Adding Low-Glycemic Foods to Your Meals
In This Chapter
▶ Understanding how the glycemic index can help you make good food substitutions
▶ Swapping high-glycemic grains and breads for lower-glycemic varieties
▶ Adding in plenty of fruits, veggies, and beans to provide bulk and help with weight loss
Incorporating delicious, low-glycemic foods into your everyday meals and snacks is easier than you may expect. You probably already enjoy several low-glycemic foods, which gives you a head start on meal planning. Putting the glycemic index to work is a matter of knowing whether a food is low-, medium-, or high-glycemic. You don’t have to memorize a whole bunch of numbers, because several published glycemic index lists are readily avail- able. You can seek them out or just head to Appendix A for lists of popular foods, including foods found in this book’s recipes, to see whether they have a low, medium, or high glycemic load (see Chapter 4 for the scoop on glycemic load).
This chapter helps you understand how to choose low-glycemic whole grains, pastas, and legumes (also known as beans). It explains which fruits and vegetables give you the most volume, help fill you up, and promote a healthy weight. It also features tips on simple and easy ways to begin over- hauling your diet so you can reap the benefits of choosing low-glycemic foods.
Using the Glycemic Index
In this section, you discover how to begin using the glycemic index to make gradual, lasting changes in your diet. You don’t have to know the actual glycemic number of a food to follow an overall low-glycemic diet. Simply choose foods with a low or medium glycemic ranking, and you can be confident that you’re making smart choices.
Several foods have already been tested for their glycemic index, and that information is readily available through www.glycemicindex.com, the official database compiled by Australian researchers.
Starting with small steps
Making just one or two changes in the foods you choose each day, switching from a higher-glycemic food to a lower-glycemic one, for example, can lead to big differences over time. The first step is to focus on simple changes that are easy to incorporate into your usual eating habits, such as the following:
✓ Include one low-glycemic food with every meal and snack. Refer to Appendix A for help finding low-glycemic foods, or check out the resource mentioned in the preceding section.
✓ Eat smaller portions of high-glycemic foods. By cutting your portion of a high-glycemic food such as instant mashed potatoes in half, you decrease that food’s impact on the overall glycemic load of your meal.
✓ Swap out a high-glycemic food for one that’s low- to moderate-glycemic.
So instead of eating a smaller portion of instant mashed potatoes, you could try the made-over potato salad recipe from Chapter 15.
Take your time adjusting to these changes in order to give yourself a better chance of sticking with them. Set a goal to include a low-glycemic food at just one meal the first week. The second week, include a low-glycemic food at a second meal. By the time one month has passed, you’ll find incorporating low- glycemic foods is a habit, not a chore. You’ll also notice improved health and mood benefits.
As long as you start with small, reasonable changes in the foods you routinely eat, you’ll gradually consume more low-glycemic foods and fewer high-glycemic foods over time. The end result will be an overall moderate- to low-glycemic eating pattern.
Comparing your current food choices to see where you can make swaps
When you want to identify where your favorite foods fall on the glycemic index list, a good approach is to start looking up the glycemic index of the foods each time you eat a meal or a snack. Note how often you choose high-, medium-, and low-glycemic foods. Perhaps lunch most often includes lower- glycemic foods, but breakfast relies on higher-glycemic breads and cereals. Watch for broad patterns such as these in the foods you eat regularly.
As you identify your current high-glycemic food choices, think about the low- glycemic foods you also have on hand. Can you substitute a lower-glycemic food for something higher? For example, instant mashed potatoes are high- glycemic (around 97 on average), but boiled new potatoes with their skins are low-glycemic (around 54 on average). Or you can use quick-cooking brown rice (with a glycemic index around 48) rather than potatoes in order to keep dinner preparation quick and simple.
Think about how you can include medium- or low-glycemic foods for snacks. For example, if you love white-flour crackers such as saltines, swap this high- glycemic snack for a whole-grain cracker such as Triscuits, which have a lower glycemic index. Or you can try swapping a lower-glycemic fruit, such as melon, for a higher-glycemic one, such as pineapple.
Look through the list of medium- and low-glycemic foods in Appendix A and highlight the ones your family routinely enjoys. You may be surprised at the number of low-glycemic foods you already include in your daily food choices. As you become more familiar with the glycemic index, you’ll be able to choose low-glycemic foods without even having to think about it!
Following a low-glycemic diet doesn’t mean you have to toss out all the high- glycemic foods in your cabinets. You can still enjoy them on occasion by thinking of ways to balance them with lower-glycemic foods at the same meal. For example, if you’re serving a high-glycemic mixed fruit salad for dessert, include a low-glycemic starch such as brown rice with the main course. The two foods balance each other so that you wind up with a moderate glycemic load for the entire meal.
Replacing High-Glycemic Grains with Low-Glycemic Ones
Grains are one of those foods people love to hate. Many classic comfort foods revolve around grains: fluffy mashed potatoes, creamy white rice, pasta with grandma’s secret sauce, and macaroni and cheese. Grains, especially whole grains that are less processed, provide a variety of nutrients your body needs for good health. Yet many popular grains have a high glycemic index. The sections that follow explore several lower-glycemic grains and show you how simple — and delicious — it can be to incorporate these grains in your meals.
Finding some new old favorites
Many of the grains that are new to modern society were very familiar to our ancestors. The best part about these new old favorites is that you can easily add them to your favorite recipes, especially in foods such as hot cereals, soups, and rice pilaf dishes. Allow me to introduce you to these oldie-but- goodie grains:
✓ Spelt is an ancient variety of wheat that was common until industrialization made it less favorable to farmers than other types of wheat. (People who can’t handle wheat should avoid spelt because it’s part of the wheat grain family.) Spelt has a higher protein, B vitamin, potassium, and iron content than other varieties of wheat, giving it a nutritional edge. Multigrain bread made with spelt flour has a glycemic index of 54, making it a lower-glycemic bread choice.
You can substitute spelt flour for wheat flour in recipes for cakes, cookies, muffins, pancakes, and even bread. Spelt-flour breads don’t rise as high as other wheat-flour breads because spelt has a lower gluten con- tent, yet they can produce a delicious bread product in their own right. Note: Spelt flour doesn’t require as much water as other types of wheat flour; start by using three-fourths of the required liquid in a recipe.
✓ Buckwheat, familiar in the form of Japanese soba noodles and Russian kasha, actually isn’t a form of wheat — it’s really a relative of rhubarb!
Yet buckwheat, which has a low glycemic index, traditionally has been used as a grain in cooking. Because it’s not a member of the grain family, people who can’t tolerate wheat can use it without concern. Buckwheat is also available as groats, which are the light-brown or light-green soft inner seeds of buckwheat. You can add whole groats to soups, or you can boil them and eat ’em like rice.
Try using 50 percent buckwheat flour and 50 percent wheat flour in pan- cakes, muffins, biscuits, and breads for a richer flavor.
✓ Quinoa was originally cultivated by the Inca in the Andes Mountains of South America. It looks like small kernels of rice and has a higher protein content than many other types of grains. It contains no gluten and can be safely used by people with wheat allergies. Quinoa is delicious in soups and grain salads, and it has a lower glycemic index of 53.
Try using a mixture of 25 percent quinoa and 75 percent wheat flour in breads, biscuits, and muffins for a highly nutritious bread product with a delicious taste. And if you’ve never tasted quinoa before, consider trying the Garlic Chicken Stir-Fry with Quinoa recipe in Chapter 18 for a delicious introduction to this ancient grain.
✓ Rye is historically a mainstay in northern European cultures because it grows in colder, wet climates. Include rye flakes in homemade granola or trail mix for a high-fiber, low-glycemic treat. Note: Rye has less gluten than wheat flour, so you need to combine it with other gluten-containing flours in order to make bread. Pumpernickel bread made with rye flour has a low glycemic index of 55.
✓ Wild rice isn’t really rice but rather the seed of a grass that grows in water around the Great Lakes in the Midwestern part of the United States. It has twice the protein and fiber of brown rice, which gives it a lower glycemic index of 45.
✓ Barley was domesticated even before wheat. It contains more fiber and vitamin E than wheat and adds a nutty flavor to baked products such as muffins and biscuits. Pearl barley has the hard outside hull removed and cooks quickly into a soft, fluffy grain with a glycemic index of only 25. Try adding barley flakes to hot cereal for breakfast or mixing them into your favorite granola. (For a satisfying winter meal that features pearl barley, try the Vegetable, Barley, and Turkey Soup recipe in Chapter 18.)
Because barley contains less gluten than wheat, use 50 percent barley flour and 50 percent wheat flour when baking bread.
✓ Bulgur (cracked wheat) is a quick-cooking form of whole wheat that has been cleansed, parboiled, dried, and ground into particles. Because it’s precooked, you need only pour boiling water over it, cover, and let it sit for about ten minutes. It cooks so quickly that adding this delicious, healthy, low-glycemic whole grain to your family’s meals is easy. Bulgur has a low glycemic index of 48, and one cup of it has fewer calories yet more than twice the fiber of rice! It’s also a good source of manganese and B vitamins.
Use bulgur as a replacement for rice in your favorite pilaf.
Scoping out the best breads
It’s a given that the soft, squishy white bread that’s often a favorite of chil- dren has a higher glycemic index. Whole-grain breads, especially those that incorporate seeds, sprouted grains, or flaxmeal into their ingredients, have a lower glycemic index, but they aren’t always popular choices.
When purchasing low-glycemic bread, follow these tips:
✓ Watch for the word whole in the first ingredient on the list of ingredients in fine print at the bottom of the nutrition facts label.
✓ Look at the nutrition facts label for the grams of fiber per serving, which is usually one slice of bread. Breads that are higher in fiber typically have a lower glycemic index. (A food with 5 grams or more of fiber per serving is considered a high-fiber food.)
✓ Look for breads that contain rye or buckwheat flours, two grains that have a lower glycemic index number.
Several low-glycemic breads are now on the market. Some are made with sprouted grains that have already started to germinate, which lowers their glycemic effect. Ezekiel 4:9 bread is probably the best-known bread that’s made from a variety of sprouted grains as well as legumes. Other breads contain added soy protein or have a higher fiber content than more traditional types of bread. Resistant starch, a form of starch that digests much more slowly, can also be added to some commercial bread products.
If you’re looking for alternatives to soft white bread, which typically has a high glycemic index of 75, look for Food for Life’s Original Ezekiel 4:9 Organic Sprouted Whole Grain Bread and Sprouted 100% Whole Grain Flourless Cinnamon Raisin Bread (find them at www.foodforlife.com). Also check out Natural Ovens Hunger Filler Bread, which is low-glycemic and loaded with wheat bran, wheat germ, oats, flaxseed, and sesame seeds. Your local bakery may also produce breads made with whole or sprouted grains, so don’t hesitate to ask.
If you enjoy baking your own bread, you have numerous options for preparing delicious low-glycemic breads by incorporating lower-glycemic ingredients. Note: You’ll need to use some whole-wheat flour to provide sufficient gluten to allow the bread to rise. Experiment with rye, buckwheat, or spelt flour, and add in fiber with ground flaxseeds, barley flakes, or steel-cut oats. King Arthur Flour (www.kingarthurflour.com) has several different whole-grain, lower-glycemic types of flour, including an Ancient Grains Flour Blend that contains 10 percent quinoa flour. Bob’s Red Mill (www.bobsred mill.com) is another well-known provider of whole-grain flour for baking, including a 10 Grain Flour that contains whole-grain wheat, rye, oats, barley, and flaxseed. Both Web sites also provide whole-grain bread recipes.
Picking the right pastas
Many people believe that pasta has a high glycemic index. Au contraire! Spaghetti made from white durum wheat, the most prevalent type of pasta available, has a glycemic index of just 44. Macaroni has a similar low glycemic index of 47. So why all the fuss about pasta? The problem is that people confuse the glycemic index with the total amount of carbohydrates in the pasta and the amount of pasta they usually eat.
A recommended serving size of pasta is 1⁄2 cup of cooked pasta, which is the amount you can hold in one cupped hand. If you were served that amount at an Italian restaurant, you’d most likely demand your money back! Most people eat 2 cups of pasta for a meal. That amount of, say, spaghetti has a glycemic load of 26, whereas the glycemic load of a 1⁄2-cup serving of spaghetti is only 7. See what a difference the amount of food you eat makes?
Add seafood, grilled chicken, or grilled vegetables along with some grated cheese to your pasta, and the total glycemic load falls even further. Filled whole-grain pasta, such as whole-grain tortellini with cheese, has a lower glycemic load even before you add anything to it.
Some pasta manufacturers are now adding soy protein to their pasta, which increases the nutritional value and decreases the glycemic index. The Dreamfields brand uses technology to make most of the carbohydrates in its pasta nondigestible, meaning it doesn’t raise blood sugar levels as high as you’d expect from a similar amount of traditional pasta.
Here’s a three-step plan for choosing the healthiest, lowest-glycemic pasta out there:
1. Look for whole-grain or protein-enriched pasta that tends to have a lower glycemic index, or choose a pasta that’s filled with cheese, chicken, and/or vegetables for an overall lower glycemic load.
2. Eat no more than 1 cup of cooked pasta in a sitting.
3. Add protein such as chicken or fish and at least 2 cups of cooked veg- etables to your plate.
The pasta should cover only one-quarter of your plate.
Upping Your Servings of Fruits and Vegetables
Almost 90 percent of Americans don’t eat sufficient quantities of fruits and vegetables to promote overall good health, yet these are some of the most nutritious, low-calorie (and low-glycemic!) foods available. Packed with vitamins and minerals, fruits and vegetables should make up about half the volume of every meal. An easy way to measure this is to divide your plate in half. Fill one half of your plate with vegetables and fruit and fill the other half with lean protein and whole grains.
The next sections explain how to bulk up your meals without adding tons of calories and offer tips for adding low-glycemic fruits and veggies to your diet to promote weight loss.
Adding volume to your meals
Because fruits and vegetables are high in water and good sources of fiber, they provide volume to your meals. Many people feel more satisfied with a large, heaping plate of food as opposed to what looks like a tiny portion floating in the middle of a large dinner plate. Visualize this example: You want an afternoon snack, and you decide to make a healthy choice — fruit. If you want to eat no more than 100 calories for this snack, what amount of grapes (which are high in water and a good source of fiber) or raisins (which have a very low water content but are still high in fiber) should you eat? For 100 calories, you could enjoy 1⁄4 cup of raisins or almost 2 cups of grapes. Which portion looks more satisfying to you?
Research by Barbara Rolls, PhD and the author of The Volumetrics Weight- Control Plan, shows that eating low-calorie, high-volume foods help you eat fewer total calories and still feel full and satisfied. The reason for this increased fullness is energy density, or the amount of calories in a specific amount of food. To calculate energy density the official way, divide the calories in a serving of food by the weight of that food in grams.
No, you don’t need to carry a calculator with you to the grocery store to calculate energy density. Here’s the simple way to figure it out: If the calories in a food are less than the weight in grams, then that food has an energy density below 1, which means it’s a low-energy-density food that provides volume and fullness with fewer calories. Most fruit and vegetables, skim milk, and broth-based soups fall into this category. If the calories in a food are twice the weight in grams, then the food has an energy density of at least 2, which means it’s a medium-energy-dense food. Meat, cheese, and salad dressings fall into this category.
Because fruits and vegetables have a low energy density, and because many fruits and vegetables also have a low or medium glycemic index, building your meals and snacks around these foods is a smart move. For instance, a big tossed salad becomes lunch with the addition of grilled chicken, and vegetable stir-fries with small amounts of seafood or lean pork can contain up to four times the amount of vegetables as rice for a satisfying, low-glycemic meal.
Using fruits and veggies as your top weight-loss tools
Low-glycemic fruits and vegetables can keep you feeling fuller longer and for fewer calories, making them the perfect foods for weight loss. The vast majority of fruits and vegetables are low-glycemic, but feel free to refer to Appendix A for some specific low-glycemic recommendations.
Make sure fruits and veggies play a starring role in your snacks and meals. Here are several ideas to get you started:
✓ Add chopped fresh vegetables to cooked cereal for breakfast and skip drinking juice.
✓ Add a variety of chopped, dark green, leafy vegetables or leftover cooked vegetables to an omelet for breakfast or even a fast lunch.
✓ Choose broth-based soups that contain lots of vegetables as an appetizer or add small amounts of lean meat or chicken for a satisfying and complete meal.
✓ Keep a bowl of fresh fruit on the counter. (It’s amazing what you’ll choose for snacks if healthy options are right in front of you!)
✓ Have a bowl of clean, cut-up raw vegetables in the fridge, ready for grab-and-go snacking.
✓ Keep the number 3 in mind for dinner: 1 = a cooked vegetable, 2 = a raw vegetable, such as sliced tomatoes or a raw vegetable salad, and 3 = fruit for dessert, such as sliced apples or a bowl of fresh berries.
Perhaps making veggies a priority in your diet is difficult due to horrible childhood memories where you had to stay at the dinner table until you finished your spinach. If that’s the case, you can find help enjoying veggies again with these tips:
✓ Try, try, and try again. It takes many people 15 to 20 times of sampling a food before it becomes “okay” to their taste buds.
✓ Use different preparation methods. Don’t like veggies raw? Then boil ’em. Can’t stand sautéed veggies? Try steaming them instead. You may even find that a little spray butter, seasoning, or dip helps transform a formerly unpleasant veggie into something palatable to you.
✓ Explore the unknown. Are there any veggies you’ve never tried? Then make an effort to purchase one uncommon veggie (or fruit, for that matter) each time you go to the grocery store. Discovering how to pre- pare this food and the benefits you get from eating it is something you can involve the kids in as well.
Broadening Your Taste Buds’ Horizons with Beans
Beans in this sense are actually legumes, a class of vegetables that includes dry beans, peas, and lentils. Legumes are available in two forms: canned or dried. Simply rinse canned legumes such as garbanzo beans, black beans, or navy beans under cold running water and they’re ready to add to your favorite recipe. (Adding canned beans to soup is simple and delicious; try the White Bean and Chicken Chili recipe in Chapter 18 and see for yourself!) Dried beans require soaking and precooking before use.
The following sections reveal what makes legumes so good for you and how to enjoy them without upsetting your stomach.
Reaping the many benefits of legumes
If you’ve ever enjoyed baked beans, lentil soup, or meatless chili, you’ve reaped the benefits of legumes, which include
✓ Low fat content
✓ High fiber content
✓ A good source of protein
✓ Essential nutrients such as iron, potassium, folate, and magnesium
✓ A low glycemic index
Dried beans and peas are great substitutes for meat because they provide protein and fiber without the cholesterol. The American Heart Association recommends substituting beans for meat on a regular basis to lower the risk of heart disease. Adding fiber to your diet in the form of legumes can also help decrease the risk of cancer.
Avoiding digestive discomfort by slowly adding legumes to your diet
Legumes contain more fiber than any other type of food. Because of this, the body can’t fully digest them, which can sometimes lead to gas and bloating.
The best way to avoid any legume-induced digestive discomfort is to gradually add legumes to your meals. Start with small portions of legumes once a week and gradually increase the amount you use over a period of weeks. Try these suggestions to experiment with legumes:
✓ Add 1⁄4 cup of garbanzo beans to your favorite tossed salad.
✓ Use 1⁄4 cup of lentils or split peas in a rice pilaf recipe.
✓ Include kidney beans in your favorite spaghetti sauce.
✓ Add mashed pinto beans to tacos or enchiladas.
Make sure to also drink more water when you eat legumes to help improve digestion.
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