Low Gi Diet or Low Carb Diet – Which One Is Best?Written by Lee Dobbins
These days, most everyone has heard of low carb diets such as South Beach and Atkins diet but GI or glycemic index diet is a fairly new name on diet scene. While low carb diets restrict quantity of carbohydrates, GI diet focuses on quality of carbohydrates. It works by promoting consumption of foods that are low on glycemic index, foods which will have a gently effect on your blood sugar levels and keep you full longer.A typical low carb diet, has a restrictive phase in beginning where your carbohydrate intake is severely limited. You can eat all meat you want and fats are also unlimited, although South Beach Diet does encourage you to stick to low fat meats and healthy fats. As diet progresses, you can gradually add in more carbohydrates, typically those with a low glycemic index are also those that are lower in carbs. Although a low GI diet might be new to you, it has actually been around since 1970’s and is used in many European countries to help manage diabetes. Recently, however, this way of eating has gotten a lot of attention as a healthy way to control weight. This diet focuses on carbohydrates – “good carbs” have a low glycemic index and you should eat plenty of them (incidentally, these are also foods that we know to be good for us like fruits, vegetables and whole grains). “Bad carbs” have a high glycemic index and should be eaten in moderation and mixed with low glycemic index carbs to lower overall GI of a meal. Since this diet focuses only on carbs it is very easy for vegetarians to adopt this way of eating. In comparison, a low carb diet can be limiting in fruits and vegetables which are high in vitamins, minerals and enzymes as well as fiber. Many people associate low carb diets with a license to eat as much saturated fat as you want, but that choice is up to individual so we really can’t fault diet for this misconception. A low GI diet is full of fruits, vegetables, fiber and low in fat but emphasis good fats found in nuts. It encourages eating lean meats in moderation.
| | US Goverment's New Low Carb RulingWritten by Nerello Glasure
The US government issued their ruling on caloric and carbohydrate verbiage that can be used in labeling and advertising of wine and other spirits. As stated in ruling, "Truthful and specific statements about calorie and carbohydrate content in labeling and advertising of wine, distilled spirits, and malt beverages are authorized".What This Authorization Means In short, it means that wine producers will have new marketing opportunities to pursue. Many wine manufacturers are beginning to market their low-carbohydrate products as healthy and fitting perfectly into a low carb diet. As example, Brown-Forman recently jumped on low-carb bandwagon with two new and innovative products: One.6 Chardonnay and One.9 Merlot. They are branding and communicating names One.6 and One.9 to highlight respective carb count of wines. One.9 Merlot has 1.9 carbs and One.6 Chardonnay has 1.6 carbs per five-ounce glass. What Caused It? A handful of companies had already started making low carbohydrate claims in advertisements and labels. The Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau was concerned about possible advertising misrepresentation and implying that consumption of "low-carbohydrate" wines or spirits may play a healthy role in a weight maintenance or weight reduction plan.
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