When it comes to getting more "good" or low-GI carbs in your diet to keep blood sugar levels on even keel, here are six things to remember:
1. One per meal. Try to choose one-third to one-half of your daily starches from the low-GI list. You're well on your way if you include one low-GI starch—for instance, a bowl of old-fashioned oatmeal, 1/2 cup beans, or some lentil soup—per meal.
2. Go whole grain. There are exceptions, but in general whole grain-based foods such as barley and bulgur have a low GI, mainly because their high fiber content slows digestion.
3. Rough it up. The least processed and rougher the grain or flour, the lower the GI. That's why pasta, which is made from a coarse-milled wheat, has a low GI even if it's not whole grain.
4. Bring it down low. Only have time to make instant rice? Just add some beans. Throwing in a low-GI food brings down the GI rating of the entire meal. Adding some fat or protein also lowers the GI level.
5. Be savvy about snacks. When you snack, you tend to have just one food, all by itself. That's fine if you're having a low-cal snack, whether the GI is high or not. But if you're having a high-GI bagel or doughnut with hundreds of calories, the glucose won't get blunted by other foods. So avoid starchy, high-GI foods as snacks.
6. Load up on fruits, vegetables, and legumes. Most have a low GI, and you'd have to eat pounds of the ones that don't to affect blood sugar. But by the same token, don't binge on low-GI foods that are high in calories, such as Snickers candy bars. Gaining weight will raise your blood sugar too.
Easy Low-GI Substitutes
Here are some easy ways to replace the "bad" high-GI index foods in your diet with "good" low-GI substitutes.
1. One per meal. Try to choose one-third to one-half of your daily starches from the low-GI list. You're well on your way if you include one low-GI starch—for instance, a bowl of old-fashioned oatmeal, 1/2 cup beans, or some lentil soup—per meal.
2. Go whole grain. There are exceptions, but in general whole grain-based foods such as barley and bulgur have a low GI, mainly because their high fiber content slows digestion.
3. Rough it up. The least processed and rougher the grain or flour, the lower the GI. That's why pasta, which is made from a coarse-milled wheat, has a low GI even if it's not whole grain.
4. Bring it down low. Only have time to make instant rice? Just add some beans. Throwing in a low-GI food brings down the GI rating of the entire meal. Adding some fat or protein also lowers the GI level.
5. Be savvy about snacks. When you snack, you tend to have just one food, all by itself. That's fine if you're having a low-cal snack, whether the GI is high or not. But if you're having a high-GI bagel or doughnut with hundreds of calories, the glucose won't get blunted by other foods. So avoid starchy, high-GI foods as snacks.
6. Load up on fruits, vegetables, and legumes. Most have a low GI, and you'd have to eat pounds of the ones that don't to affect blood sugar. But by the same token, don't binge on low-GI foods that are high in calories, such as Snickers candy bars. Gaining weight will raise your blood sugar too.
Easy Low-GI Substitutes
Here are some easy ways to replace the "bad" high-GI index foods in your diet with "good" low-GI substitutes.
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Last Updated: 12/04/2006 16:14:09
