Cooking a low glycemic carbohydrate diet is relatively easy, and it is a great way to make a small adjustment in your lifestyle that can have a big effect on your weight loss goals. Low glycemic carbohydrates digest more slowly than high glycemic or refined carbs. Eating sugars or white rice, potatoes or bread causes a large spike in the hormone insulin, which quickly shuttles nutrients for fat storage. When you base your diet around low glycemic carbohydrates, you can eat the same amount of calories while storing less body fat. Examples of these foods are oatmeal, brown rice, sweet potatoes, whole-grain pasta and quinoa.
Step 1
Replace quick-cooking oatmeal with old-fashioned, slow-cooking, unprocessed oatmeal. Bring 1 cup water to a boil and add 1/2 cup oatmeal. Reduce the heat to medium and cook for five to ten minutes. You can add fresh fruit, cinnamon, stevia or honey to sweeten and flavor your oatmeal. Once cooked, top with 1 tbsp. flaxseed oil to get some healthy omega fats.
Step 2
Choose brown rice over white rice as a low glycemic healthy addition to lunches and dinners. Boil 4 cups water to every cup of brown rice. Add rice to boiling water and reduce the heat to medium, boiling for 30 minutes uncovered, and stir to prevent sticking. Once finished, strain the rice over the sink, cover and allow to sit for 10 minutes. Then fluff with a fork, adding salt, spices, butter or butter alternatives, as needed.
Step 3
Add sweet potatoes to recipes that call for white potatoes. Sweet potatoes are delicious, naturally sweet and low glycemic. Cut or peel sweet potatoes and place on a baking sheet with the oven preheated to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Bake for 30 to 45 minutes or until desired tenderness is achieved. Top with butter, salt, cinnamon, sugar or stevia. They can also be enjoyed mashed, diced or as sweet potato fries.
Step 4
Replace regular pasta with whole-wheat or brown rice pasta. Bring 4 to 6 cups of water to a boil; then add 3/4 to 1 cup pasta. Reduce heat slightly, keeping the water boiling without boiling over. Cook until al dente or firm to the bite. Overcooking is not suggested. Strain over the sink, adding olive oil, salt or pasta seasoning to taste.
Step 5
Replace other starches with quinoa, a naturally low glycemic grain that is high in protein and vitamins, not to mention delicious. Boil water in a 2:1 ratio, for example 2 cups water to 1 cup quinoa. Once boiling, cover, reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Remove from heat and let stand for five minutes. Fluff with a fork and season to taste.
Things You'll Need
- Old-fashioned oatmeal
- Brown rice
- Sweet potatoes
- Whole-wheat pasta
- Quinoa
