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reasons for switching to a low-GI diet
A low-GI diet is:
Naturally more filling so you will automatically take in fewer calories.
Higher in fibre, which can help to reduce your cholesterol levels.
More sustaining, giving far greater energy levels throughout the day.
Higher in essential vitamins, minerals and antioxidants, which help to keep your immune system strong and healthy.
Higher in fruit and vegetable content. Research shows that a diet rich in fruits and vegetables can reduce the risk of developing certain cancers by up to 40 per cent.
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WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF A LOW-GI DIET?
There are many health reasons for switching to a low-GI diet. It will not only help you to lose weight (if you have excess weight to lose) but research has shown that a diet rich in low-GI foods can reduce your risk of getting heart disease, diabetes and cancer by as much as 50 per cent. This is due to their ability to promote weight loss, lower blood pressure and cholesterol levels and boost the body’s ability to fight disease by strengthening the immune system.
If you follow the guidelines below you will automatically cut back on energy-draining, high-GI foods, such as refined breads, cakes and biscuits. You will also consume less fat, particularly saturated fat, and fewer calories. These changes in your diet will help to keep you feeling full and energized and, combined with regular exercise and an active lifestyle, any excess pounds you are carrying will begin to disappear – for good.
Base your meals around low-GI foods but remember to choose foods that are also low in saturated fat
Saturated fat increases the likelihood of developing heart disease by clogging the arteries and increasing cholesterol levels. It can also make you less responsive to insulin, which means your body needs to make more of it, possibly boosting appetite and weight as a result.
Eat seven or more servings of fruits and vegetables every day
There is overwhelming research to prove that a diet high in fruits and vegetables will significantly help to reduce your risk of developing many cancers and other life-threatening diseases. They also help with weight loss because they are low in calories and fat. Aim to eat at least three or four servings of vegetables a day and two or three servings of fruit. Eat as wide a variety of different fruits and vegetables as possible, and as many different coloured ones as you can to ensure you are getting plenty of immune-boosting antioxidants, which help fight disease.
Eat at least two low-GI meals a day
Ideally every meal we eat would be low GI, but busy lifestyles and the availability of fast foods means this doesn’t always happen. However, the good news is that the effect of a low-GI meal carries over to the subsequent meal, reducing its glycaemic impact. Therefore, even if just two of your meals a day are low GI, the chances are you will retain fairly even blood sugar levels.
Eat wholegrain breads and cereals with a low GI
Not only are wholegrain foods slower releasing and therefore more sustaining for longer, but they will also increase your fibre intake which in turn will help to reduce your cholesterol level and your waistline. Research also shows that an increased consumption of wholegrains is associated with a significantly reduced incidence of cancer and heart disease. One study of over 34,000 women found that the risk of death from iscemic heart disease was reduced by 33 per cent in those that ate one or more servings of wholegrain foods per day.
Eat more pulses
Base meals around beans, peas and lentils instead of potatoes and high-GI rice (like the easy-cook variety). Pulses are slow releasing and nutrient dense, providing protein, fibre, iron, calcium, folate and soluble fibre (the type that really helps to lower cholesterol levels). They are also an excellent source of phyto oestrogens, which can help to reduce the risk of many lifestyle diseases, including certain cancers, can help to control menopausal symptoms and increase the immune system’s ability to fight infections.
Eat more nuts and seeds
It is often assumed, especially by people looking to lose weight, that because nuts are high in fat they should be avoided. However, this is not the case. Nuts are not only very low GI and therefore very filling, but many of them are also great sources of essential fatty acids. Essential fatty acids are the only fats that cannot be manufactured by the body and therefore have to come exclusively from our diet. Evidence is amassing that an adequate intake of essential fatty acids may help to prevent or control all kinds of ailments, including heart disease, cancer, immune system deficiencies, arthritis, skin complaints, premenstrual syndrome and menopausal symptoms.
Eat oily fish or seafood two or three times a week
Oily fish, such as mackerel, sardines, herring, trout, fresh (not canned) tuna and salmon, and other types of seafood are excellent sources of essential fatty acids, in particular omega-3. Just one serving of oily fish a week can reduce the tendency of the blood to clot, and therefore lower the likelihood of suffering a fatal heart attack, by as much as 40 per cent. However, it is not advisable to eat oily fish more than three times a week as it can lead to a high intake of dioxins due to pollution from the sea. Also, farmed fish appear to have a lower concentration of omega-3 fatty acids than wild fish, so go for wild fish whenever possible.
Eat lean meats at least two or three times a week
Meat is a great source of iron. Instead of cutting it out of your diet as many people trying to reduce their saturated fat intake tend to do, choose lean meat and chicken instead. Cut away any visible fat and use cooking methods such as grilling or barbecuing to help keep the fat content even lower.
Choose low-fat dairy products
Dairy foods are great sources of bone-strengthening calcium, so make sure you eat two or three servings a day in the form of skimmed milk, low-fat yoghurt and low-fat cheese or cottage cheese.
Replace sugary drinks with fresh fruit juices, skimmed milk and water
Sugary drinks, especially sports drinks, can have a GI rating as high as 95 and often contain a lot of empty calories, so it’s best to avoid them. Try to limit tea and coffee to two or three cups a day, too. Research shows that caffeine can block the absorption of vitamins and minerals while sugar, with a GI rating of 65, in tea and coffee will also significantly raise your blood sugar levels. Fresh, unsweetened fruit juices, skimmed milk and water are far better alternatives as they score much lower on the glycaemic index. Fruit juices also contain the added bonus of extra vitamins and minerals, while skimmed milk is a good source of calcium.
Eat small, regular meals
Research shows that even low-GI foods can cause blood sugar levels to soar when eaten in large quantities. It is therefore better to graze throughout the day on small meals and healthy, low-fat, low-GI snacks than to eat three large meals a day.
 Eat a wide variety of foods
A food is not good or bad based solely on its GI value. Just because a food has a high GI rating, it shouldn’t be excluded from the diet. Simply eat it in smaller quantities and try to reduce its effect on blood sugar levels by combining it with a low-GI food or a high-protein food, such as lean meat, fish or chicken. Studies show that when a high-GI food is eaten with a low-GI or high-protein food, the effect of the high-GI food on blood sugar levels is reduced.
Prepare and cook as much of your own food as you can
There is a common misconception that cooking meals from scratch is difficult and/or time consuming. A myth that is probably perpetuated by the vast numbers of supermarkets, fast food companies, restaurants and takeaways that have a vested interest in keeping us out of the kitchen. In reality, as you’ll see from the recipes in this book, it takes very little time or effort to put together really healthy, low-fat, delicious meals. The benefit of preparing meals yourself is that not only are they likely to be much fresher and therefore higher in vitamins and minerals than pre-prepared shop-bought alternatives, you can also exercise far greater control over what you are actually putting into your body. Shop-bought meals and snacks are likely to be much higher in fats, sugars, additives and preservatives and therefore worse for you than anything you make for yourself. So don’t be overwhelmed, step back into the kitchen and try out some of these simple recipes. You’ll be amazed at just how quick, easy and delicious low-GI eating can be!
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