Low GI Diet Tips #2

Following a Low GI Diet doesn’t have to be complicated! And, there’s no need to forever consult low gi food lists, once you come to understand that it’s really just about eating foods as close as possible to their original state in nature, with minimal processing.

Here are a few additional tips to help with a low gi diet lifestyle –

Reduce (or eliminate!) sugary foods!

Do we really need all of those refined sugar laden sweets, soft drinks, fruit drinks, desserts, cakes and biscuits? Probably not! There are many great alternatives so make a conscious effort to make more natural low gi diet choices. Check out the great low gi dessert and low gi snack suggestion on this website, or perhaps you could even invest in a great low gi cookbook.

However, you also need to mindful of all the hidden sugars in foods. Once you start reading more and more product labels, you’ll find refined sugar in just about everything on the supermarket shelves – from canned vegetables, flavoured tuna, savoury biscuits, baked beans … and the list goes on! And if we’re not careful, our daily sugar intake can climb rapidly without even being aware.

Eat small, regular meals

Missing meals is never a good idea! … Your blood sugar levels will fall too low causing fatique, mental … And it definitely won’t help with your weight loss goals either! Your low glycemic diet should start each day with a healthy low gi breakfast for sustained energy. Allow yourself a midmorning low gi snack, a good lunch, a low glycemic mid afternoon snack, and finally a balanced evening meal. It’s better to graze on smaller meals and healthy, low glycemic snacks than to eat three large meals a day. Also avoid the temptation for late evening nibbles that can also be disruptive to sleep.

Go for at least two low glycemic meals each day

Ideally it would be best if all of our meals were low GI, but with our busy lifestyles, together and the availability fast foods and takeaways, causes us to occasionally stray off course with our low gi diet. If we can strive for at least two solid low gi meals each day, we’re at least able to sustain relatively steady blood sugar levels for the most part, and can improve from there. A lifestyle of low gi eating becomes a habit with practice. Begin with a good breakfast and have lots of pre-prepared snacks on hand, and you’re half way there!

A  low gi diet is really very simple, but it does take time to make it a way of life. You’ll feel better, more alive, and more full of energy, making it all worthwhile!

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Low GI Diet – Tips for Eating Out

Low Glycemic On the GO – Everybody loves eating out, and you really wouldn’t want to say “No” to every social occasion, because you’re on a “diet”, but it seems almost impossible to make good low gi food choices when faced with so many options.

Remembering that a low gi diet is a lifestyle choice, rather than a “quick fix”, here are useful suggestions for following a low gi diet lifestyle when you’re eating out.

Low GI Tips For Eating Out:

•    Don’t go when you’re starving – perhaps even eat a small low gi snack before you go out
•    Avoid buffets and “all you can eat” restaurants
•    Limit alcoholic drinks
•    Order foods that have been prepared in a healthy way – steamed, stir fried, lightly roasted
•    If portions are large, split yours with someone else or order an entrée size
•    Be willing to ask for meal substitutions or adjustments – restaurants are becoming more capable of adapting to people’s varied dietary needs, including that of a low gi diet
•    Keep low-glycemic foods in mind and order the best choice available

The following are some low gi diet tips for specific types of restaurants:

Chinese
•    Clear broth soups like hot and sour, egg drop, or wonton are good choices
•    Order traditional dishes that feature smaller portions of lean proteins (meat, chicken, seafood, tofu) stir-fried with lots of assorted vegetables and tasty sauces
•    Avoid overly sweet sauces like sweet & sour, lemon, or plum. Try black bean, oyster or Szechuan instead
•    Avoid fried foods (like spring rolls, dim sims, etc) Order brown rice, if available

Thai
•    Order dishes that combine proteins (meat or tofu) with vegetables
•    Choose curry, chili, basil, lime, and fish sauces
•    Opt for long-grain rice over white rice
•    Try pad thai and other stir-fried noodle dishes, ask for less oil to be used in the preparation

Greek
•    Choose roasted lamb or chicken dishes prepared with lemon and yoghurt
•    Try baked fish and chicken dishes that are healthily prepared
•    Make sure to order Greek salads
•    Avoid the filo-dough, large amounts of feta cheese, and excessive amounts of olive oil

Indian
•    Order healthily prepared legumes, chicken, fish, and vegetables
•    Try the tomato-based sauces and tandoori dishes
•    Choose basmati rice (it’s low gi!) as a side, or in biryanis, and chapati bread
•    Avoid sauces made with large amounts of butter or coconut milk

Italian
•    Choose tomato or marsala sauces
•    Order an entrée sized portion of pasta with a large serving of salad
•    If ordering pizza, choose thin-crust with low-fat cheese and loaded with vegetables
•    Avoid the white bread (high gi!) and cheesy, creamy sauces

Japanese
•    Try miso soup and soy beans (edamame) for starters
•    Choose sushi, sashimi, yakitori, teriyaki, sukiyaki, and grilled dishes
•    Order udon or soba noodles
•    Limit the rice and avoid tempura

French
•    Choose tomato/wine sauces, broth-based soups
•    Look for Mediterranean-style dishes
•    Order broiled, steamed, or poached foods
•    Be sure to order a salad or large serves of vegetables
•    Avoid the bread and high-fat sauces

Mexican
•    Order grilled seafood and chicken dishes: tacos, burritos, fajitas
•    Ask for low-fat cheese, whole-wheat tortillas, and light sour cream
•    Avoid the cheese and refried beans
•    Limit guacamole

See! It’s easier than you think to eat out, eat well and be fully satisfied, when following the lifestyle of a low gi diet.

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Low GI Diet Tips #1

Low GI Diet Tips #1

In order to promote a healthy body from the inside and out, these low glycemic tips and strategies can help you follow the path of a low gi diet lifestyle. They’ll help to increase your intake of healthy carbohydrates, manage your weight and reduce your likelihood of falling prey to ill health.

Eat more fruit and vegetables – 7 serves a day!

Research shows time and time again that a low gi diet, high in fruits and vegetables, will significantly reduce the risk of developing diabetes, heart disease, many cancers and other degenerative diseases – as well as weight loss. Be sure to eat a wide variety of differently coloured fruits and vegetables, so that you’re getting a broad spectrum of nutrients and antioxidants to promote good health. Remember though, to eat the whole fruit, not just the juice! Also, if you have a small amount of protein, like nuts, seeds, yoghurt, etc at the same time as having a piece of fruit, you’ll feel full longer, and reduce the overall glycemic index load of your snack.

Eat more nuts!

Because nuts and seeds are largely protein, they’re also a very low glycemic diet snack. They’re an excellent source of essential fatty acids (EFA’s), which are “essential” for our overall health – everything from diabetes to heart disease, brain function, skin health, hormonal issues … and the list goes on. EFA’s can’t be manufactured by our bodies, so they need to come from our diet. Sadly, many people trying to lose weight have avoided eating nuts because of their high fat content and, in so doing, have missed out on important nutrients that can actually support healthy weight maintenance.

A few nuts daily is all you need. Choose a wide variety of favourites and make sure they’re unroasted, as high temperatures will destroy the essential fatty acids. Add them to salads, breakfasts, enjoy them with fruit, or as a simple snack.

Eat more beans!

Many of us in western countries, don’t eat as many beans and pulses in our diet as our Eastern counterparts. Beans, peas and lentils are low glycemic, nutrient dense, high in protein, and rich in nutrients. Being low gi, add them to soups, stews and salads, or puree them into tasty dips to have with fresh vegetables as a tasty snack.

Eat whole grains instead!

Forget about the super soft, white, fluffy, high glycemic index bread on supermarket shelves. Look for the heavier whole grain varieties, with visible grain and seeds and a low gi. Instead of mashed potatoes, choose brown or basmati rice, and experiment with quinoa, freekah, wild rice – or other ancient grains. There are so many nutrient rich foods that nature provides, that it seems a shame to limit our diets to only a handful of foods to which we’ve become accustomed. The more we look for better choices, the more we’ll find – and enjoy! After all, a low glycemic diet is meant to be easy!

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What is the Glycemic Index?

You may have heard about the Glycemic Index …

but what does it really mean? … and how important is it for your health? … What is a low glycemic diet?
Very simply, the Glycemic Index is a scientific ranking of how the foods we eat affect our blood sugar levels in the 2 or 3 hours after eating. This index is measured against pure glucose, which has a value of 100 on the index.  The index ranges from 0 to 100 with:

0-55  =  Low-GI              56-69  =  Moderate-GI         70-100  =  High-GI

High GI 70-100   Carbohydrates that break down quickly during digestion, release blood sugar rapidly into the bloodstream, and cause marked fluctuations in blood sugar levels.
Medium GI 56-69   Carbohydrates that break down moderately during digestion and release blood sugar moderately into the bloodstream.
Low GI 0-55   Carbohydrates that break down slowly during digestion, release blood sugar gradually into the bloodstream, and keep blood sugar levels steady … and provide you with proven benefits for your health!

Low GI Meals leave you feeling fuller longer, ease food cravings and provide you with greater and more sustained energy levels. If you’re looking to either lose weight, or maintain your existing weight, a low GI diet lifestyle is the perfect option. Also, if you find yourself lethargic, losing concentration, or experiencing mood swings an hour or so after eating, a change to low GI meals may show immediate benefits.

In term of long terms health, Low GI Diets are important to reduce the risk of developing type 2 diabetes or heart disease. However, if you’ve already been diagnosed with diabetes, low GI diets have been shown to improve  both lipid and glucose levels, maintain more stable insulin levels and reduce insulin resistance, which is important in reducing the risk of long term diabetes-related complications.

More and more health benefits associated with choosing a low glycemic index diet are constantly being realised, but the ones we’ve listed are certainly already impressive …

• Control and stabilise your blood sugar levels
• Raise your HDL (“good”) cholesterol
• Lower your LDL (“bad”) cholesterol levels
• Assist you with weight loss
• Manage symptoms of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS)
• Improve your body’s sensitivity to insulin
• Lower your risk of type 2 diabetes
• Lower your risk of heart disease
• Improve your energy levels and general wellbeing

So, to get started, just do your best to avoid high Glycemic foods as much as possible … and simply choose medium or low GI foods wherever you can! It becomes very easy once your understand the basics, and it certainly doesn’t mean that you’ll be forever consulting charts and adding up numbers to succeed. Begin simply, by continuing to learn a little about the glycemic index and you’ll be on your way to a satisfying and tasty low glycemic diet lifestyle.

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Glycemic Index List of Foods

A low glycemic index diet is one of the best ways to look after your health, and lose excess weight effectively and naturally. The weight reduced through a low GI diet approach is safe, and you won’t find yourself needing to starve on just carrots and lettuce! The glycemic index ranks the foods from 0–100 according to the speed at which they effect your blood sugar levels in the 2 or 3 hours after eating. In the glycemic index list of foods, the foods with a glycemic index value below 55 are low GI foods, foods ranking 55–70 are moderate GI foods, and foods with a GI value 70–100 are high GI foods.

• High GI (70-100) Carbohydrates which break down quickly during digestion, releasing blood sugar rapidly into the bloodstream – causing marked fluctuations in blood sugar levels.

• Medium GI (56-69) Carbohydrates which break down moderately during digestion, releasing blood sugar moderately into the bloodstream.

• Low GI (0-55) Carbohydrates which break down slowly during digestion, releasing blood sugar gradually into the bloodstream – keeping blood sugar levels steady … and so provide you with the best health benefits!

Low GI foods are often the ones with “good” carbohydrates, low fat, high dietary fiber, vitamins and minerals. These foods help in keeping the blood sugar levels stable, are beneficial for sports persons, diabetics, people with coronary heart disease, those wanting to lose weight … and really just about everyone!

But … one word of warning … watch out for companies branding their products with “Low GI” labels. Just because a food is low GI, doesn’t necessarily make it a good food! Some foods may have a low GI, but may be high in “bad” fats, or are high in additives, flavourings, colourings, or preservatives. Always check the full ingredients list! … And also ensure that a large proportion of the foods that you eat are as minimally processed as possible!

When referring to any GI Food List, please remember that the numbers aren’t absolute and should serve as a guide only. The impact any particular food will have on your blood sugar levels on any given day will depend on many other factors such as ripeness, cooking time, product brand, fibre and fat content, time of day, blood insulin levels, and recent activity. Use the Glycemic Index as just one of the many tools you have available to improve your control.

Also check out Low GI Diet Tips to help make a low GI diet lifestyle easier to follow!

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Glycemic Index List of Foods

(Find a more comprehensive & Downloadable Food List, at the top right of our HOME PAGE)

The glycemic index ratings of individual foods will vary according to ripeness, variety, product brand, specific ingredients used, cooking times, and GI testing procedures. This will explain the variation you may see amongst different GI Food Lists.

(Find a more comprehensive & Downloadable GLYCEMIC INDEX FOOD LIST, by entering your name and email at the top right of the page)

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