The Montignac Method

Par Recettes Diabète et bien être | 7 décembre 2021

Ig Bas cuisine is becoming more and more trendy: fewer sugars, well-chosen carbohydrates for a better dietary balance according to their Glycemic Index.

But did you know that the Montignac method has been applying this for 35 years!

I first became interested in it for my diabetic readers but also for all those who do a Detox Sugar or Low GI diet to lose weight, for their health or simply to have a healthy diet.

I interviewed Sybille PARIGNY-MONTIGNAC, dietician and daughter of the creator of the method. :

Sybil PARIGNY-MONTIGNAC

A bit of history... how did the Montignac method come about

The Montignac method was born in the mid-80s, so more than 35 years ago!

During a business trip to the US, Michel Montignac, who was overweight at the time, was challenged by studies published in the 1970s by Crapo, a diabetology researcher at Stanford University in California.

These studies showed (for the first time) that not all carbohydrates were equal and that depending on their nature, they could have a very different effect on blood sugar levels, regardless of whether the carbohydrate was simple or complex.

Knowing that 85% of type 2 diabetics are overweight (or obese), Michel set out to follow this diet by excluding all the bad carbohydrates that have a negative effect on the blood sugar levels of diabetics: he lost 16 kg in 3 months, without calorie restriction and without any frustration.

So he continued his research in this direction and discovered that, in conjunction with Crapo's work, a Canadian researcher, Jenkins, had developed a system to measure the amplitude of each carbohydrate: the glycemic index.

It was at this time that Michel developed an original and unprecedented weight loss method: the Montignac method, which is the first in the world, to integrate the concept of the glycemic index.

What are the principles of this method (GP, LG...) and can you practice it alone?

The Montignac method is based on the principle that it is the quality of nutrients that matters much more than their quantity. She learns to make the right choices in every major food family:

We favor low and medium GI carbohydrates

We promote good fats

We give pride of place to the proteins that we prefer associated with good fats and we limit those that demand too much insulin.

The Montignac method includes 2 phases: the first in which certain associations will have to be privileged to be sure to direct the energy of the meal towards destocking (to the detriment of storage). This first phase will also allow the pancreas to be rehabilitated via its insulin response. The second will be much more flexible with gap management as the main rule.

At first, even if it is possible to practice it alone, it is recommended that you get help (via online coaching or consultations for example) because some notions are a little more difficult to understand than the theory of calories that we are used to.

You may have to say that it is a weight loss diet, but is it not simply a way to eat more balanced and reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes

No nutrients are removed in the Montignac method, so it is neither a restrictive diet nor a dissociated diet. In addition, and since you can eat anything, it is very easy to make gourmet recipes (both sweet and savory) and therefore not to be frustrated, which makes it easy to maintain your new good eating habits.

While this method allows you to lose weight, it also reduces the risk of metabolic diseases such as diabetes.

It is therefore in fact above all a question of rebalancing food with sensible nutritional habits that you will have to keep throughout your life to feel all the benefits: a stabilized weight, improved biological values, good satiety, better sleep, super transit, less inflammation and a hell of a peach are a non-exhaustive list of all the positive points reported for more than 30 years by all the followers of the Montignac method.

The glycemic index is therefore at the heart of the method and we immediately think about the treatment of different diabetes. What is the interest and what advice depending on the type

- T1 diabetes (and how to adapt one's insulin intake): Experience has shown that by limiting the glycemic incidence by consuming carbohydrates with low GI, the dosage of insulin to be injected is not only reduced but also easier to calculate.

The other advantage of following the principles of the Montignac method is to prevent hypoglycemia, some of which can be very serious (diabetic coma).

- T2 diabetes: Functional cause of T2 diabetes, hyperinsulinism is then complicated by insulin resistance. If applied quickly enough, phase 1 of the Montignac method avoids this insulin resistance.

Since following the method associated with a hypoglycemic drug (metformin for example) can lead to hypoglycaemia, the patient will be required, under the supervision of the physician, to reduce the dosage of his medication.

- Gestational diabetes: following the Montignac method helps to limit the weight gain of pregnant women and avoid having to resort to insulin.

As a general rule, the nutritional balance offered by the Montignac Method can also help prevent the vascular complications of diabetes, which make it so serious.

One of the current trends is a diet reduced in sugar, healthy and low GI - Montignac has been doing this for over 30 years! IG Bas products are becoming more and more accessible. What are your future evolutions?

We are indeed the pioneers in terms of low GI and we hope to be able to continue to advocate this concept even more to everyone. It is indeed by changing messages and received ideas that we will be able to improve the health of as many people as possible.

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