Vegetarian GI Diet
Vegetarian GI Diet is rather easy to follow for vegetarians as they are already eating many of the best low glycemic index- GI foods.
GI applies to foods that are rich in carbohydrates. Most vegetables will have small amounts of carbs, and even those with higher carb content do have low glycemic values. So it is pretty easy for vegetarians and vegans* to follow a low GI diet.
Being vegetarian will not guarantee a slim figure, but there is plenty of evidence that vegetarians are at lower risk for obesity. Vegetarian diets tend to be a little lower in fat, much higher in fiber, and lower in glycemic index value.
You can use GI as a valuable health and nutrition tool to help you make smarter choices while eating out or even when dining in. Low GI foods cause a slower increase in glucose levels, which is related to better hunger control. British researchers recently reported that low GI meals also boost levels of GLP-1 hormone, which is known to suppress appetite.
Vegetarian GI Diet Suggestions:
• Legumes– beans, lentils, soybeans and chickpeas should be made a part of your diet, for your protein. They are low in GI and high in dietary fiber.
• Feel free to eat as much vegetables as you want without worrying about the GI value of every single one of them.
• Choose grained breads that use coarsely ground or whole grains, which curb spikes in blood glucose and slow digestion, hence low GI.
• Eat more of pasta and sweet potatoes than rice and white potatoes.
• Al dente pasta is lower in GI than overcooked pasta.
• Porridge is probably the best type of low GI cereal you can have in the morning. Avoid high sugar low fiber processed cereals, they are nothing more than breakfast candies. Have a look at the ‘Best Foods for Breakfast‘..
• Tofu, nuts and seeds will provide you with the protein as well as healthy fats your body needs. Would you like to learn how to cook tofu?
• Beware of food additives like MSG that are commonly used in Asian or non-Asian vegetarian meals to enhance the flavour. MSG side effects can be extremely serious for some people.
• There is no place for bread and butter on your table, white bread is high in GI and butter is high in saturated fats.
• Acids in fruits and fermented foods like yogurt lower the GI as they slow digestion.
• Keep your cooking as simple, raw and natural as possible. Overcooking makes them lower in fiber and higher in GI. In fact, you don’t even need to cook something like spinach and if you do, definitely not more than 3-4 minutes.
• Quorn is a great meat substitute as it is very low in carbs and high in protein, as well as legumes.
• The less processed a certain food is, the lower its GI will be.
Vegetarian and vegan cookbooks are full of low GI recipes that will help anyone who is looking to avoid high GI foods. There are low glycemic vegetarian recipes out there for different tastes and dieters.
*The difference between a vegan and a vegetarian is a vegan eliminates all animal products from his / her diet, whereas a vegetarian will not eat meat, chicken or fish but may have cheese, yogurt, milk or eggs.
Why Go Vegetarian?
Return from Vegetarian GI Diet to Glycemic Index home page
References:
Vegan diets have a low glycemic index, http://www.examiner.com/examiner/ x-5670-Seattle-Vegan-Examiner~y2009m3d19- Vegan-diets-have-a-low-glycemic-index.
American Dietetic Association and Dietitians of Canada (2003). “Position of the American Dietetic Association and Dietitians of Canada: Vegetarian diets” (PDF). Journal of the American Dietetic Association 103 (6): 748–65.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vegetarianism : Vegetarian GI Diet .
The New Glucose Revolution Low Gi Vegetarian Cookbook: byJennie Brand-miller, Kaye Foster-powell, Kate Marsh .
