Glycemic index is a useful tool that we can use to control our diet. It was first introduced to help people with diabetes, but can help all those who want to avoid diabetes, high blood pressure, heart problems and have a healthy diet. While there are no studies confirming that low-GI diet leads to substantial weight loss, combining knowledge about the glycemic index of certain foods with everything that we already know about fats, carbs and protein can improve your diet significantly.

Glycemic index ranks all foods based on how much they raise blood sugar level. In this rank, glucose is given 100.

1. High-GI foods rank 70 or higher and include white bread, potatoes, white rice, sodas, crackers (all familiar, huh?).
2. Medium-GI products score from 59 to 69, these include grapes, bananas, spaghetti, corn and others.
3. And low-GI foods that rank 55 and lower are most fruits, oatmeal, peas, carrots, etc. You can find the full list online.

What should you do with this list?

• Include more carbs with a low glycemic index in your diet and cut down on high-GI foods. It's not as simple as it sounds. Try to add low-GI products to any meal.
• Additionally, if you are thinking about buying a low-GI food, check out how much fat it contains – in most cases it would be better to choose a higher-GI equivalent but with less fat and more protein.