Lose weight with well known Montignac Diet

The Montignac Diet, created by Michel Montignac, is a diet centered on eating low glycemic index foods.  Michel Montignac was the first person who had the idea of using the Glycemic Index (GI) concept to lose weight. The Glycemic Index (GI) measures how much the blood glucose increases in two or three hours after eating a particular type of food. He first tested the innovative nutritional principles on himself and got rid of over 30 pounds in less than three months.

The theory behind this diet is that the eating style can prevent the release of too much insulin, which is considered the fat storage hormone. High GI carbs are those that spike your blood sugar and prompt more insulin release, whereas low GI carbs are those that produce only small fluctuations in blood sugar and improve your insulin sensitivity. Because low GI carbs slowly trickle glucose into your bloodstream, you also stay fuller between meals and have more balanced energy levels.

Besides the low GI foods rule, the diet is also based on combining certain types of food. Combinations of carbohydrates and lipids in the same meal are not allowed. For example, a meal might consist of meat and salad, or wholegrain pasta and salad.

Foods are categorized in the diet as carbohydrates (good and bad), protein-lipids (meat, dairy, and oils), carbohydrate-lipids (nuts, avocados, and offal), and fibre (vegetables and whole grains).

There are two phases in the Montignac Diet. The aim of the first phase is to get rid of excess pounds and to stabilise the production of insulin.  During Phase 1, dedicated to the weight loss, only foods with a GI index of 35 or lower are allowed. The list is pretty restrictive; you can eat vegetables like lettuce, broccoli, cucumbers, zucchini, cauliflower, in addition to lean proteins like fish, poultry and legumes. The protein intake is 1.3–1.5 grams per kg of body weight. Fruits, which are classified as good carbohydrates, must be eaten alone, not with or close to any other meal.

List of low GI foods:

• GI 35: oranges, nectarines, celery, quince, pomegranate, tomato juice,  yeast, mustard, peach, apples (fresh or stewed), wild rice, sunflower seeds, yogurt;
• GI 30 and under: garlic, carrots, cheese, passion fruit, soy milk, mandarins, clementines, grapefruit (fresh), pears (fresh), soybean meal, cherries, dark chocolate (70% cocoa), berries, artichoke, eggplant, cocoa powder, lemon juice (no sugar), almonds, asparagus, broccoli, peanuts, wheat germ, mushrooms, cauliflower, cabbage, Brussels sprouts, cucumber, pumpkin, red onion, spinach, dill , lettuce etc
• Others: meat (beef, chicken), coffee, tea infusion (without sugar),
  cheese (feta, mozzarella, emmental),  seafood (shrimp, scallops, etc..)

Phase 2 is the maintenance phase. You can include more carbs to your diet in addition to those eaten in Phase 1. This phase uses Montignac’s glycemic outcome, which is a synthesis between glycemic index and pure carbohydrate content and the blood sugar levels which result from the meals. Under these conditions, we can eat whatever carbohydrate we want, even those with high glycemic indexes.

Montignac Diet – advantages:

• Based on glycemic index which is increasingly supported with scientific study.
• Recognizes the benefits of “good” fats over “bad” fats.
• It can reduce the risk of healthy people developing diabetes and other diseases.
• Many foods with a low GI are the ones associated with a healthy diet.
• It allows the consumption of different foods, it doesn’t exclude the favorite dishes.
•  It doesn’t exclude any group of food entirely and it doesn’t involve starvation.

Montignac Diet – disadvantages:

• Some of Montignac’s theories remain unsupported by clinical study.
• Many people find the rules of the diet confusing and difficult to follow.
• Because the carbohydrates consumption is limited, the body may lack some vitamins, fibers and energy.
• A limited consumption of carbohydrates for a long period of time may lead to excessive fatigue, bad breath, headaches.
• This method does not encourage sports as a way to lose weight.