The Glycemic Index Diet for Dummies (129 page)
What's your disease risk?
I'm guessing that someone you know (maybe even you yourself) has heart disease, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, diabetes, or some type of cancer. Nowadays even children and young adults have some of these issues. The good news is that making simple lifestyle changes can help reduce your risk for these conditions. That's right — lifestyle changes, not some magic cure or fad health or diet craze. Take the following quiz to determine your risk for disease and see what you can do to reduce it:
Do you have a family history of heart disease, stroke, diabetes, or cancer?
These conditions have a genetic connection, so if your sibling, parent, grandparent, or other relative has, say, heart disease, you're at greater risk for developing that too. I know many people take family medical history lightly, but knowing yours and acting on that knowledge is a good way to optimize your health now so you can avoid future complications.Smoking has a direct correlation with some cancers (particularly lung cancer), cardiovascular disease, and emphysema. If you're a smoker, you can help protect yourself from these conditions by quitting. I know giving up smoking is often easier said than done for many. Find some help at
www.smokefree.gov
.Alcohol is tricky when it comes to health. On one side, there have been reports that drinking alcohol, specifically red wine, can be beneficial to your health. However, these benefits only occur when you drink in moderation, meaning one beverage a day for women and two a day for men. When you go past this amount on a regular basis, you begin to have long-term health risks such as dementia, cardiovascular disease, stroke, and certain types of cancer. Keep your alcohol consumption to a moderate level to help avoid these problems.Without these foods in your diet, you have little antioxidants at work for you. Start by making a list of all the fruits and veggies that you enjoy and begin incorporating them with every meal and snack. The recipe chapters in Part IV feature several ways to add delicious and nutritious fruits, veggies, and whole grains to your diet.A person may be statistically overweight without showing any signs of a major health problem. However, research shows that being overweight does lead to a higher incidence of diabetes and cardiovascular disease, as well as some cancers. Decreasing your weight by 5 to 7 percent can help lower your risk for developing these chronic diseases.Lack of exercise is also connected with many chronic diseases. Fortunately, you don't have to become a triathlete to get some of the major benefits of exercise. So long as you get at least 30 minutes of moderate physical activity at least five days a week, you'll be doing your body right. If you're a couch potato, why not work on walking for 30 minutes a day and then go from there? (Here's a hint: You can break up that 30 minutes into smaller chunks if that makes it seem more manageable for you.)If you answered yes to any of the first three questions and no to any of the remaining questions, you're probably at a greater risk for disease than you thought. Talk to your doctor and begin thinking about ways to implement some of the suggested lifestyle changes in your day-to-day affairs. Then make a commitment to yourself to stick with those changes!
Part VI
In this part . . .
A wealth of misinformation about the glycemic index is floating around out there, and in this part, I give you the honest truth. I provide easy-to-understand explanations about key glycemic index concepts, and I help you discover additional fun health facts about some common low-glycemic foods. I also include ten surprising low-glycemic foods that you may not have tried before. After reading this part, you'll feel better about including them in your meal planning from time to time.
Chapter 23
:
Ten Myths about the Glycemic Index
In This Chapter
Uncovering the truth about the glycemic index of some popular fruits and vegetables
Realizing that not all high-glyemic foods are poor nutritional choices
Proving that calories still count, whether a food is low-glycemic or not
P
lenty of myths are floating around about the glycemic index these days. It seems like just about everyone knows something about it and is happy to tell you which foods to eat as well as which high-glycemic foods to avoid. The truth is that measuring the glycemic effect of foods is a highly precise and scientific process that requires specific testing (as explained in Chapter 2). In this chapter, I clear up ten common myths and help you understand how to use the glycemic index of foods to maintain a healthy weight and improve the overall nutrition quality of your food choices.
Carrots Are Pure Sugar
The original testing on carrots showed they had a high glycemic index (GI), which led to their reputation as a vegetable to avoid. Recent tests, however, show carr
ots actually have a low GI of 35 when raw and 41 when cooked. Plus, their glycemic load is only 4! (For more on glycemic load, head to Chapter 4.) Carrots are also high in vitamin A, vitamin C, potassium, and fiber. Feel free to add them to any meal, or enjoy them by themselves as a crunchy snack.
Watermelon Is Bad for You
Watermelon contains high amounts of (here's a no-brainer) water, giving it a low energy density, which means it fills you up and keeps you feeling satisfied for
a longer period of time. Watermelon is also a good source of potassium, vitamin A, and vitamin C.
Watermelon does have a higher GI of 72, but its glycemic load is only 4. That's because there aren't many carbohydrates available in a serving of watermelon due to all the water and fiber. The bottom line? Enjoy fresh watermelon as part of a healthy meal or snack. Spitting the seeds is optional!
You Can Never Eat a Potato
Potatoes are high-glycemic, but that doesn't mean you should ban them from your diet. After all, they're a good source of vitamin B6, potassium, and vitamin C,
which makes them a healthy addition to meals. Instead of forgoing potatoes, strive for balance on your plate. For example, eat a dinner that features a small portion of baked or boiled potato plus a lean protein (such as chicken or fish) and 2 cups of low-glycemic veggies (such as green beans, broccoli, or tossed salad); the glycemic load of such a meal is moderate. (Head to Chapter 15 to check out the suggestion for converting traditional potato salad into a lower-glycemic dish.)
You Should Never Eat High-Glycemic Foods
First off, a low-glycemic diet is all about moderation, so thinking that you can't ever have that high-glycemic chocolate chip cookie you love is
both silly and potentially harmful. Second, the glycemic index is only one component to consider when choosing which foods you want to eat. You should also consir vitamins, minerals, fiber, antioxidants, total carbohydrate amount, fat content, type of fat, and sodium.
Some higher-glycemic foods, such as popcorn and Cheerios, are made of whole grains, which are good sources of fiber. When you want to eat a high-glycemic food, balance that choice out with a lean protein and other low-glycemic foods. For example, enjoy whole-grain Cheerios for breakfast served with fat-free milk and fresh strawberries, or add a small handful of peanuts to your popcorn for a medium-glycemic snack.
The amount you eat of a high-glycemic food is often more important than how frequently you consume it. Paying attention to your portion sizes of higher-glycemic foods is an important eating strategy for weight loss. Enjoy a snack-size portion of microwave popcorn rather than a large bowl, and you're making progress!
High-Glycemic Foods Will Make You Gain Weight
Weight gain occurs when you consume more calories than you expend. Although it's true that some high-glycemic foods are higher in calories (Fr
ench fries, for example, have a higher GI of 64), it's also true that some lower-glycemic foods are high in calories. Chocolate cake with chocolate frosting, often a favorite birthday cake choice, has a GI of only 38. Yet it certainly wouldn't be on any dieter's list of "foods to eat on a daily basis."
If your goal is to lose weight and keep it off, pay attention to both the calorie content of the foods you eat as well as their glycemic index. And don't forget to exercise regularly too!
You Can Eat as Many Low-Glycemic Foods as You Want and Lose Weight
What a world it'd be if this myth were true! Unfortunately, it's not. Yes, you can eat all the low-glycemic foods you wan
t — but you still need to factor calories into the equation if you want to lose weight. Why? Because some low-glycemic foods are high in calories. Nuts, for example, have a GI of less than 30. Yet 1 ounce of mixed nuts contains 166 calories, and most people find it very difficult to limit themselves to just 1 ounce of nuts. A handful of nuts is at least 1/2 cup — and that amount of nuts contains more than 400 calories!
Even if you choose low-calorie, low-glycemic foods, you should still pay attention to the amount you're eating. Calories add up quickly, and overeating leads to weight gain and health problems.
High-Glycemic Foods Cause Type 2 Diabetes
Eating high-glycemic foods, or even consuming carbohydrates for that matter, doesn't cause Type 2 diabetes. Type 2 diabetes is the result of a com
plex combination of genetics and environmental effects such as obesity and lack of exercise. After someone is diagnosed with diabetes, he or she must engage in careful meal planning to control calories and carbs because consuming large amounts of high-glycemic foods can make managing the disease more difficult. However, a poor diet isn't the reason someone develops this form of diabetes.
Low-Glycemic Foods Are Always Nutritious
For a food to be considered nutritious, it must follow USDA guidelines and be high in vitamins, minerals, and fiber. Additionally, it needs to be l
ow in saturated fat and sodium. Many low-glycemic foods really are nutritious, but that's because they meet all of the USDA's guidelines for nutritious foods. Some lower-glycemic foods, such as Snickers candy bars, just don't meet all of those requirements.
Just because a food is low-glycemic doesn't mean it automatically qualifies as nutritious.