Why is it recommended
to eat a LOW GI MEAL?
A meal with a low GI releases glucose slowly into the bloodstream and does not over-stimulate insulin production. (Remember, high levels of insulin encourage the body to store fat, which again can lead to lifestyle diseases).
Lower GI meals have been shown to be beneficial in the following conditions:
- Diabetes
- Low blood sugar (hypoglycaemia)
- Metabolic syndrome hyperinsulinemia and insulin resistance
- POCS (Polycystic ovarian Syndrome)
- Candidiases
- Inflammatory diseases such as arthritis and chronic fatigue syndrome
- Inflammatory diseases such as arthritis and chronic fatigue syndrome
- ADHD & ADD
And what are the advantages of a LOWER FAT MEAL?
High fat intakes result in the body's insulin working less effectively, which may play a role in the development of metabolic syndrome and reactive hypoglycaemia, and eventually diabetes. As previously mentioned, eating a high GI meal results in an over production of insulin. When a high GI meal is combined with a high fat intake, our body ends up producing too much insulin, and together with that the insulin that is produced, is not working effectively. Thus, low fat and lower GI eating go hand in hand to promote your health.
What are the tricks for Low fat, Low GI cooking?
During the Greenlight Cooking course, domestic workers are taught that we add GLUE FOODS to help lowering the GI of that meal. It is explained that Glue Foods "glue the food to our intestines" (a simplified explanation to enhance understanding). GLUE FOODS contain lots of soluble fiber (eg. soluble fibre gives cooled oats its stickiness and gel appearance) that slows down the rate at which digestion and absorption of carbohydrates take place in our bodies.
That´s why some of the recipes in this course may seem a bit different from the traditional recipes, because the aim was to lower the GI of the meal. Some of the Glue foods that we add are as follows:
Oat bran: Oat bran is the concentrated soluble fibre found in oats. It looks like fine oats, and must not be confused with digestive bran! It is a soluble fire that is very effective at slowing down the absorption of carbohydrates. For this reason we add it to most flour containing recipes to slow down the absorption of the fast release (high GI) flour. Because it is white and has no flavour, it can be used freely without compromising taste in most dishes. In addition, oat bran helps to control cholesterol levels and prevent constipation. Grated raw apple or canned pie apples can replace some of the fat and sugar in a batter. Apples are an effective and cost effective way of lowering the GI of all baked goods. Beans (tinned / cooked) and lentils: Batters contain lots of high GI carbohydrates, and it is therefore recommended to replace some of this with lower GI carbohydrates like beans and lentils. Fortunately, dry beans have little flavour and do not noticeable affect the taste of baked goods. Up to half of the flour in a batter can be replaced with pureed cooked dry beans. Sweet potatoes are full of soluble fibre and can be added to batters (raw or cooked). It´s ideal to add to mash potato to lower the GI of the potatoes. Whole-wheat Pronutro (original or Apple bake) gives good texture to baked goods and lowers the GI. |
|---|
Further more the course also teaches them low fat cooking principles. It is stressed that the domestic workers should never deep fry, but only fry the food in 1 tsp of oil, cut the fat off meat and remove the skin from chicken before cooking, use low /fat free dairy products (eg. milk/cheese/yoghurt/cottage cheese, Ideal milk), etc.
