The best way to assess the quality of the carbohydrates you eat is by using the glycemic index, or GI. High-GI carbohydrate foods, with a GI value of 70 or above, are associated with a steep rise in your blood sugar levels, often followed by a blood sugar crash, which results in uneven energy levels, hunger, cravings and weight gain. Replacing high-GI foods with low-GI carbs, which have a GI of 55 or below, is a good way to stabilize your blood sugar levels between your meals and is associated with a healthier body weight and a lower risk of developing chronic diseases.
Breakfast
Many of the typical breakfast foods have a high GI. Avoid most breakfast cereals, white bread, whole-wheat bread, instant or flavored oatmeal, muffins and granola bars. Instead, start your day with low-GI carbs. Have a bowl of steel-cut oats or cooked quinoa topped with a dollop of plain yogurt, cinnamon, a handful of almonds and diced apples and a dash of honey if desired. Alternatively, you could have whole-grain sourdough toasts with peanut butter, half a banana and a glass of milk or an oat-based sugar-free granola mixed with flax seeds, nuts, berries and plain yogurt.
Lunch
For lunch, avoid white or whole-wheat bread and bagels used to make sandwiches, paninis and subs. Trade these foods for a low-GI vegetable and lentil soup served with a piece of sourdough bread and cheese. You can also have a big salad with plenty of leafy greens and other salad vegetables like green onions, cherry tomatoes and cucumber topped with a piece of fish or chicken, slices of avocado and a vinaigrette made with equal parts of olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Adding vinegar to any of your meals further lower the glycemic index of your meal because its acidity delays gastric emptying.
Dinner
For dinner, avoid high-GI potatoes, whether fried, mashed or baked, white rice, buns and baguette. Swap these carbs for low-GI ones, like sweet potatoes, sourdough bread or bread made with stone-ground whole-grain flour, Basmati rice, whole grain pasta or legumes. Include plenty of non-starchy vegetables like onions, mushrooms, broccoli, cauliflower or asparagus at each of your meals and complete with a serving of protein from chicken, turkey, fish, seafood or meat and a healthy dose of fat from olive oil, avocado or nuts.
Snacks
Replace high-GI snack foods like granola bars, pretzels, rice cakes, soda crackers, donuts, scones and other sweets with low-GI carbs. Low-GI carbs will help give you more energy to carry on with your daily activities until the next meal. For example, most fruits, especially berries, plums, apples, pears, oranges, kiwifruits, peaches, grapefruit and grapes, have a low GI and make a convenient snack. Plain yogurt, nuts and seeds as well as their butters, hard-boiled eggs, cheese, a glass of milk, raw vegetables dipped in hummus or a bean salad all constitute healthy low-GI snacks for your low-GI eating plan.
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