GI dieters want answers

Reader: Lots of regulars on the YCDIDS (You Can Do It Diet Support) board seem to think it's a bad idea to eat carbohydrates in the evening. What's your view on 'carb curfews' and what would you recommend as an evening meal when it's your main meal of the day?

Reader: Just wondered if you could suggest any low GI between-meal snacks of about 100 kcal to fit in the with Rosemary Conley GI Jeans diet?

Catherine Matthews: Good low-calorie, low GI snacks include fruit salad, plain yoghurt, wholegrain crackers with peanut butter, hummus with vegetable dippers, mixed seeds and nuts (small amount), cottage cheese and a piece of fruit.

Reader: Is it normal to get days when you are particularly hungry? I find that normally I eat sensibly, mostly low GI, and am satisfied, but every so often I get a day when I am really, really hungry and all I want to do is eat, even though nothing - the amount of water I drink, the amount of exercise I do - has changed. Do you know why this would happen?

Catherine Matthews: It certainly is not unusual to have days when you are feeling very hungry. There may be a number of reasons for this such as hormonal changes occurring before or after your period, stress or leaving large gaps between meals. On these 'extra hungry days' you just need to increase your motivation and be a little more disciplined.

Snack on fruit and veg rather than calorie-laden snacks and aim to eat lots of small meals during the day. The trick to preventing hunger is to eat little and often. If you are hungry, eat a small amount of food and wait for a few minutes to allow your brain time to register satiety. Often a small amount of food will be enough to offset cravings and hunger.