Glycemic Index and Diabetes

Montignac Diet | Low Glycemic Index Diet | Low Carb Diet Principles | Sample menu for a week


There is a lot of talk about the fact that diet therapy is the basis of diabetes mellitus treatment. There is a certain set of foods that diabetics can eat, in a limited form, but there is also a list of foods to avoid.

This must be taken into account when creating a diet, because everything we eat affects blood sugar levels. That is, a diabetic needs a diet according to the glycemic index! So how can we eat so that sugar is normal, and the values are low, and at the same time not starve? You will learn about this by reading this article.


Montignac Diet

Despite the fact that the word “diet” has already firmly entered the lexicon and is often perceived as synonymous with “weight loss”, its original meaning was “health improvement.” After all, any diet first affects a person’s health, and then only his appearance. And therefore, it is necessary to select it in accordance with the problems of the body.

This is the approach used by the French nutritionist Michel Montignac.

He divided all carbohydrate foods into two groups.

The first included foods with a low glycemic index. Secondly, foods with a high index are not recommended for consumption. After all, if a lot of glucose is supplied, it does not immediately dissolve in the blood, but is converted into fat.

Dividing the diet into 2 phases, we get that meals should be either protein-lipid or protein-carbohydrate.

But type 1 diabetics need to be careful when following this type of diet.


Low Glycemic Index Diet

Let me remind you that a low glycemic index is up to 40, an average — up to 60, and a high — up to 100. Therefore, the first group of products can be eaten as much as you want, the second — no more than 1 time per day, and the third — we completely exclude.

By following a diet based on a low glycemic index, you can get quite good results. Of course, normal sugars, without hypo- and hyperglycemia.

Lasting result of losing weight by 2-3 kg per week, without hunger strikes and harm to health. Energy and high efficiency. Strengthening immunity and normalizing metabolic processes.

Complex carbohydrates form the basis of the diet.

The food is balanced and complete.


Low Carb Diet Principles

The diet is based on the following principles:

  • five times the consumption of fruits and vegetables (with a high GI — exclude);
  • no more than 30% fat;
  • no more than 1500 kcal per day;
  • protein — every meal;
  • fish — 2 times a week;
  • frequent meals — 3 main and 2 snacks;
  • exclude fried, give preference to baked, boiled, stewed or steamed;
  • limit salt intake;
  • dinner at least 1.5 hours before bedtime;
  • exclude foods with a high GI from the menu.

Sample menu for a week

Thus, a sample menu for a week might look like this:

  • Monday:

breakfast — boiled meat, fresh vegetables, tea or coffee without sugar;

lunch — cabbage soup;

dinner — baked fish.

  • Tuesday

breakfast — buckwheat porridge;

lunch — steamed fish, vegetable soup with chicken fillet;

dinner — pepper stuffed with minced chicken, no sauce, fruit salad.

  • Wednesday

breakfast — cottage cheese casserole, oatmeal, vegetable salad with vegetable oil;

lunch — soup with fresh cabbage;

dinner — stewed cabbage with a steam cutlet.

  • Thursday

breakfast — wheat porridge, carrot salad with apple;

lunch — fish or chicken

dinner — stewed vegetables, boiled chicken fillet.

  • Friday

breakfast — oatmeal, boiled egg;

lunch — cabbage soup, boiled meat with vegetable stew;

dinner — vegetable salad with boiled chicken.

  • Saturday

breakfast — buckwheat with liver;

lunch — vegetable stew;

dinner — stewed vegetables.

  • Sunday

breakfast — cheesecakes, oatmeal;

lunch — vegetarian soup;

dinner — boiled squid.

Snack: berries or fruits, freshly squeezed juice. Before going to bed, you can have a glass of warm milk or vegetables with a slice of rye bread.

A low glycemic index diet is not only beneficial for diabetics, but also good for losing weight.

Its disadvantage is that when determining the GI of a product, it is necessary to use a table. But, according to reviews of both those adhering to a diet for weight loss, and directly diabetics themselves, this is a simple and effective way to maintain health and a good figure

After all, the main principle of the technique is to lose weight without feeling hunger!