Not all carbohydrates are the same. Slow carbs are now considered the key to losing weight and stabilizing blood sugar.
Slow carbohydrates:
In the past, nutritionists recommended high-fiber, whole-grain foods such as bran, cereals, brown rice and potatoes, and baked beans to help people with diabetes fill up and keep blood sugar levels stable. There is now a more scientific approach, based on how slowly carbohydrate foods are digested and absorbed. This is known as the glycemic index (GI). Low-glycemic index foods are not only helpful for people with diabetes, but also for people who want to lose weight, control heart disease, and increase their energy levels.
Low carbohydrate diets:
If you’re trying to lose those extra pounds, cutting out all carbs isn’t the answer. The body requires some carbohydrates to fuel the brain, nervous system, and red blood cells. Cutting out all carbs means these diets often leave you cranky and low on energy. Carbohydrate foods like whole grain breads, pasta, starchy vegetables like squash and kumara, also legumes provide fiber and important vitamins that our body needs.
Carbohydrates: which one to choose?
The goal of long-term weight loss is:
1. Modestly reduce your carbohydrate intake. The easiest way to do this is to stop eating junk food like candy, chocolate, cakes, cookies, hot chips, potato chips, and soda.
2. Choose slow carb foods with a low glycemic index [http://mrscoolcook.com/healthy-eating]. These are the carbohydrates that take the longest to digest and therefore keep you full for longer. For example, low fat [http://mrscoolcook.com/saturated-fats] yogurt, fruit toast, low-fat vanilla ice cream, small banana, grainy breads.
How GI can help your weight.
Our lifestyles have become less active and our diets have become more processed. These are the two main factors why we have a big weight problem. Originally, cutting fat was believed to be the easiest way to lose weight. It’s now believed that it’s all in the carbs and low GI foods you choose. Low GI foods can help suppress your appetite.
One of the biggest challenges facing most dieters is the “feel” of hunger. Low GI foods are among the most filling and delay hunger pangs the longest. Switching some high GI carbs to low carbs is a strategy to make your diet more satisfying and fill you up without eating more food. For example, a potato has about the same carbohydrates as pasta, but pasta takes longer to be digested by the body and therefore delays the return of hunger before the next meal. In the past, the standard diet advice was that you could swap a medium potato for a half cup of cooked pasta, but now we know that the body doesn’t treat them the same way and pasta would be a much better option.
20 Low GI Snacks:
1. 1 pot of low-fat yogurt
2. 20 cherries
3. banana smoothie
4. 5 to 6 dried apricots
5. slice of granulated toast
6. Small carton of low-fat chocolate milk
7. bowl of cereal, eg All bran, muesli with low-fat milk
8. green apple
9. large peach/pear
10. Pear snack pack in natural juice
11. a juicy orange
12. apple muffins
13. Slice of Raisin Toast or Fruit Bread
14. instant noodles
15. Small Canned Baked Beans
16. 1 scoop of low-fat ice cream
17. small banana
18. corn on the cob
19. Handful of Sultanas
20. pita bread
Look for the blue GI symbol on food packages when you shop. This will let you know if the food has a low, medium or high GI.