Savvy Fitness – Diet & Exercise » You Still Eat Real Food With Low Glycemic Index Recipes

You Still Eat Real Food With Low Glycemic Index Recipes | Savvy Fitness – Diet & Exercise

Jul 25 2007

You Still Eat Real Food With Low Glycemic Index Recipes

Published by Jennifer at 6:37 pm under Diet Plans, Glycemic Index Diet

Low glycemic index recipes are recipes we all should be eating more of anyway, whether we have problems with our blood sugar or not. Low glycemic index recipes are also often recommended by doctors for those who really need to loose weight, especially if they are prime candidates for heart disease. All the recipes have in common are the use mainly of foods low on the Glycemic Index, developed by the Human Nutrition Department of the University of Sydney and recommended by the American Diabetes Association and the World Health Association.

Substitutions

Mainly what low glycemic index recipes call for are substitutions to foods that make your blood sugar plummet or skyrocket. The substitutions for butter and lard are olive oil and other polyunsaturated fats like special low-fat margarine. They taste a little different, but a good kind of different. They are also widely available. Other common substations are brown rice or quinoa for white rice or potatoes.

Where To Find The Index

You can easily access the Glycemia Index on the web from various glycemic and diabetic support sites. You can also go directly to the source at www.glycemiaindex.com. You can buy their booklet which is a real world copy of the Glycemic Index. If you don’t have online access, there are many cookbooks available that are chock full of low glycemic index recipes. Check out your library, used bookstore or new bookstore to find them. They often will have “glycemia”, “diabetic, “low-carb” and “GI” in the titles.

A Typical Recipe

An abbreviated low glycemic index recipe follows for Pita Pizza:

Instead of using refrigerated pizza dough, use whole wheat pita breads.
Use low fat sauce, or even kinds without sugar.
Use low fat cheese.
Don’t use as much meat. Use mushrooms, garlic, broccoli, spinach and/or or peppers instead.
Make as you would your usual pizza.

And that’s basically the philosophy behind low glycemic index recipes. You still cook the same dishes, but in slightly different ways. You do need to know how to cook, though. If you don’t, it’s no big deal to learn. Go easy on yourself. You will get better with practice. You will also not only save more money by cooking your own dinners, but you will know exactly what’s going into your mouth. This may give you a feeling of raised self-esteem, which may have taken a beating learning you have a condition which requires a more monitored diet. Have fun with it.