Re: A BREAKTHROUGH eating APPROACH

August 13, 2011

This seems like really good reading especially for newly diagnosed people.

I think most " long termers " probably know this.

_____

From: blind-diabetics

[mailto:blind-diabetics ] On Behalf Of Patty

Sent: Saturday, August 13, 2011 5:20 AM

To: Undisclosed-Recipient: ;@smtp108.sbc.mail.mud.yahoo.com

Subject: A BREAKTHROUGH eating APPROACH

A BREAKTHROUGH eating APPROACH

This is not a " diet " in the dieting sense.

It's a delicious, practical. long- term strategy for healthy

eating.

Now that you know how important it is to eat foods that help keep your blood

sugar steady, you're prob-ably wondering, " So what's for dinner? " We've

given you some heavy hints already, but it's time to spell it all out so you

know exactly how to eat

the Magic Foods way-and can start doing it today. Get ready for the ultimate

sugar- busting, health-enhancing diet. You'll feel so good, you'll never

look back.

In this chapter, you'll discover the Seven Secrets of Magic Eating and how

to put them to practical use. The great news is that it's easier than you

may think. In fact, changing just a few of the foods you eat every day can

help you feel more energized and prevent the chronic diseases that slow us

all down as we age.

This is not a " diet " in the dieting sense. It's a delicious, practical,

long-term strategy for healthy eating, one that will not only help stabilize

your blood sugar but also make it easier to leave that extra weight behind.

The best part is that you can start by making as many or as few changes to

your current diet as you'd like. You can decide to do only one or two new

things-for instance, switching from rice to barley and snacking on

hard-boiled eggs instead of pretzels-until you're ready for another change.

Or you can be a bit more ambitious right from the start. Our goal is to give

you the tools you need to eat for better blood sugar, to use as you wish.

With the Magic Foods approach to eating, you don't have to give up bread,

although you will want to navigate the bread aisle carefully and eat a

little less. You don't have to swear off potatoes and white rice, although

you'll definitely eat them more sparingly than you do now. You can also have

pasta, in moderation (we'll explain which types are best for better blood

sugar). And we encourage you to pour yourself cereal for breakfast-assuming

it's one of the kinds we describe in this chapter.

You'll enjoy eating more protein-rich foods

to keep you full and help keep your blood sugar low and steady. And while

you'll say goodbye to unhealthy fats, your diet will actually contain plenty

of fat in the form of " good " fats to add appeal to meals and blunt the blood

sugar effects of the carbs you eat.

Along the way, you'll learn a few clever tricks of the trade, such as how to

finish your salad with a dressing that can lower the blood sugar impact of

your entire meal, how to use a little-known Middle Eastern spice to pull the

plug on blood sugar, which sour fruit has a sweet benefit, and which little

seeds pack a powerful health kick.

We're not asking you to throw your current diet out the window-just to tweak

it a bit. Magic eating is really a series of very small, simple steps, such

as adding a chopped apple to oatmeal, choosing sourdough bread instead of

regular white bread, and making sweet potato fries your fries of choice (try

them; you'll love them). Whether you make one change a meal, one change a

day, or only one change in all, your blood sugar will benefit.

Although the changes are easy, the rewards are real: more energy, less

weight, a healthier heart, lower risk of diabetes, protection against

certain cancers, and greatly improved quality of life.

The Seven Secrets of Magic Eating

If you remember only one strategy from this book, remember the Seven Secrets

of Magic Eating. Some of them may sound unusual, while others seem like the

good old rules of healthy eating you already know about. But each one was

chosen for a specific reason: to keep your blood sugar levels steady

throughout the day. Here's a quick summary. You may even want to jot down

the seven secrets and post them on your fridge as a daily reminder to keep

you on the Magic Foods course. You'll read more about each of these secrets

shortly.

1. Choose low-GL carbs and limit carb portions. Carbohydrate-rich foods,

especially grains and starchy vegetables, are the main con- tributors to

high blood sugar. By choosing " slow-acting " (Iow-Cl.) carbs instead of

" fast- acting " (higher-GL) carbs, you can help keep blood sugar low and

steady. You'll also want to limit your portions no matter what kind of carbs

you choose.

2. Make three of your carb servings whole grains. You're not eating as many

carbs, so make those you do eat count by choosing whole grains, which help

prevent heart disease and diabetes independently of their effects on blood

sugar.

3. Eat more fruits and vegetables.Aim for at least seven to nine small

servings a day. Most fruits and vegetables have little carbohydrate and are

packed with vitamins, fiber, and health- protective compounds, with few

calories. Eating fruits or adding vegetables to carbohydrate-rich dishes

helps make your diet blood sugar friendly.

4. Eat protein at every meal. Protein lowers the GL of meals and helps curb

hunger, making weight loss easier.

5. Favor good fats. " Bad " saturated fats can interfere with your ability to

control blood sugar, but " good " unsaturated fats help your body control it

better. Good fats also lower the GL

of meals.

6. Add acidic foods to your meals. It's an amazingly simple way to blunt the

blood sugar effect of a meal.

7. Eat smaller portions. We're talking not about just carb-rich foods here

but about all foods. Even when you eat a low-GL diet, calories count.

Cutting calories can help you fight insulin resistance-and of course, along

with exercise, it's still the way to lose weight.

Choose Low-GL Carbs and Limit Carb Portions

SECRET

Most of the carbs we eat are the kind that send blood sugar soaring. We eat

lots of potatoes, mostly fried. We consume enormous quantities of bread in

all forms, but mostly bread that's made with refined white flour and has

little fiber. We eat a lot of rice, most of it white. We treat ourselves to

muffins, cakes, and pastries made with white flour. We snack on bags of

potato chips and pretzels (it's true pretzels are low in fat, but they're

more or less just empty carbs). And we wash it all down with sugar-

sweetened sodas and fruit drinks.

If you're going to tackle your dietary weak points, this is the place to

start. The good news is that it's relatively easy to make improvements.

Because we eat so many of these foods to begin with, any change is a change

for the better!

" Just Say Less "

One approach is to simply eat less of these high-GL foods. In the past

decade or two, we've started to eat more calories, nearly all of them from

carbohydrates-and nearly all of those carbohydrates are high GL. So it's

time to dial down the carbohydrate mania: Eat fewer salty snacks out of

bags, fewer French fries, less bread, and fewer pastries, and drink a lot

less soda and other sweetened drinks. Ask yourself, " Do I really need that

sugar-coated cereal, that whole takeout container of white rice, those

French fries on the 'side' (which take up half the plate), or that giant

slice of leftover birthday cake? "

We're not talking about a " just say no " approach but rather a " just say

less " approach.

Let's say you start your day with a great big bowl of cornflakes or Rice

Krispies or Corn Chex. If you measured how much you poured, it would

probably be at least twice the serving size suggested on the box. So the

" just say less " approach is to pour out less cereal. Fill the rest of the

bowl with berries, Iow-Gl, fruits that will bring down the overall GL of

your breakfast. And like many fruits, berries are rich in fiber that can

help fill you up.

Go Low GL

Even better, why not choose a lower-GL break- fast cereal? If you fill your

bowl with a single serving of a medium-GL cereal-such as Grape- Nuts,

Cheerios, Special K, or Life-instead of a high-GL one, your blood sugar will

be lower after breakfast. And it'll be even lower if you choose a Iow-Gl,

cereal, such as All-Bran, Bran Buds, or Alpen Muesli-or, if you like hot

cereal, oatmeal. Keep watching portions and slicing berries or an apple into

your bowl, and you'll really lower your blood sugar response to breakfast.

Plus, you'll give yourself a seriously healthy start to the day.

If you like numbers, consider this: A 2-ounce (60 g) bowlful of Kellogg's

Cornflakes has a GL of 48; a l-ounce (30 g) bowlful of All-Bran cereal plus

a whole medium apple has a GL of I5-more than two-thirds less. That means

your blood sugar will rise two-thirds less as well.

Here's another example. At dinner, instead of a potato, you might decide to

make pasta since it has a lower GL. That's a good substitution. A 5-ounce

(140 g) baked potato has a GL of 26; the same size serving of pasta has a GL

of 17. So the switch itself lowers the GL of that side dish by 9 points,

changing it from a " high " to a " medium " GL choice. You could serve the pasta

with a little olive oil, freshly ground black pepper, and a tablespoon of

Parmesan cheese and never miss the potato a bit.

Now, to lower the GL of your pasta side dish even further, you could cut

some red bell pep- pers into strips, microwave them for a minute, and toss

them with the pasta, oil, pepper, and cheese. Because the vegetables add

volume to the dish, if you serve yourself the same 5-ounce (140 g) portion,

you'll eat half as much pasta, so the GL of the dish has been cut in half-to

4.5. This means the GL of your side dish is only 20 percent of what it would

have been if you'd had the baked potato, which means it should raise your

blood sugar 80 percent less!

Take a look at " The Glycemic Load of Common Foods " on page 55 and " The Magic

Carb Pyramid " on page 43. Pick out a high-GL food that you eat frequently

and figure out ways to eat less of it-such as substituting a low-GL or a

medium-GL food for it and eating small por- tions. Now you're cooking.

A final note: Even if you're choosing lower-GL foods, it's still important

to watch your portion sizes. That's because if you eat twice the recom-

mended portion of the food, the GL will double. It's a simple concept, but

one that many people miss. Even if you choose beans-a low-GL food- doubling

the serving size will double the GL.

WHAT'S BOOSTING YOUR BLOOD SUGAR

THE MOST?

The best way to lower the GL of your diet is to figure out which high-GL

foods you eat the most and then eat less, either by cutting back on por-

tions or choosing a different food in its place.

In a major study of middle-aged women, these five foods were the biggest

contributors to GL in the diet. Together, they made up about 30 percent of

the GL of the women's entire diets. Try the smart substitutions instead.

Each of them has a GL that's at least 50 percent lower than that of the food

it replaces These are only a few examples; you'll find more throughout this

book.

Food % of GL in the Diet Smart Substitutions

Cooked potatoes 7.7 Pasta

Cold breakfast cereal 6.5 High Fiber Cereal

White bread 5.2 Sourdough

bread

Muffin 5.0 Apple

White rice 4.6 Pearled barley

For kids, studies show, the biggest contributors to a high-GL diet are often

candy, soft drinks, cakes, cookies, and salty snacks. So this age group will

require a different strategy. For them, encouraging fruits as snacks and

low-fat milk as a beverage may be the best thing you can do.

Make Three of Your Carb Servings Whole Grains

SECRET

If we are gorging ourselves on refined carbs, we're doing it largely at the

expense of whole grains. And that's a shame because when it comes to

preventing chronic disease, there's nothing like whole grains. There's

clear, strong evidence that if you eat at least three servings of these

foods a day, you'll substantially lower your risk of developing metabolic

syndrome, diabetes, heart disease, and cancer. Most of us, though, have less

than one serving a day. A serving is about an ounce (30 g)-one slice of 100

percent whole grain bread or 1/2 cup of cooked grains.

Eating more whole grains has been shown to cut heart disease risk by 25

percent in women and 18 percent in men and reduce diabetes risk by 35

percent in both. One key way grains may protect against these diseases is by

helping to prevent a root cause: metabolic syndrome. In one study of more

than 750 men and women over age 60, those who ate about three servings of

whole grains a day were 54 percent less likely to have metabolic syndrome

than people who ate less than one serving a day. Their fasting blood sugar

levels were lower, and they tended to have less body fat. They also had 52

percent fewer fatal heart attacks. In fact, just six weeks on a whole grain

diet can markedly improve insulin sensitivity, according to one study of

overweight men

and women.

Why are whole grains so good for us? They contain all the parts of the

grain, not just the starchy low-fiber center (endosperm) but also the

nutrient-rich germ layer and the fiber-rich bran layer on the outside. Whole

grains are rich in fiber, antioxidants, vitamins, minerals, and a wide range

of plant compounds that protect against chronic disease in many different

ways.

Most whole grains have lower GLs than most refined grains, but there are

exceptions. Finely milled 100 percent whole wheat bread, for instance,

actually has a fairly high GL, while some refined foods, like pastas made

from white semolina flour, have medium GLs. In general, though, you're

better off with whole grains, which offer benefits to blood sugar that are

totally unrelated to their GLs.

When it comes to the grain-based carbs you eat, don't be a perfectionist. As

long as you get three servings of whole grains a day, there's room for some

refined grain foods, especially if they're low GL. Just watch portion sizes

no matter what kind you're eating.

How many carbs should you eat in total? In the Magic Foods approach, your

goal is to get 45 to 55 percent of your calories from carbs every day. Turn

to the Magic Meal Plans in Part 4 to see what this looks like in an actual

menu.

WHAT COUNTS AS WHOLE GRAIN?

Bread with the word whole in the first ingre-dient (such as whole wheat)

Brown rice

Dehuiled barley (pearled barley isn't techni- cally a whole grain, although

it is good for you)

oats

Whole wheat pasta

Popcorn

Wheatberries

Exotic including amaranth, buckwheat, and quinoa

The Magic carb Pyramid

choose least often

potatoes

French fries

white bread

overcooked pasta

udon noodles

white rice

sticky rice

rice-based cereal

cornflakes

millet

instant Cream of Wheat

most baked goods

nondiet soda

sweetened fruit drinks

dried dates

raisins

Choose more often

converted white rice

wild rice

brown rice

wheatberries

pasta cooked al dente

whole wheat pasta

rye crispbread

chocolate milk

apple juice

pineapple juice

dried figs

bananas

sweet potatoes

black-eyed peas

whole grain cereals

low-sugar cereals

regular Cream of Wheat

whole grain and sourdough bread

choose most often

coarse barley bread

whole-grain pumpernickel

pearled barley

oatmeal

bran cereal

muesli

lima beans

split peas

milk

soy milk

tomato juice

dried prunes

dried apricots

popcorn yogurt

most vegetables (except potatoes) lentils

all dried beans (except black-eyed peas)

most fresh fruits (and 100% fruit juice if limited to 6 ounces)

Eat More Fruits and vegetables

SECRET

It's no secret that fruits and vegetables are good for you. You probably

already know some of their health benefits, such as lower blood pres- sure

and lower risk of heart disease, diabetes, stroke, and certain cancers. You

may even know that eating produce can reduce your risk of losing your vision

as you age. Yes, fruits and vegetables are rich in vitamins, thousands of

health-protective compounds, and fiber.

But did you know that eating more of them is a key strategy in losing weight

and keeping it off? With the exception of a few very starchy vegeta-

bles-like potatoes-the vast majority are very low in calories. That's

largely because they're mostly water and fiber (which has no calories).

Studies show that the more fruits and vegetables people eat, the less they

tend to weigh.

It can be as simple as eating a salad. In one study at Pennsylvania State

University, women who started a meal with a low-calorie salad and then ate a

pasta dish ate about 12 percent fewer calories in total than women who

skipped the salad and started in on the pasta. In another study, adding

about 6 ounces (170 g) of vegeta- bles (in this case, carrots and spinach)

to dinner

helped people feel fuller on fewer calories.

With a few excep- tions, you can forget anything you've heard about not

eating this fruit or that vegetable because it contains

sugar or will raise your blood sugar. Most fruits

and vegetables are actually quite low in total carbohydrates, and they have

fiber- often the soluble fiber that slows blood sugar's rise-so their GLs

are quite low.

Foils for High-GL Carbs

You'll lower the GL of a typical portion of any carb dish by mixing in

almost any vegetable or fruit (again, potatoes don't count). If you add

tomatoes, carrots, and spinach to a pasta salad, for example, you'll eat

less pasta. If you add chopped broccoli to a rice side dish, you'll eat less

rice; the same goes for adding strawberries to hot or cold cereal. And fewer

carbs equals lower blood sugar.

Let's consider a rice side dish. A cup of cooked long-grain white rice has a

GL of 23, making it a high-GL food. But a cup of green peas has a GL of only

6, so if you mix an equal amount of peas with the rice, a cup of the side

dish would have a GL of only 15, changing it from a high- to a medium-GL

food. Really, mixing any vegetable into your rice-chopped cooked onions or

carrots or asparagus-similarly lowers its GL.

Snack Perfection

Whole fruit is almost always a good snack choice. Two ounces (60 g) of corn

chips, for example, has a GL ofl7-making it a medium-GL food (and that's if

you buy a small snack-size bag). But a medium peach or plum has a GL of only

5, and a similar-size apple's GL is 6. Plus, you're eating twice as much

food, so which do you think is likely to satisfy your hunger best? Even if

you ate a plum, a peach, and an apple, the GL would be only 16. On the other

hand, if you munched 4 ounces (125 g) of corn chips instead of 2, the GL for

your snack would be a whopping 34!

Raw veggies are also Magic snacks, dipped in low-fat sour cream, low-fat

dressing, or one of the bean dips on pages 204-206. Pack some carrot sticks

or cherry tomatoes in a sandwich bag, and you'll have no reason to hit the

vending machine-practically devoid of Magic foods- in the afternoon. Fill up

on veggies of different colors, since different hues indicatate a different

health-protective compounds. You don't want to miss out on any!

You'll find plenty of tips for adding specific fruits and vegetables to your

meals in Part 2, where we introduce you to all the Magic foods. The bottom

line? Load up. When it comes to these nonstarchy fruits and vegetables, the

more the merrier.

A Few Exceptions

Pretty much all fruits and vegetables are good for us, but some aren't as

good for our blood sugar. When we tell you to eat more fruits and veggies,

we're talking about colorful veggies (not starches like potatoes) and fresh,

whole fruit. Here's the scoop.

Potatoes. These are the big exception:

They're dense in easily absorbed carbohydrates, so their GL is quite high.

In fact, the more pota- toes, including French fries, that people eat, the

higher their risk of diabetes. Many nutritionists think potatoes should be

classified with grains rather than with vegetables, and even there, they're

at the top of the carbohydrate pyramid.

Other starchy vegetables. Sweet potatoes and winter squash are rich in

carotenoids and other important nutrients as well as fiber, which is also

beneficial. But they're also high in carbo-hydrates, although their carbs

aren't as easily absorbed as those in white potatoes. That makes them a

better choice than white potatoes, and we include some delicious recipes for

them in Part 4. But as with other carbohydrate-rich foods, watch portions.

Dried fruits. Drying concentrates the sugars in fruit and can make for

intensely caloric treats. It's fine to have some raisins, dried plums,

dates, figs, and apricots, but don't overindulge in them. Consider what

happens when grapes (GL 8) turn into raisins (GL 28) or plums (GL 5) turn

into dried plums (GL 10). Two ounces (60 g) of dried dates has a whopping GL

of 25.

WHAT ABOUT TROPICAL

Some nutritionists warn against tropical fruits, which can be starchy, but

mostly, these foods are fine. It's true that bananas are starchy and are a

medium-GL fruit while nearly all others are low GL, so you shouldn't overeat

them, but don't ban them either. And mangoes, which are extraordinarily

nutritious (and oh, so good), have gotten a bad rap, but they are low GL, so

keep them on the menu. Papayas are fine, too, as are pineapple and

watermelon. coconut isn't a great choice, but it has nothing to do with GL;

it's high in saturated fat, which is bad for the heart and insulin

sensitivity.

Juices. You'll miss out on most of the fiber and some of the vitamins in the

whole fruit, and you'll get a lot more calories-and a higher GL. If you eat

4 ounces (125 g) of fresh pineapple, for example, the GL is 6. But if you

drink a small juice glass (6 ounces or 177 ml) of pineapple juice, the GL is

12. Ditto for an orange (GL 5) versus a small glass of OJ (GL 10), and for

grape- fruit (GL 3) versus a small glass of grapefruit juice (GL 7). And if

you go for a sweetened fruit drink, all bets are off: A 12-ounce (375 ml)

serving of cranberry juice cocktail-about the size of a small soda-has a GL

of 36. When you drink juices, keep portions small, and make sure they're

unsweetened (read labels carefully).

The Magic protein Pyramid

choose least often

marbled beef

regular ground beef

pork ribs

pork sausage

bacon

bologna

salami

hot dogs

chicken with skin

whole milk

butter

cream

full-fat cheese

choose more often

lean beef

extra-lean ground beef

lean pork

lean ham

lean lamb

choose most often

soy foods

fish and shellfish

poultry without skin

nuts

seeds

low-fat cheese fat-free or 1% milk

fat-free or low-fat yogurt

eggs

split peas lentils

green peas

All dry beans (except black-eyed peas)

Note: Beans are about one-third protein so they appear in both the protein

and carbohydrate pyramids. Similarly, milk and other dairy foods also

contain some carbohydrate, so they also appear in both pyramids.

4

Eat Protein at Every Meal

SECRET

Want to control your blood sugar and your weight? Get enough protein.

A moderately high protein diet may get as much as 30 percent of its calories

from protein, rather than the 15 to 20 percent most people get. In the Magic

Foods approach, 20 to 30 percent of the calories you eat should come from

protein.

Protein has little or no effect on your blood sugar, so any time you mix

protein-rich foods with carbohydrate-rich foods, you automatically lower the

GL of each portion. But protein has other ben- efits, as you saw in Chapters

2 and 3. It helps keep hunger at bay between meals. And if you're trying to

lose weight, taking in more protein will help your body hold on to its

calorie-burning muscle tissue so the weight comes off more easily.

There's no need to go overboard, though.

A serving of a protein-rich food like chicken breast or sirloin steak is a

mere 2 to 3 ounces (60 to 85 g), although a more typical portion is 6 ounces

(170 g). The main thing to focus on is having at least a small portion of a

protein-rich food at every meal (and as part of as many snacks as you can).

It can be side dish of beans, a glass of fat-free milk, a slice or two of

lean turkey, a few ounces of sirloin steak in a stir-fry, a snack of

unsweetened yogurt, or a handful of nuts. Among the list of Magic foods in

Part 2, you'll find these excellent protein sources.

aeans, lentils, and peas. These " vegetarian " sources of protein are

excellent: They have essentially no saturated fat, and they're very low GL,

in large part because they contain so much soluble fiber. And they pack a

lot of minerals in small packages. Try to eat meals based on these foods at

least once or twice a week.

Soy foods. Like beans, these are low-saturated- fat, low-GL, high-protein

foods. Try a stir-fry with tofu; experiment with soy milk on your cereal (it

tastes better than it once did, so give it

a chance); and grill some tempeh, a textured soybean product with a nutty

flavor. Or stock up on frozen soy-based vegetarian burgers.

Nuts and seeds. It's hard to find a protein- rich snack, but nuts are one of

the few. These little nuggets serve up not only protein but also

good-for-you fats. Just stick to a palmful, since they're high in calories.

Fish and shellfish. All fish and shellfish are low in saturated fat, so

they're excellent protein choices. Fatty fish are also rich in omega-3 fatty

acids, which help prevent heart disease and may improve insulin sensitivity.

You'll make a good choice either way: low-fat fish like cod and flounder are

sources of low-saturated-fat protein, while fattier fish like wild salmon

and rainbow trout provide both protein and omega-3's.

SNEAKING IN PROTEIN

It's easy to add protein to your meals and snacks,

Starting the day with toast?

Instead of buttering it, spread it with a table-spoon of peanut butter.

When summer berries are in season (or frozen berries are on sale) make a

quick smoothie with fat-free yogurt, a good protein source.

Making a salad? Toss in some (garbanzo beans) or leftover chicken.

Center your lunch around bean soup, either vegetarian or flavored with a

small amount of pork.

Buy single-serving packs of nuts to take to work for a quick snack,

Keep some hard-boiled eggs in your fridge as snacks or easy protein-rich

additions to salads and sandwiches.

Keepsoy based veggie burgers in your freezer for quick dinners or

high-protein, meaty boosts to pasta sauce Oust crumble them into the sauce).

For a healthy heart, a

im for two or three servings of fish or shellfish a week.

Chicken and turkey. These are also low in saturated fat and quite low in

calories if you choose white meat without the skin.

Eggs. Eggs are nutritious and versatile. A large egg has only 1.5 grams of

saturated fat, and even though it's high in cholesterol, an egg a day won't

raise most adults' cholesterol levels. Have eggs for breakfast or enjoy an

egg salad sandwich on whole grain bread with low-fat mayo. A hard- boiled

egg makes a perfect high-protein snack.

Red meat. Beef, pork, lamb, and other red meats are major contributors to

saturated fat in our diets, but that doesn't mean you can't eat them. The

key is to choose the leanest cuts, which have more protein-and less

saturated fat. And don't eat red meat every day; leave room for meals

centered on fish, beans, and so on.

Dairy foods. Fat-free or 1% milk, low-fat or fat-free yogurt, and low-fat

cheeses contribute high-quality protein with very little saturated fat. Like

all dairy foods, they're high in calcium, a key mineral. But full-fat

cheeses, along with butter and high-fat dairy desserts like ice cream, are

major contributors to saturated fat in our diets. Have milk and other dairy

products every day, but go lean.

THE LEANEST MEATS

Even red meat can be a fine source of low-satu-rated- fat protein if you

choose the right cuts.

For beef, choose round steaks and roasts (eye of round, top round, bottom

round, round tip), top loin, top sirloin, or chuck shoulder.

When buying ground beef, look for extra-Iean- 90 percent lean or preferably

95 percent, if you can find it.

For pork choose tenderloin or loin chops.

If you like ham, ask for extra lean,

For lamb go for leg, arm, or loin.

For tunchmeats, check nutrition labels, Look for less than 1 gram of

saturated fat per serving,

5

Favor Good Fats

SECRET

With all the emphasis on low-fat foods in recent years, you might think we'd

be advocating a low- fat diet. But we're not. Instead of following a low-fat

diet-which is almost by necessity a high-carbohydrate diet-you can get as

much as 35 percent of your calories from fat in the Magic Foods approach.

Check out the Magic Meal Plans in Part 4 to see what this amount looks like.

Fat, as you read in Chapter 2, isn't all bad, especially where your blood

sugar is concerned. Fat doesn't raise blood sugar a bit, and it doesn't

require insulin in order to be metabolized, so it doesn't raise insulin

levels either. Its GL is zero. Because it slows the rate at which food

leaves your stomach, it can blunt the blood sugar effect of a whole meal,

even if that meal includes carbs.

Including fat-rich foods in your meals can also help your body metabolize

carbohydrates better-provided they're the right fats. That means

monounsaturated fat (the kind in olive oil, nuts, and avocados) and omega-3

fatty acids (found in fatty fish) instead of saturated fat (the kind in red

meat and dairy foods). Good fats are remarkable because they can actually

help reverse insulin resistance (turn back to page 30 if you want to refresh

yourself on this). Sat- urated fat, on the other hand, not only raises " bad "

LDL cholesterol and increases heart dis- ease risk, but we now know that it

increases insulin resistance, too.

Favoring good fats means eating fish at least once a week; adding avocado

instead of full-fat cheese to your salads and sandwiches; tossing your pasta

salad with, say, olive oil and toasted walnuts instead of cream sauce; and

putting peanut butter instead of butter on your toast (or dipping your bread

in olive oil). Adding good fats to foods means each portion will have a

lower GL.

The Magic fats Pyramid

choose least often

fatty red meats

butter

cream

full-fat cheese

whole milk

premium ice cream

solid shortening

solid margarine

lard

mayonnaise

partially hydrogenated vegetable oils

choose more often

corn oil

soybean oil

safflower oil

sunflower oil

choose most often

olive oil

canola oil nuts

nut oils

seeds

flaxseeds

fatty fish avocados

AT A GLANCE

THE GOOD FATS monounsaturated fats: Olive

oil, canola oil, avocados, peanuts, almonds, cashews, and most other nuts.

When they replace saturated fats, they have a benefi- cial effect on

cholesterol and help reverse insulin resistance.

omega-3 fats: Fatty fish. Related fats, which the body can convert to a

degree to the more active form found in fish, are found in flaxseed and

canola oil. omega-s fats, especially from fish, help prevent heart disease

and may improve insulin sensitivity.

polyunsaturated fats: Corn,

soybean, and safflower oils can be benefi- cial, but most of us already get

plenty of polyunsaturated fats, so don't go out of your way to get more.

You're much more likely to need more monounsaturated fat in your diet.

THE BAD FATS

saturated fats: Red meats; full-fat dairy foods; and a few vegetable oils,

such as coconut oil. These increase levels of " bad " LDL cholesterol, promote

heart disease, and reduce insulin sensitivity.

trans fats: These are found in solid margarine; vegetable shortening;

partially hydrogenated vegetable oils; and many deep-fried snacks, fast

foods, and commer- cial baked goods. They raise " bad " LDL cholesterol, lower

" good " HDL cholesterol, increase heart disease risk, and may increase

insulin resistance. Trans fats are now listed on nutrition labels, and

manufac- turers are offering new foods with " no trans fats. " These are fine

as long as they're also low GL, which is rarely the case!

50 I THE NEW BLOOD SUGAR SOLUTION

Making the Switch

If you're used to steaks and butter, how do you make the switch to better

fats? With these steps.

Cut back on the major sources of saturated fat in your diet. Start by

identifying them: Look at the top tier of " The Magic Fats Pyramid " on page

49 and check out " The Top 10 Sources of Saturated Fat " on page 51. How often

do you eat these foods? What single change do you think you could make in

the next week-using a leaner sandwich meat at lunch, having steak instead of

ribs, choosing low-fat frozen yogurt instead of ice cream? Make that one

change, and when you have, start thinking about your next one. Work toward

eating more foods from the bases (and middle tiers) of the fat and protein

pyramids- and much fewer from the top tiers. Just cutting back on cheese,

full-fat yogurt, and regular sour cream-or choosing low-fat substitutes-can

substantially reduce the amount of saturated fat you eat with very little

effort. So can switching from whole milk to 1% or fat free.

Eat more non meat protein. We're talking beans, lentils, peas, and soy

foods. By swapping a few meat-based meals a week for vegetarian options, you

can go a long way toward building a healthier diet. Aim for one new

vegetarian meal each week for a month. Ultimately, turn it into a lifetime

habit.

Eat fish or shellfish twice a week. It can be fresh, canned, or frozen (but

skip the breaded fish sticks). Experiment with different cooking methods. As

a start, try our recipe suggestions in Part 4.

When you eat red meat, choose lean cuts.

It can make a big difference in how much satu- rated fat you get, and you

won't need to sacrifice taste. Three ounces (85 g) of cooked regular ground

beef has 6 grams of saturated fat, while the same amount of extra-lean

ground beef has only 2.5 grams. Check out " The Leanest Meats " on page 48 and

try to stick with these options whenever you can.

Cook and season with olive oil. Use it for sauteing, grilling, and roasting;

as an ingredient in salad dressing; or drizzled over vegetables, grains, and

fish. Reach for the olive oil instead of butter whenever you cook. You'll

hardly notice the difference in most foods, and making this change can

dramatically decrease the amount of saturated fat you add to your diet. If

you simply must have the taste of butter in a dish, add a teaspoon or two to

olive oil to impart that buttery flavor.

Make canota oil your second choice. Use it for a more neutral taste when

sauteing and in baking. It's very versatile yet low in saturated fat.

Add more nuts, seeds, and avocado to your menus. You can add nuts to

practically any main dish or baked item, and avocado is an easy addition to

salads and sandwiches. Or simply carve up a few slices of avocado, drizzle

with lemon juice, and enjoy as a snack. See the Nuts and Avocado entries in

Part 2 for more menu suggestions.

THE TOP 10 SOURCES OF SATURATED FAT

A quick glance at this list can make it easier to target the foods that are

adding the most saturated fat to your diet.

1 Cheese

2 Beef

3 Milk

4 Oils (such as palm, palm kernel, and coconut oil)

5 ice cream/sherbet/frozen yogurt

6Cakes/cookies/quick brads/doughnuts

7 Butter

8 Shortening, lard, other animal fats

9 Salad dressings/mayonnaise

10 Poultry with skin

Source: Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2005

6

Add Acidic Foods to Your Meals

SECRET

As you discovered in Chapter 2, even a little bit of pucker power from

acidic ingredients can lower your blood sugar response to a carb-rich meal.

Making foods more acidic slows the break- down of starches into blood sugar,

so your blood sugar rises more slowly.

Certain acidic foods, though, such as vinegar (acetic acid), seem to work in

additional ways, making them more effective. So think vinegar! Toss out

those creamy salad dressings and buy or make dressings that combine vinegar

with olive oil, such as mustard vinaigrette. It takes just a tablespoon of

vinegar per serving to sub- stantially lower the GL of a meal.

Eat a small green salad drizzled with vinai- grette before lunch or dinner

several times a week. You'll get some acetic acid in your meals and squeeze

more vegetables into your diet.

But don't stop there. Soak fish in vinegar and water before cooking,

suggests the Vinegar Institute; it'll be sweeter and more tender and hold

its shape better. When poaching fish, toss a tablespoon of vinegar into the

simmering water for the same reasons. Make a vinegar-based mari- nade for

meat destined for the grill. Mix in a little vinegar when cooking canned

soup to perk it up, and add some to the water in which you simmer

vegetables. See the Vinegar entry in Part 2 for more suggestions.

If you like Japanese food, you can feel a little better about the rice if

you're having sushi, since sushi rice is made with rice wine vinegar.

More ways to Add Acids

Go beyond vinegar with these tips for adding bite to your meals.

Use mustard, which is made with vinegar, instead of mayonnaise on

sandwiches, as a base to coat chicken and meats, and in bean dishes.

Eat that pickle with your sandwich. It gets its sour taste from vinegar.

Go beyond pickled cucumbers and try pickled tomatoes, carrots, celery,

broccoli, cauli- flower florets, and red and green bell peppers. If you're

at a Japanese restaurant, ask for oshinko (pickled vegetables).

Don't throw out the pickle liquid! It makes an excellent marinade,

especially when mixed with a little olive oil and chopped fresh herbs.

Eat sauerkraut, which is pickled cabbage.

Look for low-sodium varieties.

Squeeze lemon juice, which is also acidic, over fish and seafood. Fresh

lemon juice can revitalize a lackluster soup or stew, and it livens up green

vegetables, rice, and chicken.

Try lime juice on fish, turkey, avocados, melon, sweet potatoes, and black

beans.

Eat citrus fruit such as fresh grapefruit, which, as your tongue has already

told you, is somewhat acidic.

Ask for sourdough bread. As the dough fer- ments, it releases lactic acid,

which, like vinegar, has a beneficial effect on the food's GL

Cook with wine. It's acidic, too, and gives a tasty tang to sauces, stews,

soups, and roasts. Try cooking fish in wine: Saute garlic (and onions if you

want) in olive oil, add seasoning, then pour in some wine and reduce the

heat. Add the fish and cook in the simmering liquid. Squeeze in a little

lemon juice at the end.

Drink wine with your dinner. It's another way to include an acidic liquid

with your meal. Drinking wine (as well as other alcoholic bever- ages) in

moderation-a glass a day for women, up to two for men-can help keep blood

insulin levels low and is linked with a lower risk of developing diabetes.

Moderate alcohol consump- tion also raises " good " HDL cholesterol levels and

helps protect against heart disease. (If you have diabetes, check with your

doctor first.)

SECRET 7

Eat smaller Portions

We've already stressed the importance of doling out smaller portions of

fast-acting carb foods, such as mashed potatoes and rice, and even

slower-acting foods such as whole grain cereal. But portion sizes count

almost no matter what you're eating. That's because calories matter.

Eating fewer calories is one of the best ways to improve your insulin

sensitivity. You'll do better if you go ahead and lower the GL of your

overall diet, with the help of the Magic foods in this book, but simply

eating less also helps by improving your insulin sensitivity (which ulti-

mately lowers your blood sugar). It does this even if you don't lose weight.

But of course, eating less does help you shed pounds-another key element in

preventing insulin resistance, dia- betes, and heart disease.

So where should you cut back on calories?

Everywhere. Carbs are of course a main target, especially high-GL carbs such

as rice, sodas, and sweetened drinks. But so is anything you tend to go

overboard on. Yes, we want you to make pro- tein a part of every meal, but

that doesn't mean gorging on a l-pound (450 g) porterhouse is okay. Six

ounces (170 g) of a much leaner sirloin is plenty. We also recommend eating

nuts, but again, the devil is in the details. An ounce (30 g) of

almonds-about 25-has about 165 calories. That's fine. But if you eat a cup's

worth, you're taking in more than 800 calories-more than you should get from

an entire meal. Few of us have the room in our diets to eat that many extra

calories without gaining weight, which increases insulin resistance. Olive

oil is great for your heart and your blood sugar, but don't soak your bread

in it. At 119 calories per tablespoon, you won't want to consume more than 1

or 2 table- spoons a day.

Fortunately, there's one category of food that doesn't require much portion

control: non-starchy fruits and vegetables. It's quite difficult to eat too

many apples, carrots, tomatoes, salad greens, or raspberries. They'll fill

you up, with few calories and a low GL, and take the place of more caloric

foods.

How Much Should You Eat?

Of course, the answer to this depends on how much you currently weigh and

how active you are. If you know approximately how many calo- ries you want

to aim for each day, see our Magic Meal Plans in Part 4 to get a good sense

of how much food this means.

Not sure how many calories you need each day?

Here's a nifty rule of thumb. If you're trying for modest weight loss,

simply add a zero to your weight to get a ballpark calorie target. For

instance, if you weigh 160 pounds, your target for modest weight loss would

be 1,600 calories a day.

It's worth keeping a food diary for a few days to see how many calories

you're really eating; the number may well be more than you think (and aren't

you a little curious?). Use the nutri- tion labels on packaged foods to get

the calories per serving (be careful; some packages contain two servings, so

you'll have to double that number if you eat the whole thing). For fresh

foods, use a Web site like www.calorie-count.com, www.thecaloriecounter.com

, www.calorieking.com, or www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/foodcomp/search to get the

calorie counts of common foods.

Another way to get a handle on portion sizes is simply to train your eye to

identify what a reasonable serving looks like (see

" What Does a Serving Look Like? " ).

Bring these images to mind when you're serving food, ordering food, and of

course, eating food. The serving sizes are quite small, so don't feel bad if

your portion is twice as large.

A serving of pasta or rice is 1/2 cup, but most people eat a cup, so that

counts as two servings. Most of us need no more than six servings of grains

a day-preferably low- or medium-GL grains-so if you're eating three or four

servings at a sitting, that's too much. A single dense bagel can equal six

servings of grains-an entire day's worth!

A serving of meat or chicken is about 3 ounces (85 g), but most people can

eat two servings a day-the size of two decks of cards.

Cutting Back

Unfortunately, in this age of super-size servings, we've been trained to eat

a lot. It's up to you to fight back.

Start by putting less food on your plate or in your bowl. Studies show that

when large portions are put in front of us, most of us eat more-often

WHAT DOES A SERVING LOOK LIKE?

Here are some images to keep in mind. Each is one serving.

A 3-ounce (85 g) serving of cooked meat is the size of a deck of cards.

A 3-ounce (85 g) serving of fish is the size of a checkbool.

An ounce (30 g) of cheese is the size of four dice.

An ounce (30 g) of sliced cheese is the diam-eter of a CD.

A half cup of pasta or rice is the size of a baseball cut in half.

A cup of cold cereal is the size of a baseball.

A medium baked potato is the size of a per-sonal-size bar of soap.

Two tablespoons of peanut butter is the size of a ping pong ball

Two tablespoons of salad dressing is the size of a shot glass.

A 6-ounce (180 ml) serving of juice is the size of a small yogurt container.

A medium piece of fruit, such as an apple, is the size of a tennis ball.

50 percent more at a single meal. Put your meals on plates in the kitchen

rather than putting a big plate or bowl on the table for everyone to dig

into at will. Buy small single-portion bags of snacks rather than eating out

of a big bag (which always disappears). If you do buy a big bag, dole out a

reasonable portion onto a small plate or a napkin, then close the bag and

put it away out of sight before you sit down to munch.

When you're eating out, order smaller dishes (don't be afraid to order from

the children's menu at fast-food places) or ask the server to put half the

dish in a doggie bag before you start to eat. It's also a good idea to share

one main dish and

a separate dish of vegetables or share one main dish and fill up with a

salad or broth-based soup.

In general, though, try to eat most of your meals at home. It's much easier

to control your calorie intake as well as the amount of fat and number of

high-GL foods that go into your meal.

putting It All Together

Are you ready to eat the Magic Foods way? In the first chapter, you learned

how important it is to your health and well-being to eat in ways that keep

your blood sugar levels stable throughout the day. In the second chapter,

you found out what makes certain foods catapult your blood sugar, while

others keep it humming steadily.

In the third chapter, you learned the pitfalls of a quick-fix low-carb

approach. And now you've learned the Seven Secrets of Magic Eating. In the

next chapter, you'll quiz yourself to see where your diet stands now,

discover some fixes for your dietary downfalls, and bone up on smart

strategies for eating out.

I

Then it's on to the real meat of the book (lean meat, of course), In Part 2,

you'll find profiles of the 57 Magic foods, from apples to yogurt. Each

profile tells you how the GL of the food stacks up (either very low, low, or

medium; you won't find Magic foods with a high or very high GL) plus other

important health benefits it offers. You'll also learn the proper portion

size- because remember, portions count-as well as menu suggestions and

cooking tips.

In Part 3, the Magic Meal Makeovers show you how to make simple changes to

your breakfasts, lunches, snacks, dinners, and desserts to help you make

your meals more blood sugar friendly without a lot of fuss.

To really help you put Magic eating into action, in Part 4 we've supplied

more than 100 Magic recipes. These make low-GL cooking come alive,

incorporating the Magic foods in clever, simple, and delicious ways. Each

recipe includes full nutritional information, but you don't have to worry

about that if you don't want to; we've made sure the dishes are good for

your blood sugar.

You'll even find meal plans that fit these recipes into a week's worth of

eating based on three different calorie goals to help you manage your

weight. All the tools you need are right at your fingertips!

Reader's Digest Magic Foods for Better Blood Sugar

August 13, 2011

Patty

I love this, thanks

sugar'Real faith is not just receiving from God,

the things you want.

Real faith, is accepting from God the things He gives.'

~Be Blessed, Sugar

A BREAKTHROUGH eating APPROACH

This is not a " diet " in the dieting sense.

It's a delicious, practical. long term strategy for healthy

eating.

Now that you know how important it is to eat foods that help keep your blood

sugar steady, you're probably wondering, " So what's for dinner? " We've

given you some heavy hints already, but it's time to spell it all out so you

know exactly how to eat

the Magic Foods way-and can start doing it today. Get ready for the ultimate

sugar busting, health-enhancing diet. You'll feel so good, you'll never