The Everything Low-Glycemic Cookbook: Includes Apple Oatmeal Breakfast Bars, Parmesan Artichoke Dip, Creamy Cauliflower Soup, Mushroom Pork Medallions, ... Biscotti ...and hundreds more! (Everything®) (2 page)

When you eat carbohydrate foods, your pancreas releases insulin into your bloodstream to carry sugar to your cells, which is used for energy. Intake of high GI foods and general overeating causes elevated circulating insulin levels in the blood. Insulin works to lower blood sugar levels by turning excess sugar into stored fat. When insulin levels are high, the body is not able to burn stored body fat. Even with increased physical activity and exercise, it can be difficult to lose weight when insulin levels are consistently elevated. Elevated blood insulin is also associated with increased appetite, sugar cravings, high blood triglycerides, high blood pressure, heart disease, and diabetes.

Carbohydrate foods include grains, fruits, starchy vegetables, nuts, and legumes. However, not all carbohydrates are nutritionally equal, and they can differ greatly on the glycemic index. Also, common sense cannot always accurately predict the GI level of certain foods. For example, although honey is quite sweet, it actually has a lower GI level than white bread. Research shows that different types of carbohydrates have significantly different effects on blood sugar levels and appetite. Although equal portions of jasmine rice and brown rice have a similar number of calories, their GI levels are nothing alike. Brown rice, a lower GI food, will have less of an impact on insulin secretion while satisfying hunger.

The primary goal of a diet that follows the glycemic index is to minimize and prevent insulin-related health problems such as diabetes, heart disease, and obesity. This goal is accomplished by avoiding foods that have the largest impact on blood sugar. By keeping blood sugar levels stable, insulin levels remain constant. As a result of its role in reducing insulin fluctuations, a low GI diet is often recommended for individuals who are at risk for developing diabetes.

Eating foods that cause a large, fast glycemic response may lead to an initial quick surge in energy, followed shortly by a decrease in blood sugar, which results in lethargy, hunger, mood swings, and fat storage. Replacing high GI foods with low GI foods helps sustain energy levels throughout the day. A low GI diet that prevents these ups and downs in blood sugar and insulin helps achieve appetite control and mood stability while preventing weight gain.

A low-glycemic diet has been clinically proven to help those with type 1, type 2, or gestational diabetes. It can also help people who are overweight, have excess abdominal fat, or have been diagnosed with prediabetes or high triglyceride levels and low levels of HDL (or good) cholesterol.

Testing the glycemic index of foods is both expensive and time-consuming because it requires the participation of human subjects. Each year thousands of new food products flood the grocery store shelves; most are not tested because GI testing is not mandatory. If you don’t know the GI of a particular food, the Nutrition Facts food label may provide some clues. Foods that are higher in protein, fat, and dietary fiber and lower in carbohydrates often have a lower GI.

Although the GI levels of foods are tested individually, the foods are often eaten with other foods. The GI level of a meal depends on the GI levels of all the foods consumed together. Food preparation technique and food processing also impact the GI level of the meal. The recipes in this cookbook are based on combining low GI ingredients to create foods and meals that are GI friendly.

To better understand why low-glycemic index eating is healthful, it is important to be knowledgeable about carbohydrate metabolism. Let’s start by defining some important terms.

Insulin
, a natural hormone made by cells in the pancreas, is responsible for controlling the level of sugar in the blood. When carbohydrates (sugar) are absorbed in the intestines and enter the bloodstream, blood sugar levels rise. In response to rising blood sugar levels, insulin is secreted, which enables sugar to enter the cells to be used for energy.

Cortisol
, a hormone released by the adrenal glands, works to stabilize blood sugar levels by rising as blood sugar levels fall. High cortisol levels are associated with the storage of body fat around the belly.

Metabolic syndrome
is characterized by a group of risk factors for diabetes and heart disease, which include excessive fat around the abdomen, high blood pressure, abnormal lipid levels (high cholesterol), and insulin resistance.

Insulin resistance
is a condition in which the body makes insulin but is unable to use it properly. As a result, the body needs more insulin to help sugar enter the cells. Individuals with insulin resistance have elevated levels of both insulin and sugar in the blood, which increases the risk of developing diabetes and heart disease.

Leptin
is a key hormone in energy metabolism. Studies show that low levels of leptin are associated with the accumulation of body fat and diabetes. Low levels tell the brain to eat more, and high levels signal satiety or fullness. Individuals with low levels are prone to overeating and gaining weight. Losing weight can help regulate leptin levels.

The body requires three types of major nutrients to work efficiently: carbohydrates, fats, and proteins. Carbohydrates are a major source of energy in the diet, one that the brain prefers as fuel.

Do not confuse a low–glycemic index diet with a low-carbohydrate diet. Low-carb diets restrict many sources of carbohydrates such as breads, potatoes, sweets, fruits, and vegetables in order to put the body in a state of ketosis. In ketosis, the body uses stored fat for energy, and rapid weight loss may occur. However, not only is the potential for health risks a concern with such a diet, the long-term sustainability of a high-fat, high-protein diet is also highly unlikely. Many people who follow low-carb diets initially lose weight only to regain it once they return to their old eating habits.

A low GI diet focuses on choosing healthy, low-glycemic foods to promote weight loss and wellness. Fruits, vegetables, beans, nuts, and whole grains, lean proteins and heart-healthy fats comprise the meals. Following a low GI diet allows a large variety of readily available nutritious foods; it is more a way of life than a diet.

A Paleo diet is based on consuming foods such as meats, nuts, seeds, fruits, and vegetables that were available during the Paleolithic period. Since legumes (beans), dairy (in strict versions of the diet), and grains are not part of this diet, the Paleo diet is naturally gluten-free and dairy-free. Many of the recipes in this book can easily be made “Paleo.” In fact, more than 150 of the recipes—main dishes, side dishes, vegetarian dishes, breakfast dishes, and even desserts—are already Paleo friendly. For example, over 75 percent of the recipes in
Chapters 8
,
9
, and
10
meet this qualification.

Although the muscles can use either fat or carbohydrates for energy, the brain relies primarily on carbohydrates. Mental performance increases with the consumption of healthful carbohydrate-rich foods. Studies have shown that after eating a low- glycemic and low-carbohydrate meal, test subjects display improved intellectual performance in areas such as short-term memory, mathematics, and reasoning. This is true not only for the average person, but also for college students, elderly individuals, and even patients with Alzheimer’s disease. Such studies have shown that the improvement in memory and intellectual performance is greater with low GI meals as compared to meals containing high GI carbohydrates.

The types of foods you eat often dictate how much food you eat. This is because some foods are better at suppressing appetite and controlling hunger. It is also important to consider the quality of food in managing weight. Foods that contain a lot of calories and fat in a standard serving are referred to as being “energy-dense.” For example, a large chocolate-chip cookie can have as many as 500 calories, the same number of calories as six fresh peaches. It is easier to consume excess calories from the one cookie than from the six peaches, since you generally aren’t going to consume that many peaches in one sitting. When eating mostly low energy-dense foods, your appetite will become suppressed by eating fewer calories and less fat.

How does energy density relate to the glycemic index? The principle of energy density explains why choosing simply a low-fat or low-carb diet for weight control is not always the best answer. Often, low-fat foods are supplemented with sugar to make them taste better, and they end up having just as many calories as the alternatives. At the same time, some low-carb diets are high in fat, and fat is extremely energy-dense. A diet using the glycemic index allows for reasonable amounts of carbohydrates, fat, and protein and places more emphasis on the type of fat than on the total amount. The GI diet includes many servings of fruits, vegetables, and lower GI carbohydrates—an approach that focuses on the quality of the foods.

Gluten is the term used for several types of proteins found in wheat, barley, and rye. The proteins gliadin and glutelin found in these grains form a substance called gluten. Gluten is a “storage protein,” which means that it holds the key ingredients for the grains to continue thriving. These grains are used in many baked goods because gluten provides excellent elasticity, structure, and texture. Gluten causes pizza to have a chewy, stretchy texture. It gives French bread its soft white center and chewy crust and makes cinnamon rolls stretchy, soft, and light. Gluten helps give structure to bread dough when rising, so that the bread becomes tall and stays tall after baking and cooling. Gluten is found primarily in traditional breads, pasta, cakes, muffins, crackers, and pizza, all foods that are typically high on the glycemic index.

Avoiding gluten can be difficult for several reasons. The biggest reason is that it’s not often listed on the package because it’s simply a protein found in a number of foods and food products. In addition to wheat, the following foods, mostly derivatives of wheat, also contain gluten: