The Blood Sugar Solution Cookbook (7 page)
Read The Blood Sugar Solution Cookbook Online
Authors: Mark Hyman
Tags: #Health & Fitness / Diets, #Cooking / Health & Healing - Low Carbohydrate
- Look at the serving size and determine whether this is your “typical” portion,
as labels can be deceiving. A package or bottle might say that it contains 2 or 3 servings, but we have gotten used to eating the whole thing in one sitting. We often eat more than we actually need, especially when it comes to grains. Your goal is to limit grains and legumes to
to ½ cup regardless of what the box
says. Afraid this won’t be enough? Fill half your plate with fiber-rich nonstarchy vegetables. - Are the calories high GL or low GL?
The total amount of carbohydrates on your plate is less important than where they come from. If they are found in foods with a low GL and high PI, they will have a very different impact on your appetite and weight than foods that are quickly absorbed and have few nutrients and fiber. How do you know which foods have a low GL and high PI? Simple. Choose whole, nonstarchy plant foods, and you can’t lose. See
Chapter 2
for a list of low-GL vegetables. You get unlimited refills on these. - Start with fiber.
Fiber is one of the main factors that determine the all-important GL, and it can also give you a clue about the phytonutrient index. Look for at least 4 grams of fiber per serving. Better yet, by avoiding packaged, processed convenience foods, you will ensure that your diet is full of fiber. - Look at total carbohydrates.
Remember that it’s the type of carbs that matters most. If they are from whole-plant foods that contain plenty of fiber or have a low GL, their effect is very different from carbs in foods without fiber. The same amount of carbohydrates from a can of beans affects the body very differently than those from a can of cola. - Where are the good fats?
Monounsaturated and omega-3 polyunsaturated fats should dominate this category, with minimal amounts of saturated fat (less than 5 grams) and zero trans fats. Although the mention of trans fats has been required on food labels since 2006, small amounts of trans fats are still permitted in packaged foods without being indicated, as long as the food contains less than 0.5 grams of trans fats per serving. That means that if you eat that food frequently or eat more than one serving you may inadvertently get a load of trans fats. Therefore, look carefully at the ingredients list, even if the label says “zero trans fats.” Look for the words “hydrogenated” or “partially hydrogenated.” If you see those words, put the item back on the shelf.
Nutrition facts are merely a guide to help you sort out the healthy from the unhealthy foods. The numbers don’t mean as much as what’s in the food itself, so focus on
quality over quantity.
However, you can use labels to your advantage if you know what to look for. Let’s look at what is most relevant to your goal of keeping your blood sugar balanced.
Keep in mind the following when on the Blood Sugar Solution program:
- Cholesterol.
Worried about the cholesterol in your omega-3 eggs? Your liver makes more cholesterol in an hour than you could ever eat in a day. More cholesterol is produced in the body from eating sugar than from eating fat. There is little correlation between dietary cholesterol and blood cholesterol, and little reason to worry about this number on food labels. Surprising but true. - Protein.
Protein is your secret weapon to success on this program because it reduces insulin spikes and provides you with fuel to sustain energy throughout your day. Opt for high-biological-value protein sources such as lean fish, organic poultry, omega-3 eggs, nuts, and fiber-rich legumes. Remember that diversity is the key to nutrition, so eat from a variety of whole foods to meet your protein needs. - Sodium.
Most packaged foods have sodium added to give them flavor, but fresh foods don’t need much salt to taste fabulous. When you eat whole foods, you naturally get the right amount of sodium your body needs. By following my program, you will easily cut down on and normalize your sodium intake. Play around with adding real flavor to your meals by using tasty spices such as curry, chile peppers, rosemary, sage, and cinnamon. The less salt you add, the less you will want, as your taste buds adapt to new eating habits. - Other nutrients.
Sometimes junk foods are fortified with nutrients to enhance their nutrition appeal. For example, B vitamins are added to foods to “enrich” them. But that is only because they are so impoverished in the first place. Do you really think Vitamin Water is anything other than a cleverly disguised sugar drink?
How to Cook with a Busy Schedule
One of the questions I am most frequently asked by people who are interested in trying out the Blood Sugar Solution program is: How do I make this plan work on my busy schedule?
Trust me when I say that I know what it’s like to be busy. I’m a practicing physician who travels internationally giving presentations and seminars. I write books. I have a family of my own. I’m a busy person just like you. Yet I eat according to the principles outlined in
The Blood Sugar Solution
and cook recipes out of this cookbook or similar ones all the time (well, almost!). How do I manage to do that?
It comes down to one word: planning. If you’re anywhere near as busy as I am and you want to make the program work for you, you are going to have to learn to do some things in advance.
I know this may seem like a lot to do when you already have a busy schedule, but it’s worth it. The difference you will see and feel is well worth the time investment you make in the program.
I find that using the following suggestions makes my life a lot easier. I hope it will make your journey to health, or what I call UltraWellness, a little easier too.
With the recipes in
The Blood Sugar Solution
and
The Blood Sugar Solution Cookbook,
you now have access to a great deal of variety in terms of what you eat while you are on the program. However, if you wait to decide what to eat until just before you leave for work or just after you get home in the evening, you are going to face a lot of temptation to cheat. The more you do that, the greater the danger of going off the program entirely.
My recommendation? Plan ahead of time. Take a few minutes one day per week to sit down and plan your meals for the upcoming week, and make a shopping list. Then go to the grocery store and purchase all of the ingredients for those recipes in advance.
You can do this and still leave enough flexibility to choose different meals on different days. Sit down on, say, a Sunday afternoon, and plan the next seven breakfasts, seven lunches, and seven dinners. Go shopping and buy your ingredients all at once. Then you can decide which of these meals you want to prepare and eat on any given day.
You can always run back to the store after work one evening if you decide you really want those grilled shrimp brochettes instead of the meal you had planned for that evening. But at least you will always have a healthy backup at home, waiting to be prepared.
When you come home tired from work, the last thing you want to do is spend a lot of time in the kitchen preparing food. But if you do part of the prep work and cooking in advance, it will reduce your time in the kitchen on any given evening, making it that much more likely that you’ll prepare the meal you had planned rather than whipping up something quick that’s less healthy, or getting take-out.
Here are a few tips on how to do this:
- Cook on Sundays and Wednesdays.
Choose two days during the week (I find that Sunday and Wednesday work well for many people) when you are going to spend a few extra hours in the kitchen, cooking and preparing as much as you can in advance. - Prepare vegetables in advance.
You can cut and even steam your vegetables in advance, keep them in zipper-top bags, and then pull them out when you need them. - Clean and prepare meats in advance.
If you are cooking fish and shellfish, you can often do part of the prep work for these in advance as well. Devein your shrimp. Slice your fish into fillets that are the correct weight. Then freeze these items and pull them out when you need them. - Prepare sauces and marinades in advance.
If you’re going to use a recipe that requires a sauce, vinaigrette, or marinade, you can always prepare these in advance, store them in glass containers in the
refrigerator, and pull them out during the week when you’re ready to use them. - Cook brown rice and other whole grains in advance.
You can cook many whole grains, like brown rice, in advance. Keep them in your fridge and heat them up as needed.
While I usually recommend using fresh vegetables, beans, fish, and other products as much as possible, I am aware that when you are on a tight schedule, prepared products can be a lifesaver.
With the growing demand for high-quality prepared foods, you can now find many premium products that have been prepared in advance at stores like Whole Foods Market or Trader Joe’s.
In the resources section in
Resources
, you will find a list of mail-order resources for high-quality organic fruits, vegetables, beans, grass-fed meats, and other excellent products. Here are a few specific ideas:
- Use organic frozen vegetables
if you do not have time to prepare and cook vegetables. Choose organic, and choose a wide variety of different types of vegetables. Cascadian Farm provides high-quality organic frozen vegetables—almost as good as fresh. - Use canned beans, stocks, and other products such as sardines, artichokes, and roasted red peppers.
Make sure you stick to low-sodium versions of these as much as possible to keep the salt content of your diet down. Also, make sure to read the labels carefully to determine what ingredients are in the products you purchase. - Use canned wild Alaskan salmon
as your protein source at any meal. My favorite brand is Vital Choice (vitalchoice.com). - Stock up on jarred vegetables
such as artichokes, roasted red peppers, hearts of palm, and even sauerkraut (choose products in glass jars). These are quick and tasty ways to get extra vegetables into your diet.
While most of the recipes in this cookbook are quick and easy to prepare, there are some very simple alternative cooking options you can take advantage of if you are absolutely stuck for time. Below are a few basic cooking techniques that will allow you to make quick meals according to the principles of the Blood Sugar Solution.
Steam or sauté your vegetables and add some fresh spices.
- Put 1 cup water in the bottom of a saucepan and bring it to a boil.
- Place a steaming rack or basket over the water (you can get one at any grocery store for about $2).
- Chop your veggies, place them in the steaming rack, cover, and steam them for 4–8 minutes, depending on the vegetable and your desired level of tenderness.
- Add your favorite seasonings, and drizzle with extra-virgin olive oil and a little sea salt to taste. You can cook almost any vegetable this way. It’s easy. It’s delicious. And it takes almost no time at all.
- Put 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil in the bottom of a frying pan. Turn the heat to medium high.
- Chop your veggies and drop them in.
- Sauté for 5–7 minutes, to your desired flavor and tenderness.
You can add onions, garlic, and/or mushrooms (shiitake are particularly tasty) to sautéed veggies to make them more flavorful. You might want to sauté your onions, garlic, and mushrooms first with a little salt, then drop in your chopped veggies.
Fish and chicken are very simple to prepare in a delicious and healthy way. Just grill, broil, or sauté your fish or boneless, skinless chicken, then season with olive oil, lemon juice, rosemary, garlic, ginger, or cilantro (I like to experiment with spices). Here’s how:
- Preheat the broiler or grill.
- Sprinkle some sea salt and any other seasoning you choose on your fish or chicken. Place it under the broiler or on the grill.
- Cook fish until it is tender and opaque throughout, 7–10 minutes, flipping it once halfway through the cooking time. Chicken will take longer, perhaps up to 15 minutes. Again, flip it halfway. You will know it’s done when you press the chicken with your finger and it’s relatively firm, and it should be white throughout when you slice into it.
- Sprinkle some sea salt and any other seasoning you choose on your fish or chicken.
- Put 1–2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil in the bottom of a frying pan. Turn the heat to medium-high to heat the oil. Place your fish or chicken in the pan.
- Turn fish just once while cooking, but turn chicken often to avoid browning it too much on one side. Follow the same cooking times as for broiling and grilling.