Q. What are some simple ways I can incorporate lower-GI foods into my diet?
• Choose breads that contain a high proportion of whole or cracked grains, stone-ground whole wheat flour, oats, bran and/or seeds.
• Choose unrefined cereals, such as large-flake rolled oats, oat bran, wheat bran, muesli and cereals made with psyllium.
• Choose brown, wild, basmati or converted (parboiled) rice.
• Try sweet potatoes for dinner instead of regular white potatoes.
• When baking, choose recipes that
call for whole grain flours, oat bran, wheat bran, rolled oats or ground flaxseeds instead of, or in addition to, all-purpose flour.
• Snack on fruit, vegetables, yogurt or a handful of nuts (almonds, peanuts and walnuts are good choices because they also add healthy fats to your diet).
• Choose fruit- and dairy-based desserts, such as low-fat ice cream.
• Enjoy more pasta, legumes, vegetables and low-fat dairy products. (For scrumptious pasta recipes, log on to www.canadianliving.com to order your copy of Canadian Living Pasta by the Season.)
• Enjoy plenty of salad vegetables,
such as lettuce, broccoli, cucumbers and tomatoes.
• Try tofu, barley, bulgur or lentils.
• Try to include at least one low-GI food at each meal.
Want to learn more about the GI?
For more information on choosing low-GI foods, adapting recipes and incorporating low-GI foods into your meal plan, contact a registered dietitian. Check out www.dietitians.ca to find one in your area. The following books and websites also offer more information on the GI.
Books
• The New Glucose Revolution (Marlowe & Company, 2002) by Jennie Brand-Miller, Thomas M.S. Wolever, Kaye Foster-Powell and Stephen Colagiuri
• The G.I. Diet: The Easy, Healthy Way to Permanent Weight Loss (Random House Canada, 2002) by Rick Gallop
• Living the G.I. Diet: Delicious Recipes and Real-Life Strategies to Lose Weight and Keep It Off (Random House Canada, 2003) by Rick Gallop
Websites
• www.diabetes.ca/Section_About/
glycemic.asp
• www.gitesting.com
• www.glycemicindex.com
• www.diabetes.about.com/library/
mendosagi/nmendosagi.htm
