will thus eliminate high-processed, refined foods, so you are left with natural foods that make up a healthy diet.
It’s important that if you use this plan, to use it as an eating plan and not a diet. Select food choices based on it, but don’t count the numbers for your children, unless your health care provider has instructed you to.
Children are not immediately receptive to healthy diets. They want what tastes good, whether it’s good for them or not. Introduce the healthy foods gradually. After they are accustomed to the new taste, it won’t be an issue anymore. Eating healthy should be something you do naturally, not something to become obsessed with.
In setting up a low GI Plan for your family, switch from current fads to old-fashioned ways of eating. Remove the processed foods, with their refined flours and added sugars. Select breakfast cereals with low or no sugar, made with bran, barley and oats. Use whole grain breads instead of white. Wholemeal bread with seeds is a healthy choice. Try wholegrain flour pancakes and wholemeal pitas. Eat pasta and rice instead of potatoes. Eat lots of vegetables, salads and fruits. Select these foods and you have made a healthy diet choice.
The foods in a low GI Plan are excellent for school age children, since they tend to be released more gradually into their bloodstream. This enables them to be able to concentrate more fully at school. And they will feel full longer, too. If your children are hyperactive or display an inability to concentrate, don’t load down their systems with refined sugar products. Keep them on a healthy diet, and the low GI Plan will benefit them a lot.
When you think about a healthy diet, you would assume that means no fats. But this isn’t always the case. Many fats are part of a healthy eating program. So, you’ll need to know the difference between bad and good fats. Fried foods are generally bad fat, and they don’t have a valid place in a healthy diet. Even oils that are not refined, like olive oil, are bad when they are heated.
Incorporate raw food into each meal, to help add up to a healthy diet. Your appetite for raw food will grow after you’ve been eating it, and it is a good part of healthy eating.