Tips for integrating low-GI foods into your diet. Low GI foods are classified as 55 or less.
Some low-GI foods
- Barley - 25
- Chickpeas - 28
- Kidney beans - 28
- Lentils - 30
- Yams - 30
- Low-fat milk - 31
- Apples - 32
- Pears - 34
- Sweetcorn - 37
- Plums - 39
- All bran - 42
- Grapes - 46
- Kiwifruit - 47
- Carrots - 47
- Baked beans - 48
10 healthy low-GI snacks
- Sushi
- Fruit salad with reduced-fat yoghurt
- Apple or berry muffin – but beware cake masquerading as muffin! Try this Light and tasty Weet-Bix muffin recipe for a healthier option
- Baked beans on whole grain toast
- Avocado and salmon on rye sourdough bread
- Banana or berry smoothie with added oats for a nutty texture
- Small handful of dried fruit and nuts
- Swiss-style muesli (with whole grains)
- Carrot sticks with hummus dip
- Peanut butter sandwich on whole grain bread
Low-GI meal ideas
- Dhal on basmati rice
- Minestrone soup
- Split pea soup
- Chilli con carne – add a can of red kidney beans and chilli to your usual mince mixture and serve on brown rice.
- Lasagne – add red lentils, canned tomatoes, carrot and silver beet to your usual mince mixture and layer with cottage cheese and lasagne; top with grated cheese and bake.
- Stir-fry beef and vegetables with noodles
5 quick and easy low-GI desserts for summer eating
- Berries and ice cream: Mix strawberries or raspberries with a tablespoon of castor sugar in a small pan. Stir over a medium heat for about five minutes until the strawberries soften and syrup forms. Serve over lite vanilla ice cream.
- Fruit crumble: Make a crumble by topping cooked fruit with a crumble mixture of toasted muesli, wheat flakes, a little melted margarine and honey.
- Banana split: Cut a firm banana in half lengthways and top with two scoops of low-fat ice cream. Spoon fresh passion fruit pulp over the top and sprinkle with roasted almonds.
- Fruit and dip: Arrange a selection of fresh fruit such as watermelon, pineapple, strawberries, kiwifruit, mango, rock melon on a platter and serve with a 200g bowl of natural yoghurt combined with a tablespoon of honey.
- Cinnamon peaches: Top canned peach halves with a combination of shredded coconut, brown sugar and cinnamon. Drizzle with a little juice from the can then bake for 10 minutes.
Tips for integrating low-GI foods into a healthy diet
- Include one low-GI carbohydrate at each meal: it will make it more filling and lasting.
- Look at the carbohydrates you eat and simply swap some of the high-GI ones for low-GI alternatives; for example eat yam, sweetcorn or barley instead of potato.
- Add dried beans, split peas, chickpeas, lentils, hummus to meals
- Try potato salad instead of hot potatoes: as cooked potato cools, the carbohydrate structure changes to a more slowly digested form.
- Eat dense whole grain bread or pumpernickel instead of white or wholemeal; dense breads are lower-GI.
- Eat breakfast dishes based on oats, barley and bran, eg porridge, toasted muesli, oatmeal pancakes.
- Choose whole grain rice instead of white rice.
- Add vinaigrette dressing to salads: the acid in lemon juice or vinegar slows down stomach emptying.
- Use reduced-fat milk and yoghurt.
GI is a great help to healthy eating but it can’t be used on its own. It’s like the icing on the cake of an already healthy diet.
http://www.healthyfood.co.nz/articles/searchcategories?vocabulary_name=hfm.categories.foodandnutrients&catalog_index=foodandnutrients_categories&vocabulary_term=carbohydrates
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