What are the Benefits of the Glycemic Index?
Eating a lot of high GI foods can be detrimental to your health because it pushes your body to extremes. This is especially true if you are overweight and sedentary. Switching to eating mainly low GI carbs that slowly trickle glucose into your blood stream keeps your energy levels balanced and means you will feel fuller for longer between meals.
◦Low GI diets help people lose and manage weight
◦Low GI diets increase the body's sensitivity to insulin
◦Low GI carbs improve diabetes management
◦Low GI carbs reduce the risk of heart disease
◦Low GI carbs improve blood cholesterol levels
◦Low GI carbs can help you manage the symptoms of PCOS
◦Low GI carbs reduce hunger and keep you fuller for longer
◦Low GI carbs prolong physical endurance
◦High GI carbs help re-fuel carbohydrate stores after exercise
THIS is a really great resource. People at times get too caught up in Zone vs. Paleo vs. Weight watchers. If you are open to information you will find that South Beach and Atkins maintenance is very similar to the Zone. Do what works for you!
29 Healthiest Foods
Anytime I see superlatives like "healthiest" or "best" I am leery, but there is allot of good stuff on the article. A few nuggets:
Avocados contain Oleic acid, an unsaturated fat that helps lower overall cholesterol and raise levels of HDL, plus a good dose of fiber
Tomato’s contain Lycopene, one of the strongest carotenoids, acts as an antioxidant. Research shows that tomatoes may cut the risk of bladder, stomach and colon cancers in half if eaten daily.
Bok Choy (Chinese cabbage) contains Brassinin, which some research suggests may help prevent breast tumors, plus indoles and isothiocyanates, which lower levels of estrogen, make this vegetable a double-barreled weapon against breast cancer. A cup will also give you 158mg of calcium (16 percent of your daily recommended requirement) to help beat osteoporosis
ENTIRE article is here. Please remember when something is healthy, it may not help you if you are trying to lean out. We recommend NOT eating any grains, legumes and potatoes but are not saying they are not healthy. I am reading a great book now that talks about approaching food without judgement and emotion. Look at the facts. and your goals, and base your decisions off of that.
NOT HAPPY!
We have not been receiving the feedback that we need regarding the current food challenge. We realize that logging and posting are not always easy, and that it does not come naturally to some. That being said, WHEN IT SAYS POST FOOD HERE...POST FOOD HERE> We are not seeing the log books which means we have no data to work with. The bulk of the people we deal with have problems with consistency in their diets. This can ONLY be remedied if we have consistent logging so we can see what is, and is not working. There will be ONLY a weigh in on Saturday. We have nothing new to discuss because we have not seen what is going on with the current information. If you would like to weigh in on Thursday or Friday, that is fine also. Please feel free to contact us with any questions or concern, but we NEED to see data, and lots of it!
Where is your food?
I am not getting as many food logs as I should be, and I am not seeing any posting in comments. This is what we need; Pick a day (yesterday will work) and list CALORIES/FAT/CARBS/PROTEIN and if you ate any unfavorable carbs.
Mindless Munching
Some researchers believe that reducing obesity requires BIG government intervention—one that may include greater regulation of the food industry and
School/community-based nutrition education or city planning that makes it more attractive to walk or ride a bike than drive.
Agree or disagree, as individuals we are not powerless in the face of our current environment. You cannot remove the fast-food billboards that tempt you on your way to work or school, but you do have a brain. Use it to think about advertisements and who paid for them, just because it’s in print does not make it the God’s honest truth. The problem is that those cues are often not even conscious; you don't even realize you are eating more than you intended. People believe they are way too smart to be tricked by their environment, but studies shows they are wrong. Here are his top tips for preventing mindless eating.
1. Use a smaller plate. Swap out your saucer-size plate for one closer to the size of a Frisbee. This seems like one we are too smart to fall for, but it was confirmed in multiple studies.
2. Don't eat family style. Having the ability to reload your plate from a big serving platter is a quick ticket to eating more than you realize. People were asked after eating family style how many portions they consumed. They reported eating one or two, but had 3-4
3. Use the rule of two at restaurants. Some view eating out as a special occasion and do not want to ruin their experience by limiting themselves. Order what you want as an entree, and then allow yourself two extras, such as an alcoholic drink and dessert. Stop at two extras.
4. Put a barrier between you and your snacks. Rather than never snacking, allow yourself snacks, but make it harder. The barrier can be geographical – the dish of candy on your desk needs to be moved farther away. Or it can be behavioral – allow yourself an indulgent snack only after you eat a piece of fruit. Even if it's just half a grape, the point is to put some other act between you and your snack of choice.
These ideas are only a few of the ways you can curb mindless eating. The trick is to find tactics that work for you.
Any tricks that you use? The easiest way is to not have anything in your house, but that isn't always realistic.
RECIPES
Apple and Spinach Salad
3 Apples; peeled, cored and diced
3 Green onions; sliced thin
3 Stalks celery; diced
2 Lemons; juice of
1/4 c Vegeniase
1/4 c Tahini
2 tb Honey
1 bunch Spinach; torn into bite-size pieces
1/4 c Roasted sesame seeds
In a large bowl: Toss apples, onions and celery. Sprinkle with juice of one lemon to keep apples from darkening.
In a blender or small bowl: Blend vegenaise, tahini, honey and remaining lemon juice (misture will be thick). Toss with apple mixture. Cover and chill.
Just before serving, toss salad with spinach. Serve on a bed of spinach leaves and garnish with sesame seeds. Serves 4 to 6.
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2 c. cauliflower, chopped bite size (fresh or frozen)
2 c. onions,
1 c. Vegenaise
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
2 cloves garlic, pressed
1 tsp. parsley (optional)
Glycemic load
There are entire diets based on the glycemic index, and glycemic load, and it is not a bad thing.
The glycemic load (GL) is a ranking system for carbohydrate content in food portions based on their glycemic index (GI) and the portion size.[citation needed]
The usefulness of glycemic load is based on the idea that a high glycemic index food consumed in small quantities would give the same effect as larger quantities of a low glycemic index food on blood sugar. For example, white rice has a somewhat high GI, so eating 50g of white rice at one sitting would give a particular glucose curve in the blood, while 25g would give the same curve but half the height. Paleo and Zone eating is all about staying away from foods that spike your insilin (as well as other things). The long and short of it is that eating foods high on the G.I. will age you quicker, keep you heavier and slower. HERE is a quick list to help you with your food choices. We don't want any nasty e-mails about saying that watermelon is bad, we are not saying that. Nothing here is a debate on good/bad foods, but watermelon is SKY HIGH on the chart.
Calories?
I am not a fan of calorie counting, as it leaves too much out of the equation. That being said I have come to believe that calories can not be ignored. Huh? In its most technical terms a calorie can be defined as a unit of measurement that is used to indicate the potential amount of energy provided to the body by a particular food. The problem we react to foods differently even though the calories may be the same. MOST people with weight problems have a very high carbohydrate load. If you eat 2000 calories in a day that is 60% carbohydrates, it is vastly different from eating one that is 60% protein. And that is not getting into the simple versus complex carbohydrates discussion. A ½ cup of rice pilaf is 470 calories, 6 grams of fat, 88 carbohydrates and 22 grams of protein. Eight ounces of turkey meatloaf is 300 calories, 16 grams of fat, 8 carbs and 48 grams of protein. The rice will drive up your insulin and give you a short burst of blood sugar energy. The protein will give you a nice sustained energy, and in the end will do far more to help your weight and energy. So should you count calories? Yes and no. If you get your protein requirements and avoid unfavorable carbs, you will usually be hitting a good calories number. Many folks are arguing against paying attention to calories at all. The problem here is that at the end of the day if you are taking in more calories than you are burning off, you will never drop weight. What to do;
1)Make sure that above all else you are consuming your protein requirements
2)Make sure you are NOT consuming unfavorable carbohydrates
3)Exercise 4 times a week
This is what I want you to do. Pick a day and figure out;
1) How much protein you ate
2) How many carbs you ate and how many were unfavorable
3) How much fat you consumes
4) Your total grams of protein you consumed.
Eating in a Pinch
No matter how well we pack and plan, at some point we will need food and not have it. You left it on the counter, or in the fridge, or some else ate it, you got hung up somewhere. Being noticeably hungry is a killer! By the time you feel hungry; the small meal you had planned will often not do the trick. The goal is to regulate your insulin, and when you go too long without food, it will usually end badly. So what do you do? Quickie Marts are filled with food, but not so much good food. Zone is a bit easier than Paleo here, as your options are greater. Wawa has Yogurt, Cottage Cheese, Fruit and nuts. You can get 4oz of Deli meat and a bag of Almonds. You can get some Jerky (read the label) Some traps are prepared foods like Tuna and Chicken Salads and ready to go salads; LOADED with sugars and bad fats and preservatives galore. Paleo Kits are great in a pinch and you can drop some Ostrich Snack sticks and Macadamia nuts in your car. McDonalds has a Angus burger that is not the worst thing you could put in your mouth (NO BUN!) and most sit down places can hook you up, but if you are jammed up and in a hurry, what is your emergency food? An easy answer here is “Just CHEAT!” but if you have some cheat meals in your plan, do you really want to eat some truck stop food in a pinch, or wait to really enjoy (Ponzettis) How are your 7-11 meal making skills?
One Thing
People will often ask about one thing that they could do to improve their weight, size or performance. There are hundreds of things, but if I had to pick one it would be;
ELIMINATE ALL SIMPLE CARBOHYDRATES FROM YOUR DIET!
Why? Simple carbohydrates are most often referred to as "bad" carb and with good reason. Simple carbohydrates are digested quickly. Many simple carbohydrates contain refined sugars and few essential vitamins and minerals. Your body has no use for them at all. An old though was these were needed for athletic performance and recent studies have show overwhelming that they are not needed at all. So with no benefit and a huge downside to simple carbs, why eat them at all? Because we like the sweet taste of simple carbohydrates, and because the energy rush we get from them is short-lived and leaves us feeling hungry, it is easy to over-eat simple carbohydrates. Simple carbohydrates provide energy in a very concentrated form (sugar is 100% carbohydrate!), so a small amount of it can contain a lot of calories! Also, when we eat high amounts of simple carbohydrate our insulin has to work overtime to keep our blood-sugar levels even, and this can lead to diabetes. Some scientists say that if sugar was discovered nowadays, it would be banned substance! So what do we eat instead? 
Everyone has favorites. I eat allot of fresh mushrooms, tons of onions, celery, tomatoes and peppers. This is by no way a complete list, so what are you eating for you carbs? Give me a few favorites and some ways to eat them that we may not all have thought of.
