The Glycemic Index Diet for Dummies (131 page)

Chapter 25
:
Ten Low-Glycemic Foods with Great Health Benefits

In This Chapter

Seeing green with asparagus, broccoli, lettuce, and spinach

Exploring a range of colors and nutritional offerings from cauliflower to tomatoes

S
electing low-glycemic foods rather than high-glycemic ones is always a good tactic for weight loss, but you should also pay attention to the overall health benefit of a food. Low-glycemic foods are packed with nutrition, specifically fiber, vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and healthy monounsaturated fat. Falling into a rut and eating the same foods all the time is incredibly easy. Break out of that rut by trying new, lower-glycemic foods that not only pump up your health but also taste great!

Lowfat Yogurt

Yogurt is a fermented dairy product made by adding bacteria cultures to milk, resulting in a thicker texture and a tart, tangy taste. A wide range of bacteria is used to make yog
urt, and each different bacteria strain has specific potential health benefits. The good news is that all the types of live bacteria found in yogurt help promote overall health. Unfortunately, not all yogurt sold contains
live
active cultures. For the purpose of shelf-stability, many yogurts are heat treated — a process that kills off the healthy bacteria. So as you're choosing yogurt, select containers that say
live active cultures
somewhere on the label. Also be sure to pick lowfat varieties to avoid unnecessary fat and calories.

Yogurt is a good source of calcium, riboflavin, protein, vitamin B12, potassium, and zinc. Many types of yogurt now also contain added vitamin D, which together with calcium helps build strong bones. Recent research shows that many people are deficient in vitamin D, which can lead to numerous health problems such as high blood pressure and some types of cancer. Eating yogurt with added vitamin D can help prevent you from developing a vitamin D deficiency.

Peanuts

Fun fact for the day: Peanuts aren't actually a nut — they're a legume! Peanuts are a good source of manganese, tryptophan, niacin, and folate. The fat in peanuts is the healthier mo
nounsaturated fat that helps protect against heart disease. Peanuts are also a good vegetarian source of protein. Unlike animal sources of protein, peanuts contain fiber, specifically 9 percent of your daily fiber needs in a 1-ounce serving.

Artichokes

The artichoke is a much-loved vegetable that's a star of the
Mediterranean diet,
a traditional, heart-healthy way of eating found in countries surro
unding the Mediterranean Ocean. Artichokes contain a high amount of antioxidants that provide an overall boost to your health. They're also a good source of vitamin C. And don't forget that one medium artichoke has more fiber than 1 cup of prunes!

Often people eat artichokes by pulling off the leaves one at a time and running each leaf through their teeth to remove the soft, pulpy portion. If you're in a hurry, choose baby artichokes, which can be eaten whole, or purchase marinated artichoke hearts.

Asparagus

It's amazing how much nutrition is packed into each tender spear of asparagus. With only four calories per spear, asparagus is a favorite vegetable for anyone conscious of her calori
e intake. Asparagus is also a good source of potassium, fiber, folate, thiamin, and vitamin B6, plus antioxidants (such as glutathione) that help protect against cell damage that may lead to cancer. Don't miss the Barley Risotto with Asparagus and Toasted Almonds recipe in Chapter 18.

Broccoli

Broccoli routinely makes the list of "super vegetables" that contain extremely high amounts of nutrients. It's a cruciferous vegetable that contains anticancer compounds and phytochem
icals that may help protect against heart disease. One cup of steamed broccoli contains more than 200 percent of your daily intake of vitamin C; it's also a good source of vitamin K, vitamin A, folate, and potassium.

Cauliflower

Some people think that white vegetables have little nutritional value, but cauliflower is actually a nutrition powerhouse. A cruciferous vegetable, cauliflower contains compounds t
hat protect against cancer, plus high amounts of vitamin C, folate, and fiber.

Lettuce

Hundreds of different types of lettuce are available today, and all of them are very low in calories and have high water content, which helps fill you up so you feel satisfied longer.
Varieties of lettuce with darker-green leaves contain higher amounts of vitamins and minerals compared to the lighter-colored types of lettuce. For example, romaine lettuce is an excellent source of vitamin K, vitamin A, vitamin C, folate, and manganese. Yet don't pass up lighter green lettuces such as iceberg or butterhead completely; they also contain antioxidants and healthy amounts of several vitamins.

Peppers

All colors of peppers are good sources of vitamins A and C. Red bell peppers (which are actually fully ripened green peppers with a milder flavor) contain
lycopene,
a phytochemical that may help reduce the risk of some types of cancer. Choose a variety of colors of peppers for their taste, visual appeal, and nutrition content. (For a tasty dish involving red peppers, look for the Tuna Salad with Olives and Red Peppers repe in Chapter 17.)

Spinach

Popeye was right — spinach is a good vegetable source of iron. It also contains antioxidants that help protect against cancer, as well as vitamins C and A to help promote a healthy hea
rt and cardiovascular system. Toss raw baby spinach into salads or add it to your favorite rice at the last minute of cooking for a splash of color and flavor. Also, be sure to try the Grilled Chicken Spinach Salad recipe in Chapter 17 and the Baked Halibut with Quinoa, Spinach, and Cherry Tomatoes recipe in Chapter 18.

Tomatoes

For a vegetable once believed to be poisonous, tomatoes have come a long way nutritionally. They're a rich source of lycopene, especially when cooked. Tomatoes are also a good source of
vitamin C, vitamin K, and folate.

Part VII

In this part . . .

First up is an appendix that lists the glycemic load of some foods found in this book's recipes, plus other commonly enjoyed foods. Use Appendix A to search for lower-glycemic foods you already enjoy and identify some new foods to try out.

And in case you prefer following the metric system, Appendix B provides simple conversion tables to make switching from ounces to grams a snap.

Appendix A
:
The Glycemic Load and Common Foods: An At-a-Glance Guide

C
onsider this appendix your quick-reference guide to the glycemic information for foods used in th
is book's recipes as well as some common foods. The easy-to-digest information is presented in tables, with each table listing specific foods, their portion sizes, and whether the glycemic loads for those portion sizes are low, medium, or high. (
Remember:
A glycemic load [GL] of 10 or less is considered low; a GL of 11 to 19 is considered medium; and a GL of 20 or more is considered high.) Use this appendix to look up your favorite foods to see where they fall, as well as to select low-glycemic foods when planning your meals.

If you want to eat more of an item than its suggested portion size, just know that doing so will likely increase that food's glycemic load a bit. If that food already has a medium-level glycemic load, you may be bumping its glycemic load up to the high range. In this situation, consider sticking to the portion size listed (and if you're still hungry, choose a lower-glycemic food to fill you up).

A good rule of thumb is to keep your total daily glycemic load under100. If you choose mostly low- and medium-glycemic foods, that shouldn't be a problem.

Bakery Treats

Who doesn't enjoy a donut, muffin, or cupcake every now and then? Choose baked goods made with whole grains and fruit for the healthiest and lowest-calorie options. Sweet treats are
just that — a sometimes treat, not an everyday part of your food choices. So even though the items in Table A-1 are medium- to high-glycemic, indulging in them once in a while is perfectly okay.

Beverages

What's the healthiest low-glycemic beverage? If you answered water, you're right. Plain, unflavored water quenches your thirst without adding anything, including calories, and it's exac
tly what your body craves. Make plain water your primary beverage and enjoy other beverages, such as the ones listed in Table A-2, in small amounts.

Breads and Snacks

Whenever you purchase breads and snacks, look for the phrase
100% whole grain
on the package advertising or the word
whole
listed first in the ingredients. That way you can be confident that you're purchasing the most wholesome, low-glycemic bread and snack products available. Make even better choices by searching out companies that specialize in producing low-glycemic foods, such as Natural Ovens. You can also use Table A-3 as a guide.

Breakfast Items

Tread carefully when it comes to choosing breakfast foods so that you incorporate low-glycemic foods as much as possible (Table A-4 can help you do just that). Low-glycemic foods
fill you up with fewer calories and help you stay satisfied longer, so if you want to avoid a midmorning energy crash, skip the donuts and choose low-glycemic breakfast foods.

Dairy Products

Fat-free milk and yogurt are excellent sources of calcium and vitamin D, plus they have a low glycemic load. Other dairy products, like the ones listed in Table A-5, are good choic
es as well. I suggest you try one of the smoothie recipes in Chapter 16 for breakfast or a quick snack in order to incorporate more dairy products into your diet.

Fruits

Fruit sometimes (and undeservingly!) gets a bad rap because it's a sweet, natural source of carbohydrates. That's unfortunate, because fruits are quite good for you — they provide fiber,
vitamins, minerals, and phytochemicals to promote overall health. The glycemic index and glycemic load can help you make sound decisions about the healthiest types of fruits to enjoy. Refer to Table A-6 and choose fresh fruit as often as possible to take advantage of its lower glycemic load compared to snacks like potato chips and candy bars. (If you're looking for tasty ideas for adding more fruit to your diet, try the Frozen-Fruit Smoothie Pops in Chapter 19.)

Grains

Choose your grains carefully by searching out whole-grain food products that incorporate the lower-glycemic grains such as bulgur, buckwheat, quinoa, and wild rice. Replace higher-glycemic
grains with lower-glycemic choices whenever possible by using Table A-7, as well as my suggestions in Chapter 15.

Legumes

Legumes,
sometimes known as dried beans and peas, are an excellent low-glycemic source of protein and fiber. Additionally, they contain neither saturated fat nor choles
terol. Experiment with adding legumes to your favorite grain recipes, such as a quinoa or rice pilaf. Consider replacing meat in burritos or tacos with black or pinto beans. Or just enjoy a hearty split pea or lentil soup rather than a stew based on beef or chicken. However you choose to add legumes to your diet, check out Table A-8 for the glycemic load of the most common ones.

Meat Products

Meats, including chicken, fish, beef, and pork, contain no carbohydrates. Only carbohydrate-containing foods are part of the glycemic index, so I can't provide glycemic data for meat
. However, I can tell you that when you add cracker-crumb coating to chicken, dredge fish in flour, or mix dry oatmeal or crushed crackers into hamburger for meatloaf or meatballs, you're incorporating carbohydrates into your meat. Table A-9 is handy because you get an idea of what the portion sizes should be in order to stay safely in the low-glycemic category (and within your calorie limits).

Sweeteners and Candy

The glycemic index is just one method of choosing healthy foods. When it comes to sweeteners, the key truly is the amount you consume, which is why Table A-10 can come in real
ly handy. The glycemic load is based on the amount of a food that you eat, or the amount of that food within an entire meal. If you made a meal out of sugar or other sweeteners, the glycemic load would be high. Use small amounts of sugar only when absolutely necessary, and you can tame your sweet tooth quite naturally.

Vegetables

Your mother was right: You really should eat more vegetables. The vast majority of vegetables provide plenty of vitamins and minerals along with a good dose of fiber and very few calori
es. As you can see in Table A-11, most vegetables even have a low glycemic load (with a few exceptions). You can definitely be creative in including more vegetables in your diet. Try preparing omelets with leftover cooked vegetables or whipping up vegetable-based soups for lunch. Making veggies a part of every meal is really easier than you may think (see Part IV for some stellar recipe ideas).