What Is a Low-Glycemic Diet with High-Protein?

Written by Josephine, M.Sc. Nutrition and Food Science

What is the Glycemic Index?

The glycemic index (GI) is a valuable tool for evaluating foods based on their influence on blood sugar levels (1). This system was developed in the early 1980s by Dr. David Jenkins, a distinguished Canadian professor (2).

The GI ranks foods according to how they affect blood sugar levels compared to the absorption of 50 grams of pure glucose, which serves as a reference point with a GI value of 100. The GI is divided into three categories:

Low GI: 55 or lower
Medium GI foods: 56–69
High GI foods: 70 or higher

Not all foods elevate your blood sugar and insulin levels equally. Whether those levels increase a little or a lot depends on the glycemic index (GI) of the food you consume.

The lower the GI, the less your blood sugar will rise. Lean meats, fish, low-fat dairy products, vegetables, legumes (beans, peas, and lentils), and whole grains are a good choice. When it comes to fruits, certain fruits are better than others. Berries and apples, for instance, have a lower glycemic index than watermelon or pineapple.

Additionally, please keep in mind that there are different types of carbohydrates. Complex carbohydrates (such as whole grain bread, whole wheat pasta, quinoa or brown rice) provide calories, vitamins, minerals, and fiber. Foods that are high in processed, refined simple sugars, like candy, soda, syrups, provide so-called “empty” calories, as they contain very little nutrition.

Most non-starchy vegetables are excellent at any time. Fruit is also a source of fiber but comes with its own natural sugars. For this reason, berries and melons are favored for weight loss diets as they have a lower GI. You can still enjoy other fruits in lesser portions or fewer servings throughout the day.

Eating meals with a lower glycemic index reduces blood sugar spikes, which trigger the release of insulin, leading to fat storage and weight gain. If you are overweight, eating LGHP is a superb start to a healthier life.

It is wise to limit these sugars. In general, foods that have a GI that is below 55 should be preferred.

Glycemic Index vs. Glycemic Load

The GI alone doesn't provide a complete picture of how food affects blood sugar.

To gain a comprehensive understanding, you need to consider both the speed of glucose entry into the bloodstream and the total glucose delivered per serving, which is measured by the glycemic load (GL) (1).

For example, watermelon is a high GI food with a GI of 72, but its low carbohydrate content results in a glycemic load of just 5, giving you a more accurate assessment of its real impact on blood sugar (3).

The Benefits of a Low Glycemic Index Diets

The glycemic index holds significant implications for both weight control and overall health. Incorporating a low GI diet into your lifestyle can be a game-changer. Such a dietary approach not only help you lose weight by promoting a feeling of fullness and stabilizing blood sugar levels but also contributes to long-term health benefits (4).

Incorporating high-quality protein into a low GI diet is crucial when aiming to lose weight. Low glycemic foods that are high in protein help curb cravings, increase feelings of fullness, boost metabolism, and facilitate fat burning (4). Additionally, high-quality proteins are essential for preserving lean muscle mass while reducing body weight. This is critical because maintaining muscle mass not only supports a higher metabolism but also ensures that the majority of weight loss comes from fat rather than muscle tissue (5).

Therefore, by combining a low GI diet with high-quality protein sources, you create a winning strategy to effectively lose weight that prioritizes both satiety and muscle preservation (4,5).

Weight loss trends will vary throughout the years, but some things don’t change. The human body remains pretty much the same according to nutritional needs and what helps it function at peak performance.

What Could You Gain From a Low-Glycemic High-Protein Diet?

Better management of blood sugar levels
Resetting of the appetite and reducing hunger cravings
Lowering the risk of heart disease and type 2 diabetes
Weight loss supported by quicker burning of stored fat
Healthy weight maintenance
Improved energy levels
Feelings of overall improved health

High Protein Diet for Weight Loss

What is a High Protein Diet?

Protein is critical for lean muscle (note: your heart is all muscle) and if you’re eating lean meats, poultry, seafood, eggs, and low-fat dairy every day, you’re probably doing well.

However, the effects of some protein sources can raise cholesterol, and eating too much can strain the kidneys. For healthy-heart reasons, you may want to limit fatty cuts of meat and whole dairy products that are not fat reduced.

A well-thought-out vegetarian or vegan diet can also provide all your protein needs. Nuts, seeds, and legumes such as beans, lentils, peas, and peanuts are true protein superfoods and great to include with every meal. They’re high in protein and fiber, low in fat and have no cholesterol.

Soy foods such as tofu, tempeh, and edamame are among the most nutritious food items ever. The highest quality of non-GMO soy is one of the primary protein sources of the Almased LGHP nutritional meal supplement.

The Almased powder is used most often as a meal replacement for quick weight loss results. Check out the Bikini-Emergency-Plan for details.

But Almased can also be used as a healthy nutritional supplement in addition to your regular sensible meals. Almased offers many LGHP-friendly meal and delicious shake recipes.

Weight Loss

Low glycemic foods play a pivotal role in achieving weight loss goals. Low glycemic diets lead to a gradual and steady increase in blood glucose levels. While you can go on a low carbohydrate diet to achieve the same outcomes, you can be more effective when you choose low GI foods. This, in turn, prompts a mild and sustained release of insulin. These small insulin increments not only help keep you feeling full and energized for an extended period after eating but also help to promote fat loss, making it a valuable strategy for losing weight and avoiding weight gain (6).

Non-Medicinal Alternative Approaches in Blood Sugar Management

The main causes for type-2-diabetes are a diet that is too high in calories, overweight and lack of exercise. The lifestyle disease has reached pandemic levels worldwide. But even though the news often comes as a shock for people affected by it: Being diagnosed with type-2-diabetes is a call to action. Many diabetes therapies are based on approaches that include medication. However, a targeted lifestyle change can help patients achieve a significant improvement. Part of this lifestyle intervention is losing excess weight.

Losing weight is tough for anybody, but it can be especially challenging for those of us who struggle with maintaining healthy blood sugar levels. That is because a balanced blood sugar level is key when trying to lose weight. Balanced blood sugar levels result in a lower insulin level, which in turn helps the body burn more fat. It also helps to avoid cravings and hunger-pangs, making it easier to stick to the diet. If blood sugar levels are out of whack, even with proper diet and exercise, weight loss can be difficult.

One of the best ways to support your blood sugar levels and end the struggle with those unwanted pounds is to consume foods that are high in protein, low in carbs and have a low glycemic index. Almased is a unique dietary supplement with an ideal 2:1 protein and carb ratio and a low glycemic index of 27. The diabetic-friendly formula supports healthy blood sugar levels and helps even those of us who have had difficulties in the past can finally reach the weight they have always wanted.

A targeted lifestyle intervention to support blood sugar levels does not have to be difficult. Almased is the intelligent solution to achieve the necessary changes quicker and easier and to fight excess weight.

Diabetes Management

A low glycemic diet high in protein offers a promising approach to managing diabetes effectively and achieving better blood sugar control. By incorporating this dietary strategy into your diabetes management plan, you can reap many benefits. Such a diet helps stabilize blood sugar levels, reducing the risk of complications and promoting better overall health. With the power of a low glycemic diet, you can take control of your diabetes management, enhance your well-being, and enjoy a healthier life. Explore the transformative potential of this dietary approach and its positive impact on your blood sugar level (7).

Sugar – How Sweet It Isn’t

In the 1960s, the famous comedian Jackie Gleason made this line famous — “How sweet it is!”

But what’s not sweet is this: The average American consumes 152 pounds of sugar every year, which is more than 50 billion pounds! To put this in perspective, 200 years ago Americans only ate 6.3 pounds of sugar a year.

While the menu from the 1800s was not perfect — as it had heaping portions of meat and very few veggies — at least we know it wasn’t packed with refined sugars, high-fructose corn syrup, hydrogenated fats, gums, starches and artificial ingredients.

There’s no doubt that the U.S. diet — robbed by modern processing of many of its minerals, vitamins and live enzymes — has gone way off track, and with it, so has our health.

While no food can compensate for all of the modern world’s dietary short-falls, there is one powerful thing you can add to your diet daily to help rebalance the scales: It’s Almased, the low-glycemic, high-protein meal replacement and food supplement that you drink as a shake.

Excess Sugar: The Root Cause of So Many Diseases Today

Today, food manufacturers add monstrous levels of sugar to up to 74 percent of all prepared foods!

Although we do need a little sugar in our diet — since our cells and brain need glucose for energy — the issue is that the U.S. diet is like one giant sugar tsunami.

This is particularly bad because excess sugar is one of the drivers of diseases like obesity, heart disease, type 2 diabetes and even cancer.

One of the big ways that sugar overconsumption contributes to these diseases is because too much sugar causes insulin resistance.

Insulin Resistance: When the Body Fights Back

Insulin — a hormone produced in the pancreas in response to glucose — is a key that unlocks our cells, allowing glucose that’s in the bloodstream to enter, be utilized for energy and to fuel our metabolism.

What’s called insulin resistance can develop, over time, when our bodies get overwhelmed with too much sugar, causing our cells to go into defense mode and to ignore insulin’s unlock “requests,” which sends our blood sugar levels soaring.

Worse yet, insulin resistance can bring on metabolic syndrome, pre-diabetes and type 2 diabetes.

What Happens When We Eat Low in Sugar, High in Protein?

When you make a diet change that goes low in sugar, the first thing you may notice are sugar cravings. That’s your brain arguing for its habitual reward, not a genuine need for food.

What happens next is more interesting. You’ll likely notice a more positive mood, abundant energy, and other rewards of a low glycemic, high protein (LGHP) diet, such as:

Better management of blood sugar levels
Lowering the risk of heart disease and type 2 diabetes
Resetting of the appetite and reducing cravings
Greater mental clarity
Increased sense of well-being and overall health
A desire for increased activity
Weight loss and burn-off of stored body fat

These are impressive benefits that all of us would like to experience. What goes on inside our bodies that make this possible?

By consuming low sugar, or low glycemic index (low GI) foods, your body experiences a more gradual and more moderate rise in blood sugar levels. High GI values cause a sharp, more sudden rise and fall of sugar levels.

When blood sugar rises rapidly, a breakdown in normal metabolism may be indicated. Sudden blood sugar spikes can cause lethargy and hunger and may point to a need for weight loss.

Over time, this can lead to type 2 diabetes, blood vessel damage, and its many complications. The organs most at risk include the heart, brain, eyes, nerves, and kidneys.

Why wouldn’t everyone choose to be healthier and feel better by eating a low GI diet? Sometimes, the fear of hunger or cravings holds us back from trying to improve an overweight issue or a less than healthy lifestyle.

We don’t want to say “no” to ourselves.

But cravings are temporary, and you can combat those pesky pangs quickly. For starters, offer yourself a full, healthy meal when those munchies first call. Chances are, you won’t really want it because you’re not truly hungry, and you’ll soon tune in to realize the difference.

Other adulting tips include:

Drink a full glass of water.
Artificial sweeteners may prompt cravings. Avoid those and other triggers, too, such as window shopping the bakery section of the grocery store.
Keep your mind focused on other things. Take a walk, call a friend.
When you need a sweet, eat a piece of fruit. It's all-natural and adds nutrition and fiber as well.
Don’t get too hungry. Eat when you need to and eat healthily.
Eat a high protein food. Keep healthy protein snacks at hand – nuts, edamame, turkey, tuna, a boiled egg.

Mix up an Almased nutritional shake to combat hunger and cravings. The formula is low GI (27), high protein (27g), and has been shown to increase the body’s metabolism and feelings of satiety.

Cholesterol Levels

Studies have demonstrated that low GI diets can lead to healthy cholesterol levels. For instance, one study revealed a reduction of 9.6% in total cholesterol levels and an 8.6% decrease in LDL (bad) cholesterol, which is closely linked to an elevated risk of heart disease and stroke (8).

Blood Pressure

A new review underscores the positive impact of a low glycemic diet that is rich in low GI foods on healthy blood pressure, thereby contributing to a decreased risk of heart disease (9).

Healthy Heart

Recent research has established a strong connection between high GI and high glycemic load (GL) diets and an increased risk of cardiovascular disease and heart disease.

These findings underscore the potential of incorporating a low glycemic diet with high-quality protein sources. By starting a low GI diets, you can create a winning combination that supports losing weight while prioritizing your health. Discover how this powerful strategy can transform your journey toward a healthier, more balanced life (10).

Food Groups With a Low Dietary Glycemic Index

Here's a list of good groups and examples of low GI foods and low GI carbs that are great options if you're considering a low glycemic index diet. Eat foods on this list with a low GI value to help lower your carbohydrate intake overall.

Almased: Almased has a low GI and glycemic load.

Bread Options: Whole grain bread, multigrain bread, rye bread, Sourdough Bread

Breakfast Cereals: Steel cut oats, Bran flakes

Variety of Fruits: Apples, Strawberries, Apricots, Peaches, Plums, Pears, Kiwi, Tomatoes and more

Assorted Vegetables: Raw Carrots, Broccoli, Cauliflower, Celery, Zucchini, Green beans and more

Starchy Vegetables: Sweet potatoes, Corn, Yams, Winter squash

Legumes Selection: Lentils, Chickpeas, Black beans, Kidney beans and more

Pasta and Noodles: Pasta, Soba noodles, Rice noodles, lentil noodles

Varieties of Rice: Basmati Rice, Long grain, Brown Rice

A Range of Grains: Quinoa, Barley, Pearl couscous, Buckwheat, Freekeh, Semolina

Low-fat Dairy and Dairy Alternatives: Milk, Cheese, Yogurt, Coconut milk, Soy milk, Almond milk and Oat milk

High GI Foods

Avoid high GI foods to support blood sugar control. If you do choose to have these options, pair them with high sources of protein, fiber or healthy fats like olive oil to help you maintain a low GI diet. For example, complementing beans and legumes with white rice can help you achieve a lower GI meal than eating white rice alone.

Bread Options: White bread, rice crackers

Breakfast Cereals: Corn flakes, instant oatmeal, sugared cereals, raisin bran cereal

Beverages: Fruit juice, soda

Sweets and Candy: Chocolate, cookies, cake, ice cream

Rice: White rice, rice cakes

Grains: White Pasta

Dairy: Sweetened and Flavored Yogurt, Chocolate Milk

Low Glycemic High Protein Food

Many protein-rich foods, such as lean meats, fish, and eggs, are naturally low in carbohydrates and have a low glycemic index. This means they have a minimal impact on blood sugar levels, contributing to the goals of low glycemic diets.

Incorporating a range of protein sources into your healthy diet is key to a balanced and nutritious eating plan. These sources can include fish, poultry, eggs, lean red meat, as well as plant-based proteins like beans and lentils. Plant-based proteins are especially recommended as they not only provide high-quality protein but also offer complex carbs and dietary fiber, which contributes to improved gut health.

Maintaining a balanced gut microbiome is essential for overall health, as an imbalance in gut bacteria, associated with conditions such as obesity, type 2 diabetes, and even mental health concerns like depression and dementia, underscores the significant role of gut health in our well-being (11, 12).

Incorporating complex carbohydrates that have a lower GI index with dietary fiber and protein-rich nutritious foods into your healthy diet can help you achieve stable blood sugar levels while promoting satiety, muscle preservation and support overall health.

Effects of a High Protein Diet

When it comes to building and keeping muscle mass, eating high protein foods is the way to go, and most everyone knows it. But did you know that by the age of 60, many adults lose about 30% of their muscle mass?

The more muscle you have, the more calories you burn, and less fat gets stored in the body. So, when you lose muscle mass through the aging process, your body doesn’t burn as many calories: the result - more belly fat.

Almased and a high protein diet plan works to reduce the production of the hunger hormones ghrelin and leptin. These two hormones play a significant role in energy balance and appetite suppression, leading to a natural reduction in calorie intake, and therefore, weight loss.

High protein diets sourced from red meat and full-fat dairy products add to cholesterol levels, which may increase the risk of heart disease.

Wise protein choices include soy protein, kidney, and black beans, lentils, nuts, fish, lean beef, poultry, and pork, and low-fat dairy. The Almased Weight Loss Phenomenon™ is an excellent source of mainly non-GMO soy protein and part-skim milk yogurt.

The unique fermentation method and all-natural combination of plant-based protein, cultured yogurt, and enzyme-rich, raw honey – make Almased the best choice for a healthy LGHP meal replacement, weight loss, and weight management.

Scientific studies have shown that the Almased LGHP meal shake:

Supports healthy blood sugar levels
Reduced the release of appetite hormones ghrelin and leptin
Reduced hunger pangs
Increased feelings of satiety
Optimized fat-burning

Say “yes” to healthy changes. Say “yes” to Almased.

Aim for More Protein and Amino Acids

A 2020 study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition showed that protein-rich Almased can help people lose more weight and burn more calories than with regular diets.

Researchers at the University of Alberta wanted to see if a high-protein low-glycemic diet could ramp up metabolism. They carried out a randomized controlled study in healthy, normal-weight adults.

One group took Almased in place of meals; the other group ate a standard North American diet. The results? The Almased group experienced increased thermogenesis, better absorption of nutrients, enhanced fat burning, improved appetite and use of carbs, and a reduced tendency to gain fat.

The authors of this study said this shows that “a calorie is not just a calorie.” They meant that a high-protein low-glycemic diet, one with the same number of calories as a regular diet, can offer more benefits for energy metabolism, fat burning and weight loss.

This new research validates the results of a 2018 study, which showed that Almased can help the body lose weight and burn more fat, all with less effort — that Almased, they said, provides a “metabolic advantage” compared to a regular diet.

Not only that, but a unique fermentation process is used to craft Almased. This process, which includes active enzymes, unlocks the full powers of the non-GMO soy, honey and yogurt in Almased, allowing powerful health-promoting bioactive peptides to be released.

Topline, we need more high-quality protein on our plates and in our cups from different sources and much less refined sugars, high-fructose corn syrup, sodas, sweetened juices, refined carbs, deep-fried foods, and partially hydrogenated (trans) fats.

Almased: A Convenient Way to Low Glycemic High Protein Diet

Almased offers a unique approach to nutrition, combining the benefits of a low glycaemic index and high-quality protein. By combining honey with soy and yogurt, Almased has a low GI of 27 and a low glycemic load of 3.6, causing a slow and balanced increase in blood sugar levels. Thanks to its unique manufacturing process, Almased has a lower glycemic index than the individual ingredients alone, making it an excellent choice for a low GI diet.

What sets Almased apart is not only its lower GI properties which emit a low glycemic response in the body but also its exceptional protein quality. Almased combines plant-based and animal-based proteins, providing all essential amino acids in the optimal ratio. With over 25g of protein per shake, Almased ensures your body receives an optimal protein supply.

Preparing a nutritious meal often entails time-consuming steps, from grocery shopping to cooking and cleanup. Almased simplifies this process by providing a quick and easy solution. In a matter of minutes, you can have a wholesome shake that not only supports balanced blood sugar levels but also offers the potential health benefits of top-notch protein.

To improve your weight and your health and maintain your blood sugar and insulin levels:

Eat more vegetables and fruits.
Eat more legumes (beans, lentils, and dried peas).
Eat more lean protein (low-fat dairy, lean meat, fish, tofu)
Make at least half your grains whole, e.g., brown rice, bulgur, whole wheat bread.

Have an Almased shake daily as part of a healthy diet!

What Can You Expect From Almased?

Naturally increased metabolism
Increased overall energy levels without stimulants
Improved mood and a general sense of well-being
Supported healthy blood sugar levels
Promoting fat loss while protecting against muscle loss
Burning of stored body fat for energy
Reduced hunger and an end to cravings
Greater satiety, making it easier to stick with new eating habits
Improved quality of sleep

Drinking your favorite shake every day is a fun way to lose or maintain a healthy weight without hunger. Check out the science that backs the claims, then check out the success stories of the Almased Superstars...

And then, check out the Almased experience yourself!

Your Low Glycemic Diet with Almased

For weight loss or to achieve your healthy body weight, replace 1-3 meals daily with an Almased shake according to each phase in the Almased Diet Plan. Almased's Diet Plan can have a direct positive impact on dietary factors like what you eat, how much you eat, and how often you eat.

How to Make Almased Shakes

Mix 8 Tbsp of high protein low glycemic Almased with 1.5 cups of water or low carbohydrate plant-based milk like unsweetened almond milk. Add berries, cocoa powder, cinnamon or ice coffee to your shake.

How much Almased do I need?

If you are taller than 62 inches, you will need 10 tablespoons of Almased or more. Follow Almased's portion guide to make sure you're getting an optimal intake of all the nutrients necessary to help your metabolism function at its best and for you to feel satisfied for longer.