I’ve looked at an awful lot of diets. And many of them have been just that – awful. Low carb, ultra-low calorie, liquid – you name it, I’ve looked at it. Most of these type of diets make you as miserable as hell in the short term and fatter than when you started in the long term.

So it was immensely refreshing, not to say inspiring to come across the GI Diet, which does not promise superfast fat loss, but slow, steady weight reduction with sensible advice and recipes to help you make healthier food choices. We’re talking about a lifestyle change here; the GI Diet principles will govern the way you eat for the rest of your life.

The diet is based on the Glycemic Index – an idea developed in Toronto, Canada to help diabetics control their blood sugar levels. The Index works on the basis of how quickly certain foods are digested and absorbed by the body and broken down into glycogen to be used as fuel to keep you moving, thinking and functioning correctly.

The faster your food is absorbed, the quicker the energy is released – a spike in your blood sugar levels which gives you a quick burst of energy. But soon that energy is gone, and you need to eat more to produce more energy. That’s why you soon feel hungry again after, say, a processed bread sandwich lunch. Or a burger. This type of food is classed as high on the GI index. Moderate GI would be baked potato (better) and low would be wholegrain bread with tuna and salad (excellent!).

These latter would be absorbed slowly, giving long-lasting energy to see you through until dinner. And it’s no surprise that the moderate and low GI examples given are much lower in fat and calories and much better for you than the high GI option. It is also true that lower GI options are less likely to be stored as fat by the body, but used as fuel.

The GI index refers to carbohydrates only. This covers fruit and vegetables, bread, pasta, rice and other grains. The GI Diet works by giving you a list of products that we all use on a daily basis. These are coded as red (high GI – avoid if possible); amber (medium GI – better, but not too often) and green (low GI – eat on a daily basis).

There are plenty of recipe ideas – the GI rating of foods change when protein and fat is added, but common sense will tell you what’s a good option and what isn’t. For example, chocolate is low GI, but I don’t recommend you base your meals around it if you want to lose weight!

I would recommend the GI Diet or any of the glycemic index diets to anyone wanting to cut down on processed and fast food, lose weight and live a more healthy lifestyle. And you certainly won’t feel hungry – eating regularly is very important, and so is doing some exercise on a daily basis. Follow these principles and you should see a change within a month – and you’re bound to feel much better, with more energy and added vitality.

I’m Carol J Bartram and I hold qualifications in Personal Training, Nutrition and Pilates.I believe that a healthy lifestyle is a balance of exercise, sensible eating and some relaxation - Work, Eat and Play! If you would like to learn how to fit all these into a hectic schedule, please visit my website Natural Weight Loss.

If you would like to read more about the GI Diet then please follow this link Glycemic Index Diets.