HEALTHY ALTERNATIVES

My more recent research has been to look at the glycemic indexes of certain foods (not sure what I'm talking about? Go here or here before reading further). Simply put, the glycemic index is a means by which to measure the effect of carbohydrates on blood glucose levels. Choosing low-GI carbohydrates--ones that produce only small fluctuations in our blood glucose and therefore insulin levels--is noted by the Glycemic Index Foundation as being the secret to long-term health and reducing the risk of chronic illness such as heart disease and diabetes. Low-GI foods are not only digested more slowly than high-GI foods, therefore minimizing spikes in blood glucose levels and subsequent risk for long-term physiological conditions, but they are richer in micronurients.

One of the books I checked out from the library that turned out to be a great source is The New Glucose Revolution: Low GI Eating Made Easy by Dr. Jennie Brand-Miller et al. The book discusses the benefits of a low GI diet and how to go about transitioning to one (if you're not already eating this way). What I really like, though, is a section in the second half of the text that lists the top 100 low-GI foods, what makes them low-GI, and how you might prepare/serve them. While this list was useful for my research, it was also interesting to look at for my own personal use. Even better, the book offers a list for low-GI alternatives to high-GI foods. So if you are looking for some healthier high-GI alternatives in your diet, here it is:

(plus my recommendations)

          

           

Many of the high-GI foods listed can be considered 'junk foods'. I really wanted to bring light to this, though, because so many people think that they are leading healthy lifestyles when actually, they aren't. Or they very well know that they aren't the healthiest person (whatever that may be), but they don't know just how much they're consuming that's bad for them--unless you write down everything you eat, but how many people actually do this?

As I mentioned, if you aren't comfortable with the glycemic index, this is a great source. But so is Brand-Miller's book, available here, alongside her other books.

"A low-GI diet is a way of eating long term." Take a gander, and let me know what you think.

Happy, healthy.

info via The New Glucose Revolution: Low GI Eating Made Easy