The French Diet is not an other low-calorie Fad Diet. It is a lifestyle and a new enjoyable way to intake food and lose weight. It is not necessary to count calories and to do a lot of active exercises. What you need is to take high quality food in small portion. The French are very particular about what they eat. Their diet contains all fresh whole foods and avoids processed foods, junk foods, and sugary drinks. Natural food is the key to French slim.

     The French diet is a two-phase eating plan that combines the glycemic index (GI) with the theory of food created by Michel Montignac. The main idea of this diet is to consume "good" carbs instead of "bad" and avoid alcohol during Phase 1. You can eat food that have a GI index of 35 or lower. Certain vegetables like lettuce, broccoli, cucumbers, zucchini, cauliflower and others as well as lean proteins like fish, poultry and legumes are allowed during this phase.Phase 2 also limits food choices but the range of permitted foods is much wider. High glycemic index foods are permitable in Phase 2, provided that low glycemic index foods are also eaten during the same meal as compensation.

     The glycemic index (GI) is a way of measuring the effect of a given food on blood glucose levels. The higher the GI, the more of an increase in blood sugar, and the more insulin the body must secrete in order to maintain the proper blood sugar balance. Carbohydrates that break down quickly during digestion and release glucose quickly into the blood have a high GI. The standard American diet consist of high-GI foods, while French diets focus on low-GI foods.

     The usefulness of glycemic load is based on the idea that a high glycemic index food consumed in small quantities would give the same effect as larger quantities of a low glycemic index food on blood sugar. Glycemic Load is the product of the Glycemic Index and the grams of carbohydrate The formula is: GL = (GI x the amount of carbohydrate) divided by 100.

GI and GL for Common Foods
Food	GI	Serving Size	Net Carbs(g)	GL
Fruit Glycemic Load (GL) Table
Grapefruit	25	1/2 large (160 g)	11	4
Pear	33	1 medium (120 g)	13	4
Plum	36	1 cup (150 g)	14	4
Apples	38	1 medium (138 g)	16	6
Strawberries, fresh, raw	40	120 g	3	1
Oranges	48	1 medium (130 g)	12	6
Bananas	52	1 large (130 g)	26	14
Watermelon	72	1 cup (154g)	11	8
Vegetables GL & GI Table
Bean sprouts	25	1 cup (100 g)	4	1
Carrots	47	1 large (72 g)	5	2
Parsnip boiled	53	80 g	8	4
Sweet corn	60	150 g	33	19
Beetroot	64	80 g	7	4
Potato, white with skin, baked	69	150 g	27	19
Sweet potato	70	150g	32	22
Pumpkin boiled	75	80 g	4	3
Potato, white without skin, baked	98	150 g	27	26
Legumes/ Nuts Glycemic Index List
Soya beans dried boiled	15	150 g	6	1
Pinto beans boiled	28	100 g	26	7
Lentil boiled	30	100 g	20	6
Butter bean canned	36	150 g	23	8
Lima beans boiled	42	100 g	20	8
Green pea canned	54	80 g	7	4
Grains/ Pasta Glycemic Index Table
Pearl barley	25	1 cup (180 g)	52	13
Spaghetti	42	1 cup (180 g)	48	20
Macaroni, pain, boiled	48	1 cup (180 g)	49	23
Buckweat	49	1 cup (150 g)	30	15
Brown rise	55	1 cup (180 g)	42	23
White rice	64	1 cup (180 g)	52	32
Bread Glycemic index (GI) Table
Gluten Free White Bread	43	30 g	8	3
Rye bread (50% rye flour + 50% wheat flour)	50	1 slice(30 g)	14	7
Pita bread	57	30 g	17	10
French Baquette	63	30 g	18	10
Buckwheat bread	67	30 g	19	13
Bagel	69	70 g	35	24
White bread	70	1 slice (22 g)	12	9
Sunflower and barley bread	75	30 g	12	8
Breakfast Cereals Glycemic Load (GL) Table
All-Bran™	48	30 g	20	9
Bran cereal	53	30 g	12	5
Frosties™	55	30 g	26	15
Porrige Scottish	57	250 g	24	13
Alpen Muesli	57	30 g	19	11
Shredded Wheat	73	30 g	20	13
Grapenuts	80	30 g	22	16
Cornflakes	82	30 g	25	20
Weetabix™	82	30	22	16
Snacks Glycemic Index List
Nougat	34	30 g	12	4
Apricot and Almond bar	38	30 g	15	5
Brownie	42	50 g	27	11
Corn chips, plain, salted	44	50 g	25	11
Chocolate, milk	46	50 g	28	12
Chocolate, white, Milky Bar	50	50 g	29	13
Milky Way®	68	60 g	42	26