Meri Reffetto

Following a low-glycemic diet for weight loss isn't about deprivation; it's about making better choices and swapping high-glycemic foods for ones that have a lower glycemic index or glycemic load. Once you get the hang of figuring out which foods are the best choices, you can easily shop, cook, and snack the low-glycemic way.

The glycemic index and glycemic load are all about choosing carbohydrate-containing foods wisely and putting them to work for you. These recipes are a good start to eating the low-glycemic way, which results in weight loss, more energy, and better health!Lemon Chicken Salad©Brent Hofacker/Shutterstock.com Chicken salad is a great low-glycemic lunch or dinner that you can pair with a tossed green salad, a slice of sourdough bread or some rye crackers.

Selecting low-glycemic foods rather than high-glycemic ones is always a good tactic for weight loss. As you begin to make some changes it can feel overwhelming, but your best bet is to take just a few steps forward by making small changes.Eat rice wisely.Choose the types of rice that offer a lower-glycemic load like brown rice, Uncle Ben’s converted white rice, or (if you can find it) Bangladesh rice.

Plenty of myths are floating around about the glycemic index these days. It seems like just about everyone knows something about it and is happy to tell you which foods to eat as well as which high-glycemic foods to avoid. The truth is that measuring the glycemic effect of foods is a highly precise and scientific process that requires specific testing.

If you want to keep your body working at peak performance to ensure an increased metabolism, improved health, and success with long-term weight loss, then you need to make the foods you eat work for you. In other words, aim to get the most nutritional bang for each bite. Choosing lots of fruits and vegetables Two food groups are generally safe to eat in greater amounts when you want to lose weight: vegetables and fruits.

The glycemic index is a scientific way of looking at how the carbohydrates in foods affect blood glucose, or blood sugar, levels. Scientists know that all carbohydrates raise blood sugar, but the glycemic index takes this understanding one step further by figuring out how much a specific food raises blood sugar.

Snacking can be an important strategy for regulating blood sugar levels. Just make sure the snacks you choose are healthy and have a low-glycemic load. Keep several of these low-glycemic snacks on hand and you won't find yourself munching on popcorn or crackers. Low-fat yogurt with a sprinkle of chopped nuts

Eating a low-glycemic diet can help in the fight against heart disease. Heart disease takes many different forms, all of which affect the heart in different ways. The one common thread? If serious enough, any form of heart disease can interfere with your heart's life-sustaining pumping. One example of how the low-glycemic approach can help heart health relates to triglycerides.

Fiber is an excellent weight-loss tool — in fact, it's one of the most important weapons in your weight-loss arsenal. When you chow down on foods that are low-glycemic and high in fiber, you're getting the best of both worlds. What the low-glycemic/high-fiber combo can do for you Choosing foods that are low-glycemic and high in fiber is your secret weapon for weight loss.