Breakfast Selection

* Spiced Vegetable Omelet

Totally appetizing and takes just a few minutes to prepare. The perfect GI meal if you are on the go.

* Peaches with Soy French Toast

Fruity and ideal for a hot breakfast.

* Almond & Berries Whole Wheat Pancakes

Not very different from the higher glycemic index variety, the almond and berries pancakes are too tasty too resist. This is a low carbs and low sugar energizing breakfast. Not to mention delicious!

* Melon and Prosciutto with a Side of Low-Fat Cottage Cheese

Refreshing, low carb and full of lean protein.

Lunch Ideas

* Lemon and Parsley Chicken

A delicious and zesty mix, this chicken dish is a true delight!

* Salmon Grilled with Olive Sauce

Simply delectable, brings out all the natural flavors.

* Mixed Greens Salad with Spinach, Carrots, Walnuts and Grilled Breast of Chicken Strips

You can be very creative with this salad and add blueberries, pieces of apples or pears.

* Barley and Carrot Soup

Immensely gratifying soup is creamy and wonderful.

* Basil & Tomato Soup

Simple yet amazing and aromatic soup.

* Beef Stew in Red Wine

Lip smacking beef stew that will warm you from the inside. A must for cold, snowy days!

* Chinese Clay Pot Vegetables

Inspired by food from China, this healthy and delicious stir fry dish can be made in minutes.

Snack Treats (mid-morning or mid-afternoon)

* Banana Smoothie

Delicious and healthy smoothie, ha no sugar added.

* Puffed Rice Breakfast Bars

Home-made, delightful breakfast bars provide an ideal morning snack

* Multi-Grain Toast With Melted Mozzarella

Hot, nutritious, and sumptuous snack to keep you warm, and filled until your next meal!

Dinner Choices

* Tuna Steak with Apricot Compote

Tuna cooked to perfection, combined with delectable compote made from tomatoes and apricots.

* Chickpea and Chicken Casserole

Cooked slowly, a healthy and filling casserole!

* Apple, Pork and Sage Soup

An appetizing soup with a unique blend of pork, apple and sage

* Chicken and Lentil Curry

Rich and flavorful curry made with red lentils and chicken. Low fat and easy to cook, a true reflection and taste from India

* Turkey and Spiced Apricot

Spicy, moist and tender turkey breast mixed with dried apricots for a delightful fruity favor.

* Beef and Bean Burgers

Low fat burgers mixed with kidney beans. Simply scrumptious!

* Italian Sauce with Pasta and Bacon

You can whip up this delectable Italian dish in 15 minutes. It’s great for those trying to lose weight.

Vegetarian Dishes

* Roasted Lentils and Mushroom Cakes

Roasted Lentils and mushrooms, along with an assortment of herbs and spices make the perfect meal for a vegetarian.

* Chocolate Chili

Spicy Mexican chili with a dash of cocoa powder. This vegetarian dish is hard to resist!

* Tuscan Pasta Bake

Amazing pasta bake recipe uses borlotti beans that are popular in Tuscany, Italy. Healthy and heartwarming, a tasty vegetarian dish that takes minutes to prepare.

* Sweet Potato and Saucy Chickpeas

Perfect for vegetarians, and extremely filling.

* Puy Lentil Quinoa

Protein-rich, simple to prepare, packed with nutrition. Must try.

* Vegetable Ratatouille

Served with pasta, here’s a tasty vegetarian dish.

Desserts Galore

* Cookies of Banana and Nut

Moist and luscious cookies. Fruity and delightful!

* Raspberries with Chocolate Mousse

Must try dessert, and only 145 calories!

* Lemon Sponge Cake

Delightful and satisfying snack or desert with the refreshing tang of lemon.

* Jamaican Cashew Baked Apples

Juicy and apples baked with cashew nuts and a dash of rum. A truly heartwarming dish, great for cold days.

* No Bake Berry & Pineapple Cheese Cake

Low Glycemic Index cheese cake, low fat and high protein that is simply amazing!

How it works

The glucose index is a numerical system that measures the increase in blood sugar after eating and how quickly it increases. This system was introduced to the world in the 1980s, and began the trend to reduce sugars in many diets.

Because bread and pure sugar are the foods with the highest number of carbohydrates, with a rating of 100, the index measures other foods against them. Basically, the higher the number a food is on the scale, the greater the increase in blood sugar levels.

If you are on a low-carb diet, you will want to have a glycemic or glucose index handy so you know what foods are okay for you to eat. This way, you will be able to prepare healthy meals for yourself and your family.

Sugar isn’t the only thing you need to worry about

Most people think that people with diabetes need only avoid actual sugar, but this couldn’t be farther from the truth. In fact, a seemingly healthy baked potato can actually rate higher on the glucose scale than a piece of chocolate!

There are many foods other than sweets that have a high glucose index. Some of these foods, surprisingly, include rice cakes, raisin bran cereal, dates (off the scale completely at 103), pretzels and graham crackers.

You still need foods that have a high glucose index

Even though you are supposed to be watching your carbohydrate intake, you do need some carbohydrates for energy. Eating a high-carb snack with a somewhat higher (not too high) glucose index after exercising is a great way to revitalize your energy.

Enjoy a snack that is full of complex carbohydrates, especially starchy treats, because they will provide just the right amount of glucose you need to regain your energy. Try munching on an apple or a piece of candy, or put a teaspoon of honey in your green tea.

If you are on a diet that requires you to eat food with a low glucose index, here are some foods should be avoided:

• Processed (packaged) foods
• Chocolate Bars
• Cakes
• Cookies
• Ice Cream
• Potatoes
• White Bread
• Novelty Cereals
• Watermelon

These are just a few of the foods to avoid. For a more comprehensive list, you can visit a number of different websites, including the one provided on the resource box below the article, for all of the information you need.

No matter what type of diet you are thinking about starting, remember to always consult your doctor first, especially if you have any existing medical conditions. He or she will be able to help you decide on the right diet plan for you based on your medical history, your current weight and how much weight you want to lose.

Here are some of the things that people should consider doing when they are doing the Glycemic Index diet:

• Put color into diet – When people look at the Glycemic Index to start the diet, they are going to discover that the items that have a lot of white in them – bread, pasta, and other items have a higher level.  But when they look at the wheat Glycemic Index, they find that there is often a big change, although some of them are on the high side. For example, here are some wheat Glycemic Index items:

Mini Wheats – 57

Shredded Wheat – 69

Puffed wheat  – 74

Wheat kernels – 41

Whole Wheat Spaghetti – 37

Spaghetti, Durum wheat – 55

• Plan – The second thing that you want to do is plan. If you know that you will be having a dinner that is going to have a lot of items that are on the high end of the Glycemic Index, make sure that you are eating items that are on the lower end of the spectrum earlier in the day. The great thing about this diet is the fact that if you eat the lower items earlier in the day, for breakfast and lunch, for example, it’s going to carry over to dinner. This plan doesn’t mean that you are going to have to give up everything that you want to eat. In fact, a lot of favorite things are on the low side of the index.
• Talk to a doctor – The third thing that you want to do is to consult a doctor before you start anything. It’s important to get a physical and make sure that this is going to be okay for you, especially if you have other health problems such as diabetes. They may want to monitor you closely to make sure that you aren’t doing anything that can harm you.  Whenever you are starting a diet, it’s always good to let your doctor know about it and make sure that they are watching your health.

Looking at the different things in the Glycemic Index and following them to help you lose weight and stay healthy is a good idea. As you can see, the wheat Glycemic Index can also make a big difference in the way that you are eating, and wheat bread and pasta is much healthier than the regular white pasta and bread.  Many people have discovered that this is a great way to lose weight and get healthy, and it doesn’t require any special food purchases, just some healthier decisions. It’s a diet that just about anyone can do.

Simple vs. Complex Carbohydrates

In the world of the carb, there are two kinds: simple and complex. Simple carbohydrates are the ones that taste oh so good but dissolve into your body oh so fast and make you oh so fat. Think of the sugar-induced rush when you gulp down a soda or eat a candy bar- these are simple carbs at their very finest. They are broken down by the body quickly, enter your blood stream and spike your insulin levels leading to weight gain. Simple carbohydrates tend to be devoid of any real nutritional value as well, so after that initial rush of energy has worn off your body will be looking to fulfill its needs with even more food.

A complex carbohydrate, on the other hand, will take longer to break down by the body, leaving you feeling fuller for far longer without the hyper-crash cycle of more sugary foods and treats. In addition, because they are broken down more slowly, there is no sudden spike in blood sugar levels so your body does not have to panic and send out floods of insulin to combat what it thinks is a major problem. Because you are not as hungry, you eat less food; it’s a win-win situation.

GI Food and Diabetes

Diabetics typically need to control their disease with both diet and medications, including for many of them, insulin injections. However, for those who are borderline or have pre-diabetes, the best course of action is to change the diet before the disease progresses. Even a small reduction in weight can reverse the diabetes and for many people, maintaining their proper weight through diet is all of the “medicine” they will  need. However, low glycemic food are not only for diabetics or those who are at risk for the disease- they are perfect to reduce weight, can help reduce the chance of heart disease and can improve athletic performance as well.

What is the Glycemic Food Index?

Every food that you eat, from the chocolate kisses that you snuck out of the desk to the huge steak dinner you tucked away last night, will affect your blood sugar level differently. Foods that are high on the Glycemic Index will raise your blood sugar, which makes the body freak out and dump out high levels of insulin. The insulin in turn kicks off a complicated chain of reactions that leads to fat storage rather than fat burning. Because the body stored the fat instead of using it for energy, you will find yourself hungry again very quickly, setting yourself up for a vicious cycle that leads you to make the same bad choices, eating the same bad foods and getting the same bad results every time.

Foods that are low on the glycemic index do not cause this flood of insulin because they do not spike the blood sugar levels at all. They enter the blood stream at a slower rate and the body can use what it needs for energy production and store any extra as it needs. In the slower process,  some of the excess calories that you take in will be stored as glycogen and burned when energy gets low- however, if you bypass this process or there is simply too much to deal with, the body will convert the calories to fat, which is far harder to access and burn.

Simple Changes Are the Key

Using low glycemic food to maintain your health and weight is not difficult; it involves making some simple changes to the foods that you already eat every day. Instead of eating a sandwich on white bread, opt for cracked, whole grain bread instead. You get the same sandwich, but you get increased nutrition and fiber as well. You can find a better substitute for most of your favorite foods online. Eating low glycemic food is not about deprivation; it is about eating better foods in moderation not only for overall weight loss but for better health as well.

Have you ever seen a sensible diet plan that included alcohol? Probably not! But, you can enjoy the odd drink without ruining your diet or raising your blood sugar levels, if you are drinking the right drinks. The right drinks are drinks that have a low carbohydrate index.

Of course, ideally, you won’t be consuming any alcoholic beverages. After all, they are just empty calories, and most are loaded with carbs. And because your body will absorb the alcohol before it absorbs any carbohydrates (or fats and proteins), your body will take longer to burn fat.

“Did you know… that alcohol by itself does not contain carbohydrates. It is the additives you need to be aware of!”

If you want to drink, make sure that the drinks are low on the carbohydrate index. If they are higher, you can still enjoy them, but in smaller quantities. For example, if you want to have a beer, have a light beer instead of a regular one. Light beers average fewer than 4 grams of carbs per 12-ounce bottle compared to a regular beer, which can have 13 grams of carbs. That’s a huge difference.

Is there such a thing as a true low-carb alcoholic drink?

Forget the hype you may have heard. There is no such thing as an alcoholic drink that is really low-carb. Many producers of beer and wine boast low carbs in their advertising campaigns, but this just means that their products may have a lower carbohydrate index than others. It is illegal for any wine producer to claim that their product can help you lose weight.

Will I get fat if I drink alcohol?

Drinking to excess is never a good thing for your health in general. Yes, alcoholic beverages are high in calories, and often high on the carbohydrate index. As long as you maintain good sense, and don’t over-indulge, it is perfectly safe for you to enjoy a drink or two on occasion.

As previously mentioned, light beer is better for a low-carb diet than regular beer. Or enjoy a glass of ale, which only has between five and nine grams of carbs. Drink dry wines as opposed to sweet ones. If you are having cocktails, use mixes that are low on the carbohydrate index, including tomato and other vegetable juices*.

*Many fruit juices have a high carbohydrate index, so you should avoid them as mixes.

Avoid soda as a mix, even diet soda. Soda is full of sugar, and diet sodas are sweetened with chemicals. You’re best off sticking to club soda if you are looking for something carbonated to mix your drink.

Go ahead and enjoy a drink, but don’t overdo it!

No matter how well you stick to your diet, there will always be situations when you find yourself facing the decision to eat or drink things that have a high carbohydrate index. As long as you do it in moderation, enjoy that glass of wine or bottle of beer.

If you want to know how many carbs are in your favorite beer and wines, here is a chart with many of the popular brands. Values for alcohol carbohydrates are estimates and may vary between different products and glass size!

Carbohydrates In Alcohol Table

It has been proven time and time again that fad diets DO NOT WORK! In fact, even if you do lose a little bit of weight, more than likely you will put it right back on again, and then some. Doesn’t this kind of defeat the purpose?

If you are looking for the most sensible way to lose weight, one of the best and most popular diets today is the glycemic impact diet. Based on the glycemic index, this diet plan has actually been around for a long time, but only in the past couple of decades have its benefits come to full light.

The Glycemic Load

Not only does this diet concentrate on the glycemic index, it also looks at the amount of carbohydrates in foods. In some cases, it is actually okay to eat foods that are high on the glycemic index.

For example, if you want to eat something that is high on the glycemic index, if the amount of carbohydrates is low, it will balance out and you can enjoy that particular food.

A Typical Glycemic Impact Diet Meal Plan

A typical meal plans consist of three types of foods: complex carbohydrates, lean proteins and healthy fats. It is a sensible diet, easy to follow, and you have many options, so you will never be hungry and will always be satisfied.

• Complex Carbohydrates: Whole grains, whole grain breads, whole grain cereals, fruit.
• Lean Proteins: Fish, chicken, turkey, small amounts pork and beef (occasionally). Vegetarians can substitute tofu and vegetable and soy proteins.
• Healthy Fats: Nuts, olives and olive oil, mustard, skim milk.

A Sample Daily menu

Breakfast: Enjoy a veggie omelet made with egg whites. (You might as well try to reduce your cholesterol while you are at it.) Have a few berries or a slice of apple on the side, and wash it all down with a glass of skim milk.

Mid-Morning Snack (only if you really need it): Cottage cheese or yogurt.

Lunch: Energize for the afternoon with a toasted tomato sandwich with a slice of cheese and a small green salad on the side. Have skim milk or water as your beverage.

Mid-Afternoon Snack (after all, you need a pick-me-up): Whole grain crackers with a few olives and an ounce of lean protein.

Dinner: Tantalize your taste buds with a delicious chicken stir-fry, made with your favorite veggies and lean chicken. Use olive oil for sauteing, and flavor with low-sodium chicken broth.

Evening Snack: Go light. Have some fresh fruit and a handful of nuts or a serving of flavored yogurt.

As you can see, the Glycemic Impact Diet plan is a healthy, simple way to lose weight and stay healthy without having to sacrifice great tasting foods. There are plenty of delicious options that you and your family will love. And the best part of it all, is that you are letting science do all the work for you while you enjoy eating and seeing that scale showing lower and lower numbers!

Though originally used as a tool to assist people with diabetes control and manage their blood sugar,  the Glycemic Index (GI) is now also being used in many different purposes. In fact, glycemic fruit index has become a method used in weight loss and a guide in eating plans because of fruits’ low glycemic index value. The highest glycemic fruit index value is 70 and above, followed 56 to 69 for a medium glycemic value, and the lowest is 55 and below, which fortunately most of the fruits to available to us belong. Aside from the date fruit which has the highest glycemic fruit index value at 103 and watermelon at 72, nearly all other fruits have relatively low glycemic fruit index value.

Fruits Are Not Harmful Unlike Processed Carbohydrates

Unlike in carbohydrates which result to the rapid rise of blood sugar in our system, the body’s blood sugar response to fruit (which contains natural fructose) is not actually harmful. The reason is that glycemic fruit index is relatively low compared to some foods that refined contain carbohydrates. This is because nearly all fruits have very low glycemic index (GI) due mainly to the fact that fruits are loaded with nutrients, fiber and phytochemicals. Aside from this, fruits also are responsible in the slowing of sugar absorption into our blood stream.

Low GI Fruits Help Slow Down Food Digestion

Since many of the fruits have low glycemic index value (aside from date fruit and watermelon), there is actually a rich and delicious variety of choices for fruits. Excluding those which are high on the index chart is not a difficult task, once you understand how it works. Including fruits in your meals, preferably each of them, is highly recommended by all physicians.  This is necessary precisely because fruits make the digestion process in our body slower than normal. This is also the reason why it takes time for people who eat fruits to get hungry because the low glycemic index of fruits slows down the digestion process of food along with other foods.

There are countless and luscious fruits available everywhere which help slow down food digestion and slow down the increase of blood sugar levels. The list is actually endless, but here is a “taste” (no pun intended!) of which fruits you can find along the index chart:

• Fruits with have the lowest glycemic fruit index (under 20) are cantaloupe and rhubarb.
• The fruits belonging to the medium glycemic fruit index (20 to 60) are apples, bananas, blackberries, cherries, grapefruit, lime, guavas, kiwis, lemons, limes, oranges, papayas, peaches, plums, raspberries, strawberries, tangerines, tomatoes, among others.
• The following fruits have a high glycemic fruit index (over 60) and they need to be taken moderately because they trigger blood sugar to rise rapidly: they are watermelon, date fruit, any dried fruit, blueberries, figs, grapes, kumquats, loganberries, mangoes, mulberries, pears, pineapple, pomegranates and prunes.

Nutritional Value of Fruits

The importance of fruits in everyone’s diet is not only about having a low glycemic fruit index which results to a controllable blood sugar. Moreover, fruits are also loaded with various nutritional values like vitamins, minerals and micronutrients, such as the phytochemicals. In fact, research and studies show that phytochemicals help fight diseases, especially cancer. Finally, the inclusion of low glycemic fruit index in our diet coupled with the natural nutrients found in fruits are a great help in maintaining a healthy lifestyle.

If not, then you are unaware of a method to lose weight and become healthy. It is not about a diet. It is not a way to drop pounds quickly only to gain them back again. Instead, the Glycemic Index, also referred to as the GI, is about losing weight and keeping it off. It is also about making sure that you are healthy.

As a part of the GI, there is a Glycemic Index table, which lists all the types of foods you may consider eating, rating them on how they fall according to the index. The rating of food is based on how the carbohydrates within it are processed in the body. Foods that are processed slowly create a more even output of blood sugar, which is healthier. Foods that are processed quickly lead to an insulin spike, which causes imbalances in the body.

Think About Your Life – Count To Three

The slower processed foods rate the lowest on the Glycemic Index table. There are several reasons to follow this chart when choosing what to eat; here are three of the main ones.

1. Unhealthy Insulin Spikes - When your insulin spikes, it is as if your body is telling itself to store up fat. This obviously is a quick way to gain weight. When the sugar is processed more slowly, it does not cause the same sort of spike.

2. Avoid The Sugars – Prevent Diabetes: An insulin spike leads to an insulin drop soon after. When this happens, you will feel tired and you will suddenly feel hungry again. When this happens, you will most likely look for a boost or a pick-me-up to feel better. Generally, in these times, you will look for a sugary snack or something high on the Glycemic Index table, which leads to the same cycle.

3. Stop The Fat! – Since the spike happens so quickly, you will not have the time to burn the fat before your body stores it. When the fat stores are created more slowly, then you will have time to exercise and burn off the fat.

If you are interested in becoming healthier, and thus lose weight, consider consulting the Glycemic Index table, which can show you what foods will process quickly and what ones will process more slowly. By keeping control of your insulin levels through your diet, you will be doing much for your own health and well-being. As a positive side note, you will lose weight and be able to keep it off.

Diets tend to be ironclad. There are things you just can’t eat and everything counts, one way or another, toward the limit. This does not have to be the case when eating according to the glycemic index. High protein food are a nice little loophole, like a “freebee” that seems to be lacking in so many other diets.

Here’s a brief explanation of how anyone can use this freebie to expand their diets through the use of protein foods.

The Background

Let’s start at the beginning. The glycemic index is rated according to how fast foods are digested and enter the bloodstream and what effects this has on your blood sugar level. Something that burns quickly will cause a spike in your blood sugar, which is just the sort of thing the glycemic index was made to avoid. Such spikes are generally unhealthy.

Foods that digest slowly, that burn slowly will cause a slow rise in blood sugar at a steadier rate, without the crash that often follows eating high glycemic food. The more slowly food is digested, the better quality of energy you will receive from it.

The problem with high glycemic food is that it is almost an addiction. It is a vicious circle because it causes a rush that makes you feel energetic, and then crashes hard, making you feel tired – which requires another rush, until the crash, and so on. Most people have no idea this is going on.

So, What’s All This About, Protein?

High protein food causes the digestion process to move more slowly. It takes a bit longer than other types of food as it burns away more gradually, rather than all at once.

This means that adding protein to high glycemic foods – for example peanut butter on white bread – will cause both to burn more slowly, both the bread and the peanut butter. The slower the digestion gets when the protein level is higher. In other words, the blood sugar level will not spike, despite having eaten that slice of high glycemic white bread.

Just that one change makes all the difference and makes planning a diet a whole lot easier.

Now..For The Part About “Freebies”

Many people groan inwardly when they see all the foods on the glycemic index that have a high score. Bread, rice bagels and many kinds of cereal are all fairly high on the list. Does that mean they can never be eaten again?

Not at all! While it’s bad to go overboard with these foods and eat them all of the time, adding something with protein to the mix makes them a lot better for you. There’s no need to give up everything you like to have a low glycemic diet. Find a way to put high protein food into the glycemic index diet, and high glycemic foods drop a fair way down the list.

Forbidden foods as freebies – what other diet can offer this opportunity? Only the glycemic index one!

More often than not, nearly all the Glycemic Index lists or charts published have an added numbered scale column. This is the Glycemic Load Index. This additional measure was created out of the notion that the Glycemic Index formula was missing some key components of data that would make the index more effective or accurate.

In plain terms, the difference between the two is, the Glycemic Index measures the specific carbohydrates, and the Glycemic Load measures the blood sugar raising power per serving of food. In other words, the Glycemic Load is a relatively new way to assess the impact of carbohydrate consumption that takes the glycemic index into account, but gives a fuller picture than does glycemic index alone.

How to Use the Glycemic Load Index

There are many benefits to using the glycemic load index to plan a diet, but it can be confusing to someone not used to it. The ranking of foods on the index can depend upon several factors:

• Different means of food production, processing or cooking;
• The amount of food eaten,
• An individual’s personal metabolism; and
• How foods are combined at a meal

All these variables can easily change the number on the Glycemic Index.

Controversies exist regarding the computation of the glycemic index. There are some experts who claim that the index is slightly off as each food is based on a very small quantity of food (50 grams), somewhat less than what a person would generally eat.  This skews the index toward heavily favoring low-carbohydrate foods while unfairly inflating the value of high-carbohydrate foods.

In light of this, a group of nutritionists have developed a formula from the glycemic index to figure out the glycemic load certain foods add to the bloodstream, which also considers the carbohydrates. The Glycemic Load is calculated this way:

Glycemic Load = Glycemic Index/100 x Net Carbs

Where,

Net Carbs = are equal to the Total Carbohydrates minus Dietary Fiber

For instance, starch and sugar may provide energy, but they have no fiber whatsoever. These nutritionists recommend using the glycemic load rather than the index because it accounts for the quantity of food eaten and the way such foods are combined. It is necessary to know what the glycemic index and the glycemic load of foods are in order to know the exact effect they have on blood sugar.

How Glycemic Load Improves the Glycemic Index

Here is a comparative scale of the GI and GL index charts:

A glycemic load of more than 20 is considered high. Medium is a score from 11 to 19, while anything 10 or less is considered low. Just as an example, consider watermelon. The glycemic index of such a sweet fruit is fairly high – 72. A 120 gram serving, however, has only 6 grams of carbohydrates.  72 divided by 100 times 6 is 4.32. Round that down to 4, to a very low glycemic load. See how much of a difference that makes?

Learning the difference and definitions of glycemic index and glycemic load can be a big help in figuring out a healthier way to eat. Certain combinations can really be a life-changing experience. Looking at both can explain why ice cream, containing fat and protein, can have a lower glycemic index and glycemic load than an equivalent amount of Cheerios, which are virtually entirely refined carbohydrates. Alone, the glycemic index can be useful in choosing the right foods and it is certainly easier than counting carbohydrates.

The glycemic index is not perfect, but despite its shortcomings, it is still by far a powerful and exceptional tool for those suffering from insulin resistance.