GI foods, the GI diet and recipes

jenny3008

I was looking for some advice on what to eat while being mindful of the Glycaemic Index of food stufts. I have been 'dieting' for a couple of years and to be honest the scales haven't been moving much.

Most of this is probably down to an excess of calories but even when I am really good, measure everything and exercise loads it is sometimes painfully slow.

As a result of a conversation with my PT during my rest period today he mentioned that he is interested in blood sugar and the effects of that on insulin and for want of a better term 'fat storage' in the body. I know this isn't quite the right term but I can't remember what he called it technically.

He suggested that because my weight is moving so slowly despite a reasonable diet, calorie deficit and some hard work in the gym it may be something I would want to look into. I also have a history of Type 2 diabetes in my family which according to my doctor means that I am at higher risk of developing it. The bits of reading that I have done on the GI diet indicates that watching the GI level of foods can help in the avoidance of diabetes developing.

I just want to clarify that I am not blaming insulin resistance on my lack of weight loss or suggesting I have a metabolic disorder or anything like that before I get jumped on. I just want some information and perhaps advice on a different way of eating which may suit me better and may help avoid any health effects in the future.

I'm in the UK so it would be great if any advice/ recipes etc weren't too focussed on things that are not available here. Or on brand names I wouldn't know

Thanks

yarwell

Diary closed so can't suggest alterations from what you do now.

I'm not a massive fan of GI / GL and the evidence for it helping eg with diabetes is weak.

Sugar and starch of all colours are high GI, the carbs in green vegetables that grow above the ground are low GI. So replacing mashed potato with riced cauliflower would be a significant shift, fiddling about with brown rice vs white rice less so.

M&S do "fuller longer" or similarly named ready meals with lower GI.

Sabine_Stroehm

You could read up on "slow carb" eating as discussed variously, lately by Tim Ferriss. While often credited with "slow carb" eating, he's not the first, and probably not the best, but there's lots out there about it. You could also read up on the South Beach diet, which is slow carb, and is basically built around eating nutrient dense vegetables (most often the leafy green kind, and the cruciferous kinds, not as much the starchier kind grown below ground, tubers etc.), legumes, lean protein, dairy, nuts and seeds, fruit, and whole grains (this is basically how I build my diet). The South Beach book, which you can probably get from the library, talks a bit about choosing vegetables and fruits that are "slower" and thus lower on the glycemic index than potential others.
You could also read up on PCOS and dieting. Many folks (including folks here) find that a slower carb/lower glycemic diet works for them, but many others (including folks here) find that low carb works for them.

Good luck!

RodaRose

The GI is complicated and not useful because it does not work.

Lower your overall carbs: eat greens especially
http://www.healthyworkouts.org