Our plan is all about losing those extra pounds, eating healthily and feeling great. Best of all, you'll regain your energy
It's always tempting to turn to chocolate for comfort. Yet the result is short-lived and turning to sugar or carb-loaded foods can leave you feeling worse in the long run. What you need is a diet plan that gives you energy, avoids sugar rushes and energy dips, and helps you beat the 3pm slump. What you need is a plan that follows the principles of low Gi eating.
Gi - what's it all about?
Gi is all about how the foods we eat impact on our blood sugar levels. You might be familiar with the sugar rush feeling you get when you eat chocolate. But once that ends, you may find yourself looking for another hit.
You feel that way because the glucose released into your blood stream is rapidly stored in fat cells by the action of the hormone insulin. The craving you feel is your body's way of trying to correct that dip in blood glucose levels.
How can you break the cycle?
The Glycaemic Index (Gi) is a way to rate carbohydrate foods to indicate how quickly they're broken down and the impact they have on our blood sugar levels. High Gi foods cause a rapid rise in blood glucose levels, followed by an equally rapid drop as insulin does its job. Low Gi foods have a much more gradual effect, being broken down more slowly and avoiding the glucose roller-coaster. The great thing about lower Gi foods is that they're filling, satisfying and healthy.
This plan is about stabilising blood glucose and insulin levels, beating cravings, feeling full, losing weight - and having more energy.
Getting to know Gi
Glucose and white bread are used as the standard and they both have a Gi of 100. All other foods are then measured against these two.
- Low Gi foods have a value of 55 or less
- Medium Gi have values of 56 to 69
- High Gi have a value of 70 or more
This plan will give you a mixture of these foods, with low Gi choices being given where possible. The good news is that having a low Gi food along with a high Gi treat will lower the overall Gi of that meal, making it easier for your body to cope. A diet of low Gi only foods could quickly become dull, so we've added some favourites in here to make things easier.
The Gi rules
Calories still count
Portion sizes given on this plan can be vague - for example, a handful of this, a spoonful of that. This is done deliberately for two reasons: to save you using the kitchen scales every time you want a bite to eat, and to give you control over how much you eat.
Eat slowly to allow your brain to register when you're full - and then stop. Leave the table feeling you could eat just a little bit more. Remember low Gi foods aren't 'free foods' - they still have calories.
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Food choices
Complex carbs The 'fillers' on this plan will be lower Gi foods. For example:
- Brown rice instead of white
- Sweet potatoes instead of regular white potatoes
- Wholegrain bread and breakfast cereal instead of white or refined versions
Fruit and veg The Gi values of fruit and veg vary. This plan uses only low-Gi varieties. For example, you won't see watermelon or parsnips on this plan but you will get cherries, berries, grapes, apples and lots of green vegetables.
Pulses beans and lentils These have very low Gi values and couldn't be easier to use. Yes, you can get dried beans that need to be soaked overnight and boiled for a long time, but the cooked beans in cans are super-handy. Lentils do need to be boiled but not soaked, so they only take half an hour to prepare. You'll find beans and lentils in this plan so give them a go if you haven't before - they're cheap, tasty, easy, healthy and add texture to meals.
Snacks Many snack foods are highly processed and refined, which means they have higher Gi values. When choosing snacks (and meals), use whole, natural foods as much as possible. In practice, that means:
- Ditching the doughnut in favour of a digestive
- Swapping crisps for air-popped popcorn
- Having a wholegrain pitta with hummus instead of a bagel
Meat, fish and poultry As Gi refers to how carbohydrates affect blood sugar, foods without carbs don't have Gi values. In Gi terms, one protein food is much the same as the next, but calories still count and healthy eating guidelines apply. Go for leaner protein sources such as chicken and fish, and limit red meat.
Fats and oils As with protein foods, fats don't have Gi values. However, you should choose poly- and mono-unsaturated fats found in olive oil, sunflower oil, oily fish, nuts, seeds and avocado over red meat or animal fats.
Alcohol The bad news is that alcohol gets a Gi thumbs down. If you're going to drink alcohol, go for red wine as it has some positive health benefits.
Do you get the munchies after a few drinks? That's your blood glucose and insulin levels going haywire as the alcohol hits your system. So if you want to lose weight and make the most of doing this plan, hold back on booze.
If you don't want to cook
Processing tends to raise the Gi of foods, so cooked-from-scratch is a better option than a ready meal. But time, plus our ability and desire to cook, sometimes means that ready meals are in and recipes are out.
If you want to swap any of our meal plans for convenience food, keep the Gi principles in mind:
- Look for wholegrain bread when it comes to sandwiches
- Lentil or beans in soups
- Go for pasta or noodles instead of white rice
If that sounds like a death-knell to curry, think about getting a ready-made curry without the rice and cooking up your own brown rice at home. It'll make such a difference.