I’ve just added some more information on carbohydrates, like ways to determine the good carbs from the bad carbs when food shopping, I got this particular info from Low GI Diet Breakthrough, so thought I’d share it with you.
So take a look here, hope you find it helpful.
I’ve just included another recipe to my low gi recipe collection, Beef Stir Fry, you can get it here
Tags: [TAG-Tec]low GI recipes,[/TAG-Tec] [TAG-Tec]low GI foods[/TAG-Tec]
Make an Internet search for any fad diet and you are likely to get as many hits claiming it is nonsense as those claiming it revolutionises weight loss. But, here’s the thing about low-GI; it’s not a fad and there are no medical journal articles or scientific studies that say it isn’t a healthy dietary concept. Eating low-GI is a key nutrition message that goes hand-in-hand with other healthy eating guidelines such as eat less saturated fats and eat more fruit and vegetables.
The Glycemic Index (GI) was devised about 20 years ago when researchers looked closer at the dietary recommendations for diabetics; which was to eat more complex carbohydrates (starch) because they took longer to process and digest than simple carbohydrates (sugar). What the researchers discovered was that the effect of a carbohydrate on blood-glucose levels was not determined by the sugar or starch. For example, we now know that the effect chocolate has on blood-glucose is actually lower than potatoes. That doesn’t mean chocolate is healthy — but I’ll get to that later.
“GI is a ranking (from 1 to 100) which measures the effect of a food on your blood-glucose level over the two hours after the food is eaten,” explains Joanna McMillan-Price, a Sydney nutrition scientist and co-author of The Low GI Diet book.
“You get a bell-shaped curve when you eat food containing carbohydrates; the blood-glucose rises and as your body produces insulin it pushes the glucose out of the blood and into tissues, and then you see the blood-glucose level falling.” McMillan-Price explains that when eating high GI foods, you get a very high bell curve response with a dramatic drop. With a low-GI food, there is a slower and steadier rise in the blood-glucose level.
How does low-GI promote better health?
Continue reading here
Technorati Tags: low gi diet
Make an Internet search for any fad diet and you are likely to get as many hits claiming it is nonsense as those claiming it revolutionises weight loss. But, here’s the thing about low-GI; it’s not a fad and there are no medical journal articles or scientific studies that say it isn’t a healthy dietary concept. Eating low-GI is a key nutrition message that goes hand-in-hand with other healthy eating guidelines such as eat less saturated fats and eat more fruit and vegetables.
The Glycemic Index (GI) was devised about 20 years ago when researchers looked closer at the dietary recommendations for diabetics; which was to eat more complex carbohydrates (starch) because they took longer to process and digest than simple carbohydrates (sugar). What the researchers discovered was that the effect of a carbohydrate on blood-glucose levels was not determined by the sugar or starch. For example, we now know that the effect chocolate has on blood-glucose is actually lower than potatoes. That doesn’t mean chocolate is healthy — but I’ll get to that later.
“GI is a ranking (from 1 to 100) which measures the effect of a food on your blood-glucose level over the two hours after the food is eaten,” explains Joanna McMillan-Price, a Sydney nutrition scientist and co-author of The Low GI Diet book.
“You get a bell-shaped curve when you eat food containing carbohydrates; the blood-glucose rises and as your body produces insulin it pushes the glucose out of the blood and into tissues, and then you see the blood-glucose level falling.” McMillan-Price explains that when eating high GI foods, you get a very high bell curve response with a dramatic drop. With a low-GI food, there is a slower and steadier rise in the blood-glucose level.
How does low-GI promote better health?
Continue reading here
Technorati Tags: low gi diet
There are many people talking about GI or glycemic index but what is it? Many of these people who mention it in relation to health and dieting will say to eat low GI foods or follow a low GI diet, cook low GI recipes.
I've looked for what GI is and I've asked how it is arrived at, that one food has a low GI rating and another is a medium GI rating and yet another, a high GI rating. This is what I've found out…
Glycemic Index is a medical term that is used to measure the speed that carbohydrates break down in our digestive systems to form glucose or sugar.
Now the body gets it's energy from glucose. Glucose is our body's fuel, this fuel feeds our brains, organs and muscles. Sugar reading is set to 100 and all foods are indexed against that number. So when foods are digested quickly they will have a high GI rating and the slower a food is digested will give it a low GI rating.
There is a little more to it than that, but basically that is it. You and I cannot work out the GI rating on our own, this is done in laboratories by specially trained people. :Luckily for us, they give us these results as tables so we can know where in the Glycemic Index foods fall. Food ratings with less than reading of 55 are considered the low GI foods.
Low GI = 55 or less
Medium GI = 56 - 69
High GI = 70 or more
Now how does all this help you and I? Well, by following a sensible low GI eating plan, those hunger pains and the attack of the munchies won't happen. Why I hear you say? Because by eating low GI foods, the foods will break down more slowly and therefore give you and I, a steady supply of glucose to the bloodstream and a better source of energy. The high GI foods will breakdown very quickly, giving us a sugar rush and a burst of energy but that's it, a burst and then it's gone.
Why these sugar rushes happen is because of insulin. You've heard of insulin. What insulin does is, it takes sugar from the bloodstream for immediate use by the muscles or as fat around the waist, hips or thighs. You have no doubt heard people say they might as well just slap that piece of chocolate cake straight on their thighs or hips as it seems to get there that fast. Well this is why, the greater the sugar spike the more insulin is released into the bloodstream.
What happens next? A sugar low, that's what happens and then off you go looking for another sugar hit and the whole cycle starts again.
Low GI foods will leave you feeling satisfied for longer so there won't be that craving for sugar. Because low GI foods break down more slowly there will be a steady stream of sugar/glucose to the bloodstream and the insulin flood won't happen.
So you can eat less and not go hungry, you can eat great tasting foods too, the result is you will feel fuller for much longer and lose weight or maintain your weight without feeling like you are dieting.
I prefer to call this a low GI eating plan and it will soon become second nature. It will be just the way you eat.
Most of the diet books I have read about low Gi dieting, all say to start on the two week meal plan. Eat three meals and three snacks each day for a fortnight, make sure to include at least one low GI food each time. After two weeks, you will notice a difference and that is enough time for your body to adjust to the new eating plan and you to see the benefits starting.
Because of the low, medium and high GI foods, most of the books I've read have used the traffic light system which is easy to follow. Red = High, Yellow = Medium and Green of course equals Low.
This is a very easy way to mark your own recipes too. If you find you are marking your favorites either red or yellow, why not see where you can substitute the high GI or medium GI foods with the lower ones.
This is one of the most sensible eating plans I've found, you can lose weight, maintain the weight you want and all the time never go hungry, have more energy and instead of saying "I should exercise", you just "Do it!".
[TAG-Tec]low GI foods,low GI recipes,low GI diet,low GI,low GI food,[/TAG-Tec]
Understanding how to read food labels is a big part of being able to buy the correct low GI foods, the foods that will help with a low GI diet. I’ve made up a couple of charts to help me and I thought you might like them too.
The first one is knowing the quantity per 100g that will benefit you. This table has been put together by the Food Standards Authority and will give you a good idea of what is a little or what is a lot with regard to four key components, fat, saturates, sugars and salt.
Now this is a food label and I’ve tried to show how to check out the nutritional values.
These are handy when shopping and comparing one product to another, until I did this, I was always having ‘decision’ time and often I made the wrong decision. But no more…..
Just a little about low GI recipes, I made a really nice recipe for dinner last night, Chicken and Pumpkin Stir Fry, very easy, very quick and the family loved it. It got the tick (the tick means I can make it again, and more than once again too). I put it up on my low GI recipe collection blog. If you want to try it, just click here.
Tonight was my snack night, the family were all out so I had my favorite snack, grilled ham and cheese and finished off with the best grapes I’ve had in ages with some vanilla yoghurt, that is also on my low gi recipe blog, the grilled ham and cheese, that is, click here
The thing I find hardest is the sugar. I’m not a fan of artificial sweeteners, so I have been cutting back on my natural sugar intake and very slowly I can see that my ’sugar hits’ are not happening as often. When you can feel the benefits and see things like that, it spurs you on, at least it does for me.
That’s it for now, I have a few other low GI recipes over on my recipe collection blog, I’m only putting up the ones my family likes.
Tags: [TAG-Tec]low gi foods,low gi recipes,low GI diets[/TAG-Tec]
I’ve been collecting low GI recipes for a few weeks not. I actually started another blog just for recording the recipes I have tried that have been good. Mostly the ones I’ve added to that blog have been the ones my family have liked too.
You see, the best thing about low GI recipes and low GI foods is that they can benefit everyone. Not like being on a diet, where the one wanting to lose weight has to eat different meals to the rest of the family, low GI foods, the whole family can eat and enjoy all the benefits that comes with eating the low gi way.
If you would like to see the recipes that I’ve collected so far, here’s the link LowGI Foods and Recipes
I must admit, I do feel so much better and those late afternoon munchies seem to be a thing of the past too. I’m finding I’m not wanting so much in the sugar/sweet line either. Late afternoon seemed to be my worst time for that, don’t know about you, but chocolate was my biggest downfall.
What I’m hoping for here is to keep myself on track. By writing my finds and all things related to low GI foods and recipes here, I’ll have a place where I will know where to find things.
So if you are wanting information and low GI recipes and all things low gi, then while I’m searching and finding, you can share in it all too.
I’m working on a chart of low gi foods and will have it so you can download it and use it too, will be ready in the next week or so. I also have found a really good book called Low GI Diet Breakthrough, it has some great information with regards to low gi dieting.
Come back again why don’t you and I should have some great stuff for you. Why not catch up on what I’ve found so far by clicking here
