![[COLLAGE]](http://www.glycemicindex.com/blog/2011/jul2011/collage.jpg)
Nicole Senior on being healthy on the inside ![[NICOLE]](http://www.glycemicindex.com/blog/2007/dec2007/nicole125.jpg)
Nicole Senior
In Eat to Beat Cholesterol, I wrote: ‘Some people are genetically programmed to be larger and the effort to slim down substantially is unrealistic. If this is you, be as healthy as you can. You are better off being fat and enjoying a healthy diet than being fat and eating badly. The same goes for physical activity – you are better off being fat and fit, than a fat couch potato.’
What this boils down to is that if you are larger it doesn’t mean you are – or have to be – unhealthy. As my Mum reminded me the other day, ‘It’s what inside that counts.’ Eating the right foods and exercising regularly can balance the health ledger in your favour and give you better numbers ‘on the inside’ too – your BGLs, cholesterol and blood pressure.
We also need to put nutrition and health as a priority over the obsessive quest for ‘the body beautiful’. Happiness, contentment and wellbeing are more than what size clothing we wear. Here are my tips to be healthy on the inside.
Choose top-quality fuel This simply means you give your body the fuel it needs to protect your health and improve your performance in every aspect of life. In fuel for motor vehicles, octane level is important; in fuel for people, nutrient density is the key. Nutrient-dense foods offer more ‘bang for your kilojoule buck’.
Balance the fuel mix The fuel mix you put into your body is just as important as race fuel in a Formula One car. You need it to be balanced between the food groups and nutrients to give you the right mix of power and endurance. Eating to be healthy on the inside you need to:
Little evidence that increasing soy improves BGLs
In a meta-analysis in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition evaluating the effects of soy foods and supplements on glycemic control Dr Suzanne Ho and colleagues conclude that: ‘there was not a significant overall effect of soy intake on improvements of fasting glucose and insulin concentrations; however, a favorable change in fasting glucose concentrations was observed in studies that used whole soy foods.’
Reduced fat intake may reduce diabetes risk without weight loss
‘What is important about this study,’ says Prof Barbara Gower, ‘is that the results suggest that diet quality, not quantity, can make a difference in risk for type 2 diabetes.’ The researchers provided 69 healthy overweight individuals with one of two calorically identical diets for eight weeks – either a reduced carbohydrate, higher fat diet (43% carbohydrate, 39% fat), or a standard diet of 55% carbohydrate and 27% fat. At the end of the study, those on the lower-fat diet had significantly higher insulin secretion and better glucose tolerance and tended to have higher insulin sensitivity. The researchers took into account any minor fluctuations in weight during the study, and provided participants with the amount of food necessary to maintain weight.
Tossing and turning? You may need to up your high GI carbs
Eating high GI and high GL meals increased the availability of tryptophan in healthy volunteers reports a study in the British Journal of Nutrition. ‘These findings may have clinical relevance for management of conditions where increased serotonin production is considered beneficial, primarily for promotion of sleep in patients with insomnia). Specific research would be required to assess the risk–benefit of using high-GI meals to promote sleep against current strategies for clinical management of insomnia,’ conclude the authors. ‘It’s still early days,’ says Prof Jennie-Brand-Miller, ‘and needs to be confirmed by larger, long-term studies before recommending people with sleep problems, many of whom may well have diabetes or pre-diabetes, start experimenting with high GI meals.’
Does it matter where your protein comes from?
‘In the small amount of literature available there is no striking evidence that the one protein source is preferable to another in weight-reducing programs. However, animal proteins, especially those from dairy, seem to support better muscle protein synthesis than plant proteins. This could potentially enhance energy expenditure, but no conclusion can be drawn from the scant evidence. Some studies, but not all, demonstrate the higher satiating effect of whey and fish proteins than other protein sources.’ Nutrition, Metabolism & Cardiovascular Diseases.
Enjoy pears
Juicy, sweet pears are one of the world’s most loved fruits (we are all fans here) and this year’s Australian crop is a bumper one. ‘The past few seasons have brought anguish for many growers with the Black Saturday bushfires, flooding and inclement weather almost decimating crops,’ says fourth generation grower Gary Godwill. ‘To get pears to harvest this year we battled rain and flooding, and had our pickers wading through water just to get to the trees. However, we’ve been rewarded with the early Williams’ pear crop up by 60% compared to last year and the current Packham’s harvest expected to be large and one of best quality crops we’ve ever seen.’
Pears (GI38) are a healthy snack rich in fibre and vitamin C. They have a low GI because they are high in fibre and most of their sugar is fructose. Although the flavour of a fresh pear on its own is hard to beat, here are some tips to up your intake:
The scoop on low GI lentils
Emma Stirling APD
It’s easy to forget about the little guy at times. Fora little legume, lentils pack as powerful a nutrition punch (and are more convenient) as bigger members of their family like beans and chickpeas.
If you have diabetes, back this little guy. Rich in protein, high in fibre and packed with nutrients like B vitamins, folate and minerals, all fresh and canned lentils have a low GI. Although opting for handy canned convenience increases the GI somewhat, lentils are still a very smart carb choice ... just take a look:
American dietitian and author of Good Carbs, Bad Carbs, Johanna Burani, shares favourite recipes with a low or moderate GI from her Italian kitchen. For more information, check out Johanna's website. The photographs are by Sergio Burani. His food, travel and wine photography website is photosbysergio.com. ![[JOHANNA]](http://www.glycemicindex.com/blog/2008/sept08/joanna175.jpg)
Zucchine in agrodolce
Nothing beats early homegrown summer squash fresh grown. Zucchine are tender and lusciously filled with the flavors of the fertile earth they grow out of. This is an old traditional Sicilian recipe whose sweet and sour (agrodolce) flavors “ripen” a few days after it is made. Other herbs can be used: basil, flat-leaf parsley, rosemary, sage, thyme. Makes six ½ cup servings.
2 small cloves garlic, minced
3 tbsp olive oil, divided
900g (2lb) zucchini/courgettes (about 6 large)
1 tsp sugar
1/2 cup (125ml) red wine vinegar
6 leaves fresh mint
Heat barbecue grill (indoor or outdoor).
Combine the garlic and 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large mixing bowl. Set aside. Wash and pat dry the zucchini. Cut off the ends. Cut the zucchini lengthwise into ½cm/¼in diagonal slices. Add slices to the mixing bowl and, with your hands, toss to coat them with the oil-garlic mixture.
Place the slices on the grill for 6–10 minutes, turning once. Do not overcook. The grilling time will depend on the heat of the grill. An indoor grill takes about 10 minutes. When done …
Place the zucchini in a mixing bowl. Sprinkle the sugar, vinegar and remaining olive oil over the slices. Gently toss, spoon the mixture in a shallow serving dish and sprinkle with small, hand-ripped pieces of mint. Serve cold or at room temperature. Best if served after 1–2 days in the fridge.
Per serve (1/2 cup)
Energy: 400kJ/95cals; Protein 2g; Fat 7g (includes 1g saturated fat); Available carbohydrate 6g; Fibre 2g
Cut back on the food bills and enjoy fresh-tasting, easily prepared, seasonal, satisfying and delicious low or moderate GI meals that don’t compromise on quality and flavour one little bit with our Money Saving Meals recipes. For more recipes check out the Money Saving Meals website.
This soup will thicken slightly on standing. You can replace the chickpeas with soy beans or any kind of white bean. This soup is also delicious topped with low fat natural yoghurt. It was originally published in The Low GI Vegetarian Cookbook (Hachette) Serves 6
1 tbsp olive oil
1 large onion, finely chopped
3 garlic cloves, crushed
2.5cm (1in) piece fresh ginger, finely grated -- (1 in)
3 tsp ground coriander
2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp chilli powder
1/2 tsp saffron threads soaked in 2 tablespoons boiling water
400g (14oz) can Italian chopped tomatoes
4 cups good-quality vegetable stock
4 cups water
1 cup (250g) red lentils, rinsed well
2 x 400g (14oz) cans chickpeas, drained
1/3 cup chopped coriander
1/3 cup chopped flat-leaf (Italian) parsley, plus extra to serve
salt and freshly ground black pepper
low-fat natural yoghurt to serve
Heat the oil in a large heavy-based saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, for 6–7 minutes or until softens. Add the garlic, ginger, coriander, cumin and chilli powder. Cook, stirring, for 1 minute.
Add the saffron threads and soaking liquid, tomatoes, stock, water and lentils to the pan. Cover and bring to a simmer and cook gently, uncovered, for 30 minutes. Add chickpeas and cook for a further 10 minutes.
Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the coriander and parsley. season to taste and serve with a dollop of yoghurt and extra chopped parsley.
Per serve
Energy: 1222kJ/ 292cals; Protein 19g; Fat 7g (includes 1g saturated fat); Available carbohydrate 33g; Fibre 2g
Manfredi at Bells chef, Stefano Manfredi, is recognised as one of Australia’s leading exponents of modern Italian cuisine. Since the 1980s, he has owned and operated restaurants in the Sydney area, written on food and cooking (these days a weekly food column for the Sydney Morning Herald's Spectrum), published four books, presented master classes and made television appearances. He also leads a cooking tour annually to Italy and enjoys making salami and sausages with his friend Pino. This month he shares a tagine with GI News readers.
Stefano Manfredi
Lamb and lentil tagine
As the days cool a little, appetites grow keener for foods that give warmth and comfort. The cook senses this change and thoughts turn to ingredients that require slower cooking. To my mind, lentils are the perfect comfort food – soothing, flavoursome and able to absorb many other flavours.
Gently heat 1/3 cup of extra virgin olive oil in a tagine base or heavy casserole pot, and add a pinch of saffron, a teaspoon of powdered turmeric and 1 tablespoon of grated fresh ginger. Lightly fry for a minute then add a chopped onion, 2 chopped carrots and a chopped celery heart (including the tender celery leaves). Stir well and lightly fry for 2–3 minutes. Add 1 cup of well-washed lentils and a lamb shoulder cut into 2cm (1in) pieces. Mix well and add enough water to just cover all the ingredients. Season with salt and pepper, stir, and place the lid on. Place the tagine (or casserole) into a preheated 180ºC/350ºF oven for 50–70 minutes until the lamb and lentils are thoroughly cooked. Once out of the oven, roughly chop a bunch of coriander and squeeze in the juice of a lemon. Check for seasoning and serve.
You can see the final result HERE.
– For more of Steve’s recipes, go to: www.manfredi.com.au
Myth: Fat people are unhealthy.
Nicole Senior
Fact: You can be ‘fit and fat’. No matter what your weight, you can improve your health and reduce your risk of disease by being physically active and eating a healthy diet.
Last month we heard from Professor Steven Blair about his research showing even obese people can be healthy provided they are physically active. Describing himself as ‘short, fat and bald’ but physically fit made me laugh endearingly but also added ‘weight’ to his argument: he is a man who literally ‘walks the walk!’ You can be healthy at any size provided you are physically active but what you eat also matters.
Did you know heavier people have lower risk of osteoporosis? Being heavier puts more pressure on your bones and your body toughens them up to take it – especially if you are physically active: chalk one up for the fatties! Being thin actually increases your risk of osteoporosis for the same reason, but exercising regularly and eating enough calcium rich foods can even up the score. When it comes to bones, exercise and food are important for everyone.
Think about Morgan Spurlock in the film ‘Supersize me’ who overate (one time to the point of throwing up) every day for a month on fatty burgers, fries and shakes. Even though he was not obese at the end, his blood test results read like the ‘wreck of the Hesperus’ because he had overdosed on ‘sometimes foods’ full of saturated fat and low in fibre. Both fat and thin people can eat badly and have high cholesterol levels, and equally anyone can achieve normal cholesterol levels by eating a cholesterol-lowering diet with the right balance of fats; that is, mostly unsaturated fats from oils, spreads, nuts, seeds and fish, along with plenty of fibre from vegetables, fruits and wholegrains.
Fat people can have normal blood pressure as well provided they eat little salt and enough vegetables, fruits, wholegrains and low fat dairy foods (and exercise). Overweight people can also have healthy blood glucose levels and protect against type 2 diabetes by enjoying a balanced diet low in saturated fat, high in fibre, and including low GI foods and being physically active.
What we eat matters at any size. We all need to set nutrition and fitness goals that are realistic and right for us. We can’t all do 2 hours a day in the gym, and there’s no shame in that. We also need to put nutrition and health as a priority over the obsessive quest for ‘the body beautiful’. Happiness, contentment and wellbeing are more than what size clothing we wear. It’s unfortunate that bigger people attract such negative perceptions because this can lead to low self esteem and poor eating habits; why take care of yourself with good food if you think you’re unworthy?
Good self-acceptance is important for engaging in healthy behaviours. It’s like my mother always said, ‘It’s what inside that counts’ and this applies to the food we eat as well as a kind heart.
For more great information and delicious recipes for staying healthy on the inside, check out Nicole’s website at eattobeatcholesterol.com.au.
![[ALAN]](http://www.glycemicindex.com/blog/2009/april2009/alan125.jpg)
Dr Alan Barclay
A new cure for diabetes?
A new study in the Lancet has crunched the numbers and tells us that in just under 30 years, the number of adults with type 2 diabetes has more than doubled from 153 million in 1980 to 347 million in 2008 . Most due to increasing numbers of larger, older people. It’s thought that risk factors like obesity, lack of physical activity and poor diets account for the rest.
Not to worry. There’s a ‘cure’ shout the headlines a few days later when a new two-month ‘extreme diet’ that ‘offers a hope of a cure for type 2 diabetes’ was published in Diabetologia. Cure? Let’s take a look.
Eleven obese people with type 2 diabetes were put on a very low calorie diet (600 cal/2500 kJ a day). It consisted of three sachets of Optifast a day plus non-starchy vegetables (salad greens, onions, capsicum/peppers).
After eight weeks they lost an average of 15.3 kg/34 lbs (around 15% of their body weight) and their BGLs and triglyceride levels returned to normal, their pancreatic and liver fat levels decreased, and their livers became sensitive to the effects of insulin again. A big improvement – but what happened next?
Most of the stories neglected to mention that three months later, the weight came back: there was an average weight re-gain of 3.1 kg (7 lbs) when the participants were ‘provided with information about portion size and healthy eating’ and 3 out of the 11, or 27% of participants ‘had recurrence of diabetes’. No details on the ‘healthy eating’ advice was given.
A new cure? Not really. What the study shows is that if you go on a very low calorie diet your symptoms of type 2 diabetes will go into remission if you are obese (not everyone with type 2 diabetes is obese of course). However, remission is the key word. Because type 2 diabetes is a metabolic disease – it’s not something you catch – your symptoms will return if you slip back to your old lifestyle.
It's not possible to live your life on Optifast or similar products. So, the essential ingredient is what healthy eating plan should you follow after you have lost that initial 15% of your body weight to prevent weight re-gain and a return of diabetes symptoms – and that part of the study was sadly neglected…
Regular readers of GI News will recall that the Diogenes study we covered last year found that a moderately high protein, low GI diet was the best plan for longer-term weight loss maintenance. Interestingly, the first phase of this study also involved use of a very low calorie diet like Optifast. This successful combination (very low calorie diet followed by a moderately high protein, low GI diet) may help some people with type 2 diabetes put their diabetes in to remission and keep it that way for a much longer period of time.
For more information about the GI Symbol Program
Dr Alan W Barclay, PhD
Chief Scientific Officer
Glycemic Index Foundation (Ltd)
Phone: +61 (0)2 9785 1037
Mob: +61 (0)416 111 046
Fax: +61 (0)2 9785 1037
Email: alan@gisymbol.com
Website: www.gisymbol.com
Professor Jennie Brand-Miller answers your questions
Many of the studies you write about in GI News talk about ‘insulin resistance’ and ‘insulin sensitivity’. Can you explain these terms?
Insulin is a hormone that plays several critical roles in our health and wellbeing. It’s been called the MASTER hormone because it regulates so many things, including our blood glucose levels. When we eat carb-rich foods like bread, breakfast cereals, pasta, rice or noodles, starchy vegetables like potatoes and fruit, our body converts them into a glucose (a sugar) that is absorbed from the intestine and becomes the main fuel that circulates in our blood. When glucose levels in the blood rise after a meal, the beta cells in the pancreas shoot insulin out into the blood to drive the glucose into the cells so it can be put to work either as an immediate source of energy or converted to glycogen (a stored energy source), or to fat.
If you require relatively normal or low levels of insulin to process your BGLs (blood glucose levels), you are what’s called ‘insulin sensitive’ – a good thing.
Insulin resistance, on the other hand, means that the body does not react in a normal way to insulin in the blood. It is insensitive, or ‘partially deaf’, to insulin. Think of it like this: just as we may shout to make a deaf person hear, the body makes more insulin in an effort to drive glucose where it’s supposed to go. So moving glucose into cells necessitates the release of large amounts of insulin.
A healthy low GI diet plus physical activity are the most powerful ways you can optimise your insulin sensitivity and decrease insulin levels over the whole day. The latest paper from the Diogenes study published in the New England Journal of Medicine shows that an ‘increase in dietary protein and a reduction in GI content over a 6-month ad libitum dietary intervention are related to a lower drop-out rate and produced favourable effects on glycaemic control and insulin sensitivity in overweight/obese subjects after an initial body-weight loss.’
GI testing by an accredited laboratory North America
Dr Alexandra Jenkins
Glycemic Index Laboratories
20 Victoria Street, Suite 300
Toronto, Ontario M5C 298 Canada
Phone +1 416 861 0506
Email info@gilabs.com
Web www.gilabs.com
Australia
Fiona Atkinson![[FIONA]](http://www.glycemicindex.com/blog/2009/may2009/fiona125.jpg)
Research Manager, Sydney University Glycemic Index Research Service (SUGiRS)
Human Nutrition Unit, School of Molecular and Microbial Biosciences
Sydney University
NSW 2006 Australia
Phone + 61 2 9351 6018
Fax: + 61 2 9351 6022
Email sugirs@mmb.usyd.edu.au
Web www.glycemicindex.com
See The New Glucose Revolution on YouTube
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Fit people come in all shapes and sizes
University of South Carolina Arnold School of Public Health Professor Steven Blair has undertaken dozens of studies on joint associations of fitness and fatness to health. These studies show that a normal weight person who is unfit is twice as likely to die in the next decade as a person who is overweight and fit.
Prof. Steven Blair
He writes: ‘I’ve been studying the cause of death in a select group of people for over 30 years and I’ve found that low cardio-respiratory fitness, which is caused by a sedentary lifestyle, accounted for more deaths than anything else. I often tell people that I was short, fat and bald when I started running, but that after running nearly every day for more than 40 years and covering about 70,000 miles ... I am still short, fat, and bald. But I suspect I’m in much better shape than I’d be if I didn’t run.
Most people think that you can tell if someone’s fit, active and healthy just by looking at them. It’s not true! Fit, healthy people come in all sizes and shapes. The same is true of unhealthy people. I know several thin people who are unfit and have serious health problems. Weight isn't everything.
There is now overwhelming evidence that regular physical activity has important and wide-ranging health benefits. These range from reduced risk of chronic diseases such as heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and some cancers to enhanced function and preservation of function with age. As a member of the geriatric set, I am personally delighted that there is strong emerging evidence that activity delays cognitive decline and is good for brain health as well as having extensive benefits for the rest of the body.
For much of my career, I’ve tracked a large group of patients from the Cooper Clinic. Each individual received a medical examination upon entering the study, including measurements of height, weight, body composition and cardio-respiratory fitness. We have followed these patients over the years to see who gets sick, who stays healthy, who lives and who dies. The results are fascinating. Our follow-up has shown that the death rate for women and men who are thin but unfit is at least twice as high as their obese counterparts who are fit. In fact, across every category of body composition, unfit individuals have a much higher death rate than those who are fit. Fitness appears to provide protection against early mortality no matter how much you weigh.
Being fit, as defined in our study, does not require high-level athletic training. It means meeting the consensus public recommendation of accumulating 150 minutes of moderate intensity exercise, such as walking, each week. Doing more brings additional health benefits. Overall, our data show about 50% lower mortality in the moderately fit as compared with the low fit; highly fit individuals lower their risk another 10–15%.
Many people classified as obese by current standards actually have a good health profile. We see that as many as 40% of obese individuals have normal cholesterol and blood pressure, do not smoke and are physically fit. Anyone who struggles with their weight should take this as good news. My recommendation is to focus on good health habits, no matter what number you see on the scale.
Gaining weight? It might be your job that’s the problem
US researchers report in a study published online that the US obesity epidemic has been largely caused by a decline in jobs requiring people to be active. They delved into statistics and studies about the calories Americans consume and how much they exercise outside of work and found that neither has changed very much over the past 50 years. What has changed is how active Americans are at work. ‘In the early 1960s almost half the jobs in private industry in the US required at least moderate intensity physical activity whereas now less than 20% demand this level of energy expenditure. Since 1960 the estimated mean daily energy expenditure due to work related physical activity has dropped by more than 100 calories in both women and men’ says Prof Steven Blair commenting on the study. You can read the whole study online (free) HERE.
Better HbA1c with structured exercise
Physical activity is one of the cornerstones of managing diabetes and pre-diabetes. Why? Well exercising muscles need fuel and the fuel they need most is glucose. So as soon as you start moving your muscles, they start burning up glucose. First they use their own stores of glucose (that’s glycogen); then they’ll call on the liver for some its stores, all the time drawing glucose out of the blood and lowering your blood glucose levels. There are only two requirements when it comes to exercise says GI News’ Dr Alan Barclay: ‘One is that you do it. The other is that you continue to do it.’
Daniel Umpierre and colleagues recent systematic review and meta-analysis published in JAMA report that ‘aerobic, resistance, and combined training are each associated with HbA1c decreases, and the magnitude of this reduction is similar across the three exercise modalities … Second, our findings demonstrate that structured exercise of more than 150 minutes per week is associated with greater declines in HbA1c (0.89%) than structured exercise of 150 minutes or less per week (0.36%) in people with type 2 diabetes … Although high-intensity exercise has been previously shown to have an association with HbA1c reduction, our findings did not demonstrate that more intensive exercise was associated with greater declines in HbA1c.’
The researchers add that the finding that physical activity advice is only associated with HbA1c reduction when accompanied by a dietary co-intervention highlights the need for a combined recommendation of these lifestyle interventions.
Health at every size
Prof. Linda Bacon
Advising obese and overweight patients to lose weight can do more harm than good, according to researchers Prof Linda Bacon PhD (author of Health At Every Size) and specialist dietitian Lucy Aphramor. In this open access article in Nutrition Journal the authors review the evidence to justify shifting the health care paradigm from a conventional weight focus to Health At Every Size (HAES).
In their introduction they write: ‘Despite attention from the public health establishment, a private weight loss industry estimated at $58.6 billion annually in the US, unprecedented levels of body dissatisfaction and repeated attempts to lose weight, the majority of individuals are unable to maintain weight loss over the long term and do not achieve the putative benefits of improved morbidity and mortality. Concern has arisen that this weight focused paradigm is not only ineffective at producing thinner, healthier bodies, but also damaging, contributing to food and body preoccupation, repeated cycles of weight loss and regain, distraction from other personal health goals and wider health determinants, reduced self-esteem, eating disorders, other health decrement, and weight stigmatization and discrimination.’
The paper reviews a number of assumptions underlying the conventional weight focus including ‘adiposity poses significant mortality risk’, ‘anyone who is determined can lose weight and keep it off through appropriate diet and exercise’, the pursuit of weight loss is a practical and positive goal’, and ‘the only way for overweight and obese people to improve health is to lose weight’. In shifting the paradigm from weight to health the authors explain how HAES encourages body acceptance, supports intuitive eating and building activity into daily routines.
Bacon and Aphramor urge the health care community to adopt ‘a more ethical, evidence-based approach toward public health nutrition’ – one that encourages individuals to concentrate on developing healthy habits rather than weight management.
You can read more about Linda Bacon and the HAES movement HERE.
Bookshelf
#1 If Not Dieting, Then What? Dr Rick Kausman is widely recognized as the Australian pioneer of the non-dieting approach to healthy weight management. This book was winner for Best Nutrition Writing at the Australian Food Writers Awards in 1999. ‘It’s all about our attitude and a lot about our relationship with food,’ says Kausman.
Dr Rick Kausman
In his book, he shows readers how to look at food in a more positive way and move away from the ‘no pain no gain’ approach. One chapter simply looks at what is ‘normal’ or ‘natural’ when it comes to eating patterns and Kausman reminds us ‘normal’ or ‘natural’ eating is different for different people, but also differs at different times for the same person and he goes on to list some of ways in which it is ‘normal’ or ‘natural’ to eat.
The scoop on low GI winter fruit
Emma Stirling APD
As we gear up for winter in the southern hemisphere, summer salads and tropical fruit feel like another world away. Granted you can still buy out-of-season fruit, if you’re happy for it to be flown from half way around the world. But by far the best approach for health and a healthy budget is to embrace the season’s best.
Reasons to season Following the seasons has many advantages including:
American dietitian and author of Good Carbs, Bad Carbs, Johanna Burani, shares favourite recipes with a low or moderate GI from her Italian kitchen. For more information, check out Johanna's website. The photographs are by Sergio Burani. His food, travel and wine photography website is photosbysergio.com.
Sweet springtime escarole
Most Italians enjoy the bitter taste inherent in escarole. And because it has its own confident and distinctive flavor, it pairs nicely with other flavours. The classic winter soup, Escarole and Beans, comes to mind. This recipe takes escarole in another direction. The sweetness of the shallots and grape tomatoes blends perfectly with the escarole, delivering a pleasant taste to all palates. Makes 4 x 1-cup serves
1 large head of escarole (450g/1lb)
1/2 cup water
1 tsp sea or kosher salt
1 tbs extra virgin olive oil
120g (4oz) shallots, thinly sliced horizontally
240g (8oz) grape tomatoes, halved vertically
30g (1oz) parmesan cheese shavings (optional)
Cut off approximately 2.5cm (1in) from the base of the escarole head. Separate the leaves and wash each leaf to remove all signs of dirt and grit. Do this con cura, which means very carefully. Coarsely chop.
Pour the water into a heavy-based casserole (Dutch oven), add the salt and heat. Toss in the escarole and stir. Cover and cook over medium heat for 10–12 minutes or until the escarole is tender. Stir 3–4 times.
In the meantime, heat the oil in a large frying pan. Add the shallots and sauté for 1 minute. Add in the tomatoes and sauté for another 2 minutes.
Add the escarole, including any juice, mix well and cook over medium-low heat for 2 minutes. Serve immediately, with optional cheese shavings offered tableside.
Per serve (without the cheese shavings)
Energy: 1188kJ/ 89cals; Protein 3g; Fat 4g (includes less than 1g saturated fat and 10mg cholesterol); Available carbohydrate 10g; Fibre 3g
What’s escarole? With thanks to Wikipedia: ‘Escarole, or broad-leaved endive (Chicorum endiva) has broad, pale green leaves and is less bitter than the other varieties. Varieties or names include broad-leaved endive, Bavarian endive, Batavian endive, grumolo, scarola, and scarole. It is eaten like other greens, sautéed, chopped into soups and stews, or as part of a green salad.’
Cut back on the food bills and enjoy fresh-tasting, easily prepared, seasonal, satisfying and delicious low or moderate GI meals that don’t compromise on quality and flavour one little bit with Money Saving Meals author Diane Temple. For more recipes check out the Money Saving Meals website.
A food processor or blender makes it easy, but you can simply chop the herbs and capers up very finely and mix them through the remaining sauce ingredients. Add other green vegetables to the cooking pasta like asparagus and broccolini 3 minutes before the end of cooking time. Serves 4
350g (12oz) dried pasta (spaghetti or your favourite pasta shape)
150g (5oz) green beans trimmed and sliced into 3–4 cm lengths.
1 cup firmly packed parsley (leaved picked)
¼ cup roughly chopped mint or dill
1 tbs capers, rinsed
¼ cup olive oil plus 1 tablespoon extra
2 tbs lemon juice
2 tbs Dijon mustard
2 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
350g (12oz) mixed seafood marinara
Cook the pasta in a large saucepan of boiling water until al dente following the directions on the packet for timing. In the last 2 minutes of cooking time, add the green beans. While the pasta is cooking …
Blitz the herbs and capers in a food processor or blender for a few seconds until well chopped then add olive oil, lemon juice and mustard, season to taste with freshly ground black pepper and puree. Tip the sauce into a bowl until ready to use.
Sauté the garlic in the extra tablespoon of olive oil in a large frying pan for a few seconds. Add the seafood marinara mix and cook, stirring continuously, for 3 minutes or until done. Set aside keeping warm. When the pasta is al dente …
Drain and tip the beans and pasta back into the saucepan and tip the seafood into the pasta (scraping any bits off the bottom of the pan) along with the herb and caper sauce, tossing to combine well. Serve immediately.
Per serve
Energy: 2450kJ/ 585cals; Protein 28g; Fat 22g (includes 3g saturated fat and 135mg cholesterol); Available carbohydrate 66g; Fibre 5.5g
Myth: Thin people are healthier.
Nicole Senior
Fact: Thin people can still carry fat around their organs and this is places them at increased risk of chronic disease. There’s now a new name for this thin AND fat state: ‘metabolically obese.’
How many times have you thought or heard, ‘he/she is thin so they can eat anything and don’t have to worry’? It’s almost like the slender folk among us appear untouchable to the afflictions of fatties, but being slight of frame is no longer a guarantee all is well on the inside where it really counts. British Prof Jimmy Bell coined these folk ‘TOFIs’: Thin Outside, Fat Inside.
The advent of sophisticated medical imaging machines means we can now look at where fat is stored in the body and apparently thin people can still carry risky amounts of fat around their internal organs (visceral fat). A US study by the Mayo Clinic found 20–30% of people fell in this thin-but-fat category when they measured 6000 adults over nine years. Even though they don’t look overweight, people with ‘metabolic obesity’ are at greater risk of all the usual disease we associate with fatness including high cholesterol, heart disease, high blood pressure, stroke and diabetes. A predisposition of storing visceral fat is the reason why certain ethnic groups have a higher risk of disease at a lower BMI: people from Asia and India are considered overweight at a BMI of 23 rather than 25 for the general population.
So how do you know if you’re metabolically obese? Aside from the use of expensive imaging equipment, the easiest thing to do is to measure your waist. In men, a waist more than 94 centimetres (37 inches) is an increased risk, and more than 102 centimetres (40 inches) is a greatly increased risk. For women it is 80cm (31½ inches) and 94cm (37 inches), respectively. Asian and Indian men – typically with skinny legs and a pot belly - have increased risk at a waist measurement of 90cm (35½ inches). For more ethnic-specific waist targets visit the Department of Health's website.
The good news is that visceral fat is the easiest to move by eating less and moving more. It’s your body’s easy access storage depot of spare fuel. It also depends on the type of food you eat. An analysis of almost 49,000 Europeans participating in the EPIC study found higher energy density and higher glycemic index (GI) diet were associated with visceral fatness. Enjoying low GI foods can help. And on the flipside, if you are larger it doesn’t mean you are – or have to be – unhealthy. Eating the right foods and exercising regularly can balance the health ledger in your favour. Stay tuned next month for more on being ‘fit and fat’...
For more great information and delicious recipes on eating to stay thin on the inside, check out Nicole’s website at eattobeatcholesterol.com.au.
Dr Alan Barclay
‘Swap it. Don’t stop it.’
What does it mean? ‘It just means swapping some of the things I’m doing now for healthier choices’, says Eric, the balloon man at the centre of a campaign here in Australia that’s aiming to encourage us to adopt some simple healthy weight management techniques and reduce the risk of developing type 2 diabetes, heart disease and certain cancers.
The approach is refreshingly simple. But it’s not new. The key messages for the campaign were originally developed by the UK’s Department of Health where the program’s tagline was ‘How to lose weight and feel healthy without giving up all the things you love’ – a sentiment we totally agree with.
Adopting new and restrictive eating habits to lose weight that don’t fit in with you or your family’s background or way of life and backing them up with a mantra of self-denial (and guilt when you can’t stick to it) is not a successful strategy for long-term weight management or good physical and mental health.
Rather than demonising any particular food or nutrient, we should be enjoying our meals and drinks, eating an all-round healthy diet and being more active every day, not embarking on an endless cycle of restrictive weight-loss diets that avoid or eliminate the latest bogey food or nutrient. As most of us know through either personal experience or professional training – these kinds of diets are not a recipe for long-term success by any measure.
Here at the GI Foundation, we are big fans of the 'this for that' swap it approach. We have actually been promoting the concept of swapping healthier low GI choices for your regular high GI foods and drinks in our books and websites for many years – long before the UK and Australian Governments came on board. The reason why is relatively simple:
Professor Jennie Brand-Miller answers your questions
‘What is the latest research on low GI carbs for exercise? Is the intensity of exercise important?’
Whether you are a professional athlete, exercising for health and fitness or aiming to lose weight, the type, timing and amount of food you eat before and after exercise will help you achieve your goals, whatever they are. When you are exercising, your muscles rely on carbohydrate and fat as their main sources of fuel.
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Jennie Brand-Miller on why gestational diabetes numbers will double
‘Apart from re-living ‘The Sound of Music’ at the 6th International Symposium on Diabetes in Pregnancy meeting in warm and sunny Salzburg, I learned that the findings of the HAPO Study (Hyperglycemia and Pregnancy Outcomes Study) are changing the way the world diagnoses gestational diabetes (GDM, or diabetes first recognised during pregnancy). One of the following is now sufficient:
![[COLLAGE]](http://www.glycemicindex.com/blog/2011/jun2011/collage.jpg)
![[COLLAGE]](http://www.glycemicindex.com/blog/2011/may2011/collage.jpg)