Low Gi Bread - For a healther outlook

The glycaemic index (Gi) is a method of ranking foods on a scale of 1 to 100 according to the extent to which foods raise blood glucose levels after ingestion. A high Gi level is 70 and over, a low Gi under 56.

Carbohydrate foods that break down quickly during digestion have the highest Gi values - their blood glucose response is fast and high.

Carbohydrates which break down slowly, releasing glucose gradually into the bloodstream, have low Gi factors. These are known as good carbohydrates and form the basis of a low Gi diet.

Carbohydrates with a high Gi (70-100) include corn flakes (90), puffed wheat (75), bagels (72), and white bread (70), while Percy Ingle Low Gi Multiseed Bread (54), wholemeal pasta (45) and wholemeal pasta with tomato sauce and olive oil (35) are examples of low Gi foods.

If you want to lose weight, eat a low Gi diet but also count the calories. Low Gi diets will stop you feeling hungry as quickly as you might on other diets.

Switching from ordinary bread to low Gi bread helps reduce the risk of chronic disease and developing type 2 diabetes.

That is the message of new scientific research, published by Oxford Brookes University.

The research also recommends low Gi bread for consumers who want sustainable weight loss - is the work of Professor CJK Henry, of the Nutrition and Food Science Group, part of the School of Life Sciences at the university.

Professor Henry set out to measure the effect a switch from standard white bread to low Gi bread would have on blood glucose levels.

Ten subjects were fed exactly the same diet over a two day period with just one change - standard white bread on one day and low Gi bread on the other. The low Gi diet resulted in a lower blood glucose response than the high Gi diet.

Professor Henry says:

"The results demonstrate how a very simple dietary change can favourably alter blood glucose concentration. Such small modifications to diet, if adopted in the long term, could improve glucose control and consequently reduce the risk of chronic disease."

Research from leading UK universities into the impact following a Low Gi diet can have, suggests that foods with a low Gi help people control their blood sugar levels and may contribute to weight loss.

A low Gi diet not only involves eating carbohydrates such as fruit, vegetables and cereals, it promotes slowly digested carbohydrates such as rye bread, oats and wholemeal pasta that provide a slow, sustained release of energy. These products have a Gi below 55, are becoming known as "good" carbohydrates.