The Glycemic Index Diet for Dummies (34 page)

Add seafood, grilled chicken, or grilled vegetables along with some grated cheese to your pasta, and the total glycemic load falls even further. Filled whole-grain pasta, such as whole-grain tortellini with cheese, has a lower glycemic load even before you add anything to it.

Some pasta manufacturers are now adding soy protein to their pasta, which increases the nutritional value and decreases the glycemic index. The Dreamfields brand uses technology to make most of the carbohydrates in its pasta nondigestible, meaning it doesn't raise blood sugar levels as high as you'd expect from a similar amount of traditional pasta.

Here's a three-step plan for choosing the healthiest, lowest-glycemic pasta out there:

1. Look for whole-grain or protein-enriched pasta that tends to have a lower glycemic index, or choose a pasta that's filled with cheese, chicken, and/or vegetables for an overall lower glycemic load.

2. Eat no more than 1 cup of cooked pasta in a sitting.

3. Add protein such as chicken or fish and at least 2 cups of cooked vegetables to your plate.

The pasta should cover only one-quarter of your plate.

Upping Your Servings of Fruits and Vegetables

Almost 90 percent of Americans don't eat sufficient quantities of fruits and vegetables to promote overall good health, yet these are some of the most nutritious, low-calorie (and low-glycemic!) foods available. Packed with vitamins and minerals, fruits and vegetables should make up about half the volume of every meal. An easy way to measure this is to divide your plate in half. Fill one half of your plate with vegetables and fruit and fill the other half with lean protein and whole grains.

The next sections explain how to bulk up your meals without adding tons of calories and offer tips for adding low-glycemic fruits and veggies to your diet to promote weight loss.

Adding volume to your meals

Because fruits and vegetables are high in water and good sources of fiber, they provide volume to your meals. Many people feel more satisfied with a large, heaping plate of food as opposed to what looks like a tiny portion floating in the middle of a large dinner plate. Visualize this example: You want an afternoon snack, and you decide to make a healthy choice — fruit. If you want to eat no more than 100 calories for this snack, what amount of grapes (which are high in water and a good source of fiber) or raisins (which have a very low water content but are still high in fiber) should you eat? For 100 calories, you could enjoy 1/4 cup of raisins or almost 2 cups of grapes. Which portion looks more satisfying to you?

Research by Barbara Rolls, PhD and the author of
The Volumetrics Weight-Control Plan,
shows that eating low-calorie, high-volume foods help you eat fewer total calories and still feel full and satisfied. The reason for this increased fullness is
energy density,
or the amount of calories in a specific amount of food. To calculate energy density the official way, divide the calories in a serving of food by the weight of that food in grams.

No, you don't need to carry a calculator with you to the grocery store to calculate energy density. Here's the simple way to figure it out: If the calories in a food are less than the weight in grams, then that food has an energy density below 1, which means it's a low-energy-density food that provides volume and fullness with fewer calories. Most fruit and vegetables, skim milk, and broth-based soups fall into this category. If the calories in a food are twice the weight in grams, then the food has an energy density of at least 2, which means it's a medium-energy-dense food. Meat, cheese, and salad dressings fall into this category.

Because fruits and vegetables have a low energy density, and because many fruits and vegetables also have a low or medium glycemic index, building your meals and snacks around these foods is a smart move. For instance, a big tossed salad becomes lunch with the addition of grilled chicken, and vegetable stir-fries with small amounts of seafood or lean pork can contain up to four times the amount of vegetables as rice for a satisfying, low-glycemic meal.

Using fruits and veggies as your top weight-loss tools

Low-glycemic fruits and vegetables can keep you feeling fuller longer and for fewer calories, making them the perfect foods for weight loss. The vast majority of fruits and vegetables are low-glycemic, but feel free to refer to Appendix A for some specific low-glycemic recommendations.

Make sure fruits and veggies play a starring role in your snacks and meals. Here are several ideas to get you started:

Add chopped fresh vegetables to cooked cereal for breakfast and skip drinking juice.

Add a variety of chopped, dark green, leafy vegetables or leftover cooked vegetables to an omelet for breakfast or even a fast lunch.

Choose broth-based soups that contain lots of vegetables as an appetizer or add small amounts of lean meat or chicken for a satisfying and complete meal.

Keep a bowl of fresh fruit on the counter. (It's amazing what you'll choose for snacks if healthy options are right in front of you!)