About Low GI
The Low GI Diet & Aspartame
It's time to ditch fast fix diets and focus on long term diet
planning. Low GI choices provide satisfying and energy-boosting results
that are easy to incorporate into your existing diet.
Aspartame sweetened products can really make a difference to the low GI diet.
Low calorie and low carbohydrate diets have
been extremely popular in recent years but the health breakthrough of the GI
factor seems to be the latest buzz.
Quite the opposite of the Atkins diet, which required cutting out
carbohydrates and focusing on fats, the new low GI diet guides its followers to
stop relying on fatty foods for their main source of energy and start choosing
good slow release carbohydrates known as low GI foods instead.
Slow release carbohydrates (low GI foods)
not only supply us with our necessary glucose but also contribute to sustained
energy levels and leave us feeling satisfied and full after eating.
Quick release carbohydrates (high GI foods)
on the other hand give a short burst of energy that cause the pancreas to
release insulin in order to counter-balance the sharp increase in blood
glucose.
Professor Jennie Brand-Miller, Kaye
Foster-Powell and Joanna McMillan-Price, authors of the 'The low GI diet'
describe the diet as flexible, simple and a delicious way of living.
Dieters are recommened to eat a variety of foods
with sensible quantities of typical carbohydrates such as bread, pasta and rice,
choosing the low GI varieties.
They
should also incorporate lean meat, fish, dairy products and generous amounts of fruit
and vegetables (bar high GI potatoes) to ensure that meals are balanced.
Since aspartame has no
carbohydrates it does not affect blood glucose levels or have a GI rating.
Aspartame offers the sweetness of sugar without the
carbohydrates or calories and lowers the total GI of a product, allowing you to
continue enjoying your favorite foods and feel better for it
All GI tested
foods and drinks are on the GI database at www.glycemicindex.com.
Among those listed are regular cola and
orange soft drinks with sugar, which have GI ratings of 53 and 68.
Diet versions of these and other soft drinks which
are sweetened with aspartame do not have a GI rating as they contain no
carbohydrates and so do not affect your blood sugar levels at all.
Other products on the
database which have both sugar and aspartame varieties are low fat, fruit yoghurts and low fat,
chocolate milk. The sugar sweetened
varieties of each have GI ratings which are approximately 30-50% higher than
those sweetened with aspartame.
| Food or Drink |
GI with sugar |
GI with aspartame |
| Cola soft drink |
53 |
0* |
| Orange soft drink |
68 |
0* |
| Yoghurt, low fat, fruit |
33 |
17 |
| Milk, low fat, chocolate |
34 |
24 |
|
*These are not listed on the Glycemic Index
Database as they cannot have a GI rating.
Since 2000, The Glycemic Index Foundation of
South Africa, in association with Diabetes South Africa,
has been using a series of GIFSA logos that indicate that the endorsed foods
are healthy, lower in fat and suitable for diabetics.
Similarly, British supermarkets are now
labeling a range of foods as low and medium GI.
These positive steps help to communicate the benefits of good food and
drink to guide us towards a better diet.
Benefiting from improved energy levels on the
GI diet means that you will soon feel more motivated to become physically
active.
Increased activity requires a higher fluid intake.
This should not, however, be a reason to reach for the high sugar soft
drinks just to quench your thirst. Instead, by choosing a diet soft drink
option sweetened with aspartame, it is possible to continue following the low
GI diet.
Treat yourself to one of the
new sugar free diet drinks from The Coca-Cola Company such as Fanta Z, Lilt Z,
Dr Pepper Z or Sprite Z.
Also new this
summer in the sugar free category are Tango Clear Britvic and 7-Up Free from Pepsi.
The beauty of the GI diet is not only
effectiveness with regard to weight loss but also the improvement in your
overall health and an increase in your long-term energy levels.
Using aspartame in both foods and drinks to
lower GI content is a recipe for success. A low GI diet with aspartame combined
with a healthy dose of exercise is the way forward.
Further information
Research information on the use of aspartame in dieting
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