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What Does a Glycemic Index Food List Mean?

admin — Sat, 08 May 2010 02:55:27 +0000

Looking for low GI foods?

Glycemic index or GI number ranks carbohydrate containing foods according to their effect on your blood glucose (sugar) levels. It can be a useful tool for people with diabetes. In meal planning, low GI foods can be incorporated in the diabetes food list for blood sugar control.

Glucose is given a value of 100 and other carbohydrates are given a number relative to glucose. High glycemic index foods (high GI number) tend to raise your blood sugar faster in comparison to foods with a lower GI number. High GI foods are useful for when you need to raise your blood sugar and for short term recovery after intense exercise. Low GI foods can help to prevent overnight drops of blood sugar and help during long periods of exercise.

Potential benefits from eating low glycemic load diet:

Help people lose and manage weight by reducing hunger and keep you fuller for longer
Increase the body’s sensitivity to insulin, improve diabetes management
Reduce the risk of heart disease by Improving blood cholesterol levels
Prolong physical endurance during exercise or intense activities

It is not easy to follow a low GI diet. Most foods are not classified by glycemic index for example packaged foods, combination foods. These basic guidelines can help.
•   High-fiber foods – choose whole grains, legumes, fruits and vegetables.
•   Eat more fresh or raw foods over canned or processed foods.
•   Eat a variety of foods to provide adequate nutrition, don’t limit yourself to only certain foods.

Example of low glycemic index foods:

Artichoke, Asparagus, Broccoli, Cauliflower, Celery, Cucumber, Green beans, Spinach, summer squash, Tomatoes, Zucchini
All-Bran, Chickpeas, Kidney beans, Macaroni, Multi grain bread Peanuts, Pearl barley, Spaghetti, Sweet potato, Whole grain
Low-fat yogurt, Milk, Apple juice, Grapefruit juice, Pineapple juice, Soy milk

Glycemic Index (GI) scale:
High GI 70 and above, Medium GI 56-69, Low GI 55 and below

See large list: Glycemic index for 100+ common foods

Foods Can Trigger Headaches

admin — Thu, 06 May 2010 03:37:52 +0000

Got a headache?

Nothing can ruin a day like a headache. There are many possible headache causes as well as different types of headaches. Food sensitivity is one of the common headache triggers. Avoiding certain foods is the easiest way to give you control over your headaches.

Food triggers for headaches are different for everyone. One of the ways to figure out what foods you need to avoid is to keep a food record. Jot down a list of foods you ate every time you have headache and start eliminating them from you diet. You can add them back to your diet one food at a time and observe the results. Don’t forget to also note the environmental factors you were exposed to while having your headache such as very bright sunlight, heat, chemical fumes (could be someone’s perfume), fresh flowers.

The most common food headache triggers are : alcohol (red wine), aspartame, caffeine, canned soups, chocolate, cultured dairy products, aged cheeses (except cottage, farmer’s, ricotta and cream), dried fruits, MSG (a food additive), nuts, canned, cured, or processed meats, smoked or dried fish.

Eat more of these good magnesium foods. Magnesium has been associated with decreasing headaches. Wheat germ, beans, soy products, whole grains, seafood, dark green leafy vegetables, bananas and milk.

These foods may help lessen the pain: cayenne pepper, garlic, ginger, peppermint, fresh fish and fish oil, foods rich in calcium and magnesium.

A good preventative measure is to eat a general balanced diet of low processed foods and more fresh fruits and vegetables, wholegrain and don’t forget adequate hydration. Reading nutrition label for additives and preservatives is a good idea. Certain food dyes and flavor enhancers are headache inducers for many people.

Don’t skip meals. Going without food for long periods of time is one of the major causes for headaches. They can result from going without food for more than 5 hours or 13 hours during sleep, shorter if you have history of low blood sugar (hypoglycemia).

Avoid sudden changes in your eating habits. For example suddenly totally cutting out drinking coffee, soft drinks (caffeine deprived) or eating large amounts of any one food. Foods and beverage changes should be made gradually to let your body adapt.

Basic Healthy Grocery Shopping Tips

admin — Wed, 05 May 2010 19:50:22 +0000

Healthy Grocery Shopping

Have you heard of the saying “Don’t shop when you are hungry”? That is because everything looks good when you are hungry. We are very tempted to buy more prepared junk foods such as items on the marked down bakery isle. Having a grocery list will help you keep focus on the healthy foods especially when you are tired and hungry.

Make your own list with the suggestions given. Fill in the blanks with foods that you and your family like and the preferred brands. Having an updated list you can give copies to anyone else who can help you shop. I give a copy to my spouse and sons, including which isle in the store they can find the item. That makes my life much easier.

It has been said to shop the perimeter of the store for healthy products such as less processed foods. That is true but I always start with non refrigerated items like dry cereals, baking supplies, bottled juices, then fresh produce, dairy products, meat and frozen items. If you use coupons, organize them accordingly to take advantage of the saving but don’t buy a product just because you have a coupon for it.

Everybody knows that eating fresh fruits and vegetables is one of the best ways to get your vitamins and minerals. But know thy self – if buying and preparing fresh fruits, and cooking vegetables is not your style, then don’t buy them. You will only feel guilty if you buy a bunch of fresh fruits and vegetables with good intentions of eating healthy and throwing them away at the end. You would be better off to buy prepared fruits, vegetables by the weight (such as at a salad bar or boxed goods in the refrigerated section) when you are ready to eat them.

Make sure you check the expiration dates on dairy products. I’m guilty of picky the item at the back of the cooler thinking it’s colder and fresher. Watch for any bad discolorations and off odor when buying meats. Your health and well being is worth more than a few cents in savings. I like to buy fruits that I will eat whole such as apples packaged in a bag especially during the flu and cold season.

If you are just going to pick a few items on your healthy grocery list, use a shopping basket instead of a cart. You are less likely to over buy and can move around the store much faster. I seem to can get in and out of the store much quicker when I hand carry my food items.

Update your grocery list: Basic Healthy Grocery List

Foods for A Good Night’s Sleep

admin — Wed, 05 May 2010 03:57:00 +0000

Foods for Restful Sleep

Ever get super sleepy after a thanksgiving dinner? That probably because for reason one you might have over indulged. Reason number two is turkey meat along with good amount of carbohydrates from potatoes, dinner rolls is a good food combination to induce sleep. Turkey meat is a good source of amino acid tryptophan which makes it one of the best foods for sleep. Tryptophan is necessary for the production of serotonin and melatonin the sleep chemicals in the brain. They help calm you down by slowing down the brain nerve traffic to let you sleep.

These foods are good sleep inducers since they are good sources for the amino acid tryptophan.

Dairy products: cottage cheese, Swiss cheese, milk, yogurt
Nuts – hazelnuts, peanuts, sesame seeds, soybean nuts, sunflower seeds, roasted pumpkin seeds
Potato with skin, banana
Protein foods – turkey, chicken, eggs, fish
Seafood – tuna, shellfish
Soy products: soy milk, tofu, soybean nuts
Whole grains, kelp, rice

There are bedtime snacks that can help you sleep. These are high in carbohydrates, calcium and medium to low source of protein.

Apple pie and ice cream
High fiber cookies such oatmeal &raisins cookies, and milk
Peanut butter sandwich
Tofu with chopped nuts
Whole-grain cereal with low fat milk

Eating tips for restful sleep

You’ll sleep better with light meals that are not too spicy. High fat and large meals take longer to digest and not conducive to restful sleep.
Don’t eat too close to bedtime. Snack instead if you must eat late at night. When you eat just before bed time instead of your metabolic rate slowing down for the night it speeds up. This can lead to unrestful sleep.
Avoid eating foods that give you heart burn (gastro esophageal reflux) such as highly seasoned foods, high acid foods like citrus fruits and juices. Also, don’t over load on gas forming foods such as beans, cabbage, and broccoli at dinner time.

More on Healthy Smoothies

admin — Thu, 29 Apr 2010 23:24:58 +0000

Healthy Smoothies

Making smoothies can be fast and fun. Easy smoothies are made with your favorite fruits, vegetables, add liquids and blend. Experimenting around with flavor combinations is the fun part. Here are more suggestions to help you enjoy your healthy smoothies.

On the go?
You can enjoy a delicious and healthy breakfast smoothie instead of grabbing something unhealthy or worse skipping meals. Make your smoothies ahead of time and freeze in individual containers. Be sure to allow headspace for expansion. Thaw out in the refrigerator overnight or while you’re getting ready for work.

Blending tips
Add liquids first, then fruits. This helps prevent gumming up at the bottom. Try using a stick blender. You can blend straight in the drinking container providing it is large and tall enough; saves on clean up time.

Freeze your own fruits
Buy fruits in season, cut up into chunks and freeze. If you put the fruit pieces in one layer they won’t stick together. I like to do mine this way – in a heavy freezer bag (one layer) then add more layers on top of that with different fruits. Then all goes in a flat container. When they are frozen you can remove the container.
Using frozen fruit chunks make blending easier, thicker and colder.
Be sure to use these frozen fruits within a moth. They tend to lose flavor with time.

Flavored ice cubes
Freeze juice, herbal tea, fruit nectar in ice trays it makes it more fun and helps keep your smoothie colder in the summer time.

For maximum health benefits

Use the freshest ingredients
Drink you smoothie right after blending
Add more protein with peanut butter, tofu, protein powder
To make low cal smoothies use low fat or fat free liquids, yogurt. Use natural sweetness from fruits rather than sugar. Experiment with different artificial sweeteners. Some has a bitter after taste.

Alternate making fruit smoothies and vegetable ones to give variety. Some people think making your own smoothie is a lot of trouble and they give up after a while. By doing a few things ahead you can enjoy the health benefits plus money saving from homemade smoothies.

Sample recipes: Healthy Smoothie Recipes