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The Latest Trend: The Glycemic Impact Diet

You've decided to lose some weight and take control of leading a healthy lifestyle. The problem is that the moment you announce you're trying to shed a few pounds everyone has a suggestion about how you can do that. "Try The Zone diet!" "The Atkins Diet will help you lose weight fast!" "Eat nothing but cabbage soup—you'll lose weight! (Hope your friends don't mind that terrible odor lingering around you, though.)"

It's true there are a great many diet regimens that you could choose to follow. Probably the biggest trend in dieting right now is reducing carbohydrate intake. Included in the carb cutting trend are The Zone, the South Beach Diet, Sugar Busters, and the Atkins Diet, but one of the latest diets to catch the public's eye is the Glycemic Impact Diet. The name sounds pretty scientific because it really is based on science.

What's Different About the Glycemic Impact Diet?
In general, the diet is based on the idea that certain kinds of carbohydrates cause your body to store fat and makes your insulin level rise. The carbohydrates responsible for these negative effects are referred to as "simple carbohydrates," such as those found in white flour and sugar. On the other end of the spectrum are the "complex carbohydrates," which are found in vegetables and whole grains.

The Glycemic Impact Diet uses the Glycemic Index to categorize foods containing carbohydrates using a scale of 1 to 100. Topping the scale at 100 is pure glucose, so those foods with a higher Glycemic Index should be avoided. This index has gained a great deal of respect among nutritionists and even doctors with many doctors recommending it to diabetic and obese patients.

Many diets rely on the Glycemic Index to suggest and restrict foods, but the Glycemic Impact Diet also takes into account the Glycemic Load of foods. The Glycemic Load combines the Glycemic Impact of a food and the actual amount of carbohydrates the food contains. So, under some diets, carrots might be restricted because they are high in carbohydrates. However, the amount of carbohydrates per volume is actually quite low, so when the Glycemic Load is taken into account, carrots are definitely on the list of foods you can eat.

The Good, The Bad...But No Ugly!
There's plenty of "good" involved in the Glycemic Impact diet. For one thing, if you follow it closely while adding other healthy elements into your lifestyle, like exercise, you will lose weight. And, unlike some diets, the Glycemic Impact Diet does allow you to eat a variety of foods. Each meal under the diet should be made up as follows:

• 40% of calories from complex carbohydrates (whole grain breads, fresh fruit, whole grain cereals, etc.).
  
  
• 30% of calories from lean protein (fish, chicken, lean beef, etc.).
  
  
• 30% of calories from healthy fats (nuts, fish, avocados, olive oil, etc.).

On the "bad" side, it does mean cutting out sugary foods and white flour to a large degree. That's a pretty difficult thing for many people to do, and doing so forever is an impossible dream for most. You're bound to fall off the wagon at some point and indulge in those sugary Sunday morning doughnuts or a tempting loaf of French bread. Although an occasional indulgence isn't a bad thing, getting back on the plan can be very difficult.

And, as for "ugly," well, there really isn't one! Controlling your weight and maintaining a healthy lifestyle can only be a good thing. The trick here is finding the method that works best for you. The Glycemic Impact Diet might be the right way...but we'll bet the cabbage soup diet isn't!