A few smart facts…

• Celebrities from Kylie to Bill and Hillary Clinton use the GI method of eating to control their body weight and maintain their energy – just because I’ve named a couple of celebs here is no reason to discmiss the post!!  lol

• Low-GI carbohydrates increase levels of serotonin, the feelgood brain chemical and is another reason why GI eating doesn’t bring on the eating blues of so many other diets.

• Where possible always start with a salad.  This will curb hunger and help you to consume fewer calories during the rest of the meal.

• The presence of protein and fat in a meal slows down the digestion of digestion of carbohydrate and can reduce the impact of a high-GI food on blood sugar

• High GI + low-GI = medium GI.  For example, ciabatta bread (high) + reduced fat hummus, lettuce and a squeeze of lemon (low GI) = an overall GI score of medium.

In a future post I’ll create a table of low/medium and high GI foods and if I can lay my hands on the numbers, I’ll post those to.  erhaps this warrants a page in its own right.

Cheerio

A days eating part 4

Breakfast

A bowl of porridge made with skimmed milk, or soya if you like, topped with a slice of banana.

This is a great breakfast as the porridge provides a slow release of energy that keeps you feeling full.  Slice a banana that is NOT overripe; overripe nanas have a high GI rating.

Mid-morning snack

An apple

The soluble fibre in the fruit helps to keep you feeling full until lunch time and is a healthier snack that chomping your way through a Mars bar, Snickers or a packet of biscuits.

Lunch

Pitta bread stuffed with salmon and salad follwed by a low-fat yoghurt and a pear.

The protein in the salmon and slow release carbohydrates in the pitta avoid a blood sugar overload.  Translated – this means that afternoon drowsy feeling you get soon after lunch will go away – sorry for all you afternoon snoozers!  The yoghurt is rich in calcium, which helps to burn fat.

Mid afternoon snack

A slice of rye bread with peanut butter.

It took me a long time to come to terms with eating rye bread.  At first it tasted like I was eating cardboard and no I’ve never tried, but given the health benefits I persevered and now quite like it.  Rye bread is digested slowly and stops you reaching for the biscuit tin during the afternoon.  The peanut butter contains ‘good’ fats.

Dinner

Spaghetti bolognese follwed by a fresh berry salad

This meal contains a mixture of low-GI carbohydrates and protein that keep you feeling full; the berries are an ideal low-calorie pudding and tasty to.

Bedtime snack

For those insomniac readers try this – a glass of warm skimmed milk.

Warm milk encourages the body to release dopamine, a sleep inducing hormone.  The milk will also keep blood-sugar levels stable throughout the night so that you won’t wake up craving a sugar boost.

As always, thanks for reading.

Cucumber

Boy you know summer has arrived when you start reading about cucumber! As a child I hated the stuff and truth be told I’m still not that keen, but like all things, I’ll eat it if it’s good for me and good for the old state of diabetes chant!

The cucumber has been cultivated in western Asia for at least 3000 years and Spain was one of the first countries to pickle it.

When choosing a cucumber be sure to select ones that are dark green in colour and firm to the touch. Storage – best left in their wrapping and definitely in the fridge.

Recipe time after the jump…