Eat Wisely, Live Healthy: Low GI Diet Strategy to Maintain Ideal Weight
Milla Nurjanati S,Gz
Nutritionist
“Health is not a destination but a journey. Every food choice and physical activity is a small step toward maintaining an ideal weight”.
Maintaining an ideal weight is not just about maintaining appearance but an investment in long-term health. Plenty of scientific evidence suggests that maintaining a healthy weight can prevent various metabolic diseases, reduce premature deaths, and improve quality of life. Here are the benefits when you are able to maintain your ideal weight [1]:
1. Reduction of Metabolic Disease Risk
Metabolic diseases are a group of health conditions related to imbalanced metabolism in the body. Excessive weight or obesity can increase the risk of various metabolic diseases, such as type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, dyslipidemia, and fatty liver.
2. Improvement in Heart and Blood Vessel Function
When your weight is ideal, the heart and blood vessels do not need to work harder, functioning more efficiently, thereby reducing the risk of cardiovascular diseases.
3. Easing Pressure on Joints
Excess weight puts extra pressure on joints, leading to issues like osteoarthritis. By losing weight, the stress on joints is reduced, helping alleviate discomfort and improve mobility.
4. Enhancement of Quality of Life
Maintaining an ideal weight can bring positive changes in daily life quality. Physical activities become easier, energy levels increase, and self-confidence grows, creating a more positive mental atmosphere.
Can a Low Glycemic Index Diet Maintain an Ideal Body Weight?
Research [2] has shown that adopting a low GI diet can be 50% more effective in eliminating body fat in obese adults compared to a low-fat diet. Additionally, other research [3] shows that overweight or obese people on low GI diet lost more weight and had more improvement in lipid profiles. Body mass, total fat mass, body mass index, total cholesterol and LDL-cholesterol all decreased significantly more in the low GI diet group. Low GI foods help facilitate weight loss in a smart and sustainable manner by:
- Reducing insulin release, which plays a role in fat metabolism
- Weight loss caused by the body burning more fat without reducing muscle mass
- Increasing satiety and delaying hunger due to slower digestion rates
- Reducing appetite
- Assisting in maintaining long-term weight loss, thus reducing the risk of yo-yo dieting.
Tips for Implementing a Low Glycemic Index Diet
- Switch to low GI foods and strive to reduce the total Glycemic Index of your meals. Discover low GI products from YAVA such as Granola Bites with variant Chocolate Vanilla, Chocolate Banana, Coconut Banana and Tropical Fruits. These products contain rolled oats and red rice, which are a low GI complex carbohydrates (54-55), and use lontar sugar as a sweetener. Lontar sugar has a low GI (49-54) and contains many vitamins and minerals like potassium, zinc, iron, and vitamins B1, B2, B3, and B6.
Similarly, YAVA Wild Harvested Cashew also have a low GI. Cashew nuts have a GI score of 15. So, there's no need to hesitate in consuming YAVA every day.
- Apply the "What’s on My Plate" guidance from the Ministry of Health (Kemenkes); Plate My Plate 'Y' for normal nutritional status. However, if you are obese, apply Plate My Plate 'T', where half the plate contains vegetables, a quarter contains low GI carbohydrates, and the remaining quarter is filled with low-fat protein.
- Distribute carbohydrate intake evenly across three main meals throughout the day. Eating small, regular portions can help maintain energy levels, manage appetite, and keep blood glucose levels stable.
- Exercise regularly, aiming for at least 30-60 minutes of moderate exercise every day. Weight-bearing exercises like walking also help strengthen bones and muscles, aiding in more efficient fat burning.
Find delicious and healthy breakfast products from YAVA at your favorite online store.
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