Your Success Stories

‘Who would have thought beans and legumes could be a base foodstuff in so many dishes ... even desserts!’ – Libby
‘My husband has type 2 diabetes and in the honeymoon period of the six months after our wedding, the two of us gained so much weight because we were enjoying lots of meals out and were not monitoring our diets closely. The weight gain led his HbA1c to creep up to 8.2. It was looking like insulin might be on the cards, so he made the decision it was crunch time for the diet. We already knew about GI eating plans and had several books, but we had not applied it consistently till then. That was back in May. Within two months I had lost 8 kg (17 pounds), he had lost 6 kg (13 pounds), his cholesterol dropped back into the healthy range and the HbA1c is back down to 7.1. It became a really consistent effort when we began to write about it on a website we are building together: http://www.lowgicooking.com/

On this website, I’m posting all the recipes I cook, so there is about one a day (except when I repeat meals). My husband has taken all the photos (not to mention done the web development), and I plan and cook all the meals. Both of us agree that the best part is we don’t really feel like we are dieting, because we are eating until we are well and truly full, but simply choosing good carbs, good fats, LOTS of fruit, vegetables, nuts and whole grains and only eating out very rarely. All of this is thanks to the great, long-term research work by the Uni of Sydney which we really appreciate and believe will add years to our lives. Who would have thought beans and legumes could be a base foodstuff in so many dishes ... even desserts! The next step we’re planning is to buy our own home mini flourmill so we can make our own delicious wholegrain flours.’


Libby and family in the kitchen

Send us your GI success story.

GI Symbol News with Alan Barclay

Alan Barclay

Low GI pearl couscous
Blu Gourmet Pearl Couscous (GI 52) now carries the GI Symbol. Unlike traditional couscous, pearl couscous which takes its name from its pearl-like shape and size is often described as a ‘toasted pasta specialty’. Like regular pasta, it is made from hard (durum) wheat and water. But instead of being dried, it is toasted in an open flame oven. It has a rich, nutty flavour and a chewy texture, with a smooth, almost buttery mouth feel. It makes a perfect side dish to meat, poultry, or fish instead of potatoes, rice, or traditional pastas or couscous. It cooks in around 10 minutes by the absorption method – just like rice – and you can also use it in a variety of dishes – just like rice and other pastas.

Where does it come from? Blu Gourmet Pearl Couscous is produced by Osem in Israel. In the US and Canada you will find it marketed as Osem Israeli Couscous or Osem Toasted Pasta and you can even buy it from Amazon. Here in Australia, It is on the shelves in Coles supermarkets and many independent grocers and delis. For those of you who need to count your carbs, ½ cup cooked pearl couscous has around 20 g carbs and a GL of 10.

Product ambassador, chef Gabriel Gate, has developed a number of recipes using pearl couscous. Here’s the one we tried: Gourmet Pearl Couscous Salad with Vegetables and Cashew Nuts and a Sesame Dressing. You’ll find it will serve around 10 people at a barbecue and is a great way to use up leftover vegetables. Serves 6.



250 g (9 oz) pearl couscous,
juice of 1 lemon,
2 tablespoons salt-reduced soy sauce,
½ teaspoon sesame oil,
½ a red chilli, finely sliced,
3 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil,
about 80 g (3 oz) roasted unsalted cashew nuts,
½ cup coriander leaves,
1 cup cooked corn kernels (canned is fine),
200 g (7 oz) cooked green beans, cut into small pieces,
300 g (10 oz) cooked butternut pumpkin cubes

• Bring a large volume of salted water to the boil. Stir in the couscous and cook uncovered for 10 minutes. Drain the couscous, place in cold water to cool, then drain again.
• In a bowl mix together the lemon juice, soy sauce, sesame oil, red chilli, olive oil, cashew nuts and coriander leaves. Add the cold drained couscous and toss gently. Add the vegetables and toss together very gently before serving.

Per serving
Energy: 1640 kJ/ 390 cals; Protein 11 g; Fat 17 g (includes 2.5 g saturated fat and 0 mg cholesterol); Carbs 46 g; Fibre 4 g.

For more recipes, check out the Blu Gourmet Pearl Couscous website http://www.blu.net.au/



For more information about the GI Symbol Program
Dr Alan W Barclay, PhD
CSO, Glycemic Index Foundation (Ltd)
Phone: +61 2 9785 1037
Mob: +61 (0)416 111 046
Fax: +61 2 9785 1037
Email: alan@gisymbol.com
Website: http://www.gisymbol.com/

GI Update

GI Q&A with Prof Jennie Brand-Miller



‘I have seen numerous studies stating that chewing food completely (20–30 times) is beneficial in suppressing appetite. However, if we chew an apple before swallowing, is the GI value that of an apple or of apple juice?’ – Norm
Hi Norm, the GI of a food (or beverage) is based on scientific testing of real foods in real people in the state in which they are normally consumed – so when testing, an apple is crunched and chewed in the normal way and the subsequent GI value is for a chewed and digested apple – skin and all. If you chewed the apple over and over again in the mouth until it’s a very soft mash, then chances are the glucose and insulin response will be higher. We know what happens if we chew bread and pasta for longer before swallowing. This produces a higher glucose response because saliva contains the enzyme amylase that begins the process of starch digestion. In fact, these studies showed that a minute or two of chewing caused over half the starch in bread to be digested before it was swallowed. The pasta, however, was more resistant to digestion in the mouth, partly because of its hard texture.

Here’s how scientists measure a food’s GI value (you’ll find lots more information on our website: http://www.glycemicindex.com/). ‘To determine a food’s GI value, measured portions of the food containing 10–50 grams of carbohydrate are fed to 10 healthy people after an overnight fast. Finger-prick blood samples are taken at 15–30 minute intervals over the next two hours. These blood samples are used to construct a blood sugar response curve for the two hour period. The area under the curve (AUC) is calculated to reflect the total rise in blood glucose levels after eating the test food. The GI rating (%) is calculated by dividing the AUC for the test food by the AUC for the reference food (same amount of glucose) and multiplying by 100. The use of a standard food is essential for reducing the confounding influence of differences in the physical characteristics of the subjects. The average of the GI ratings from all ten subjects is published as the GI of that food.’



GI testing by an accredited laboratory

North America
Dr Alexandra Jenkins
Glycemic Index Laboratories
36 Lombard Street, Suite 100
Toronto, Ontario M5C 2X3 Canada
Phone +1 416 861 0506
Email info@gilabs.com
Web http://www.gilabs.com/

Australia
Fiona Atkinson



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 http://www.glycemicindex.com/

New Zealand
Dr Tracy Perry
The Glycemic Research Group, Dept of Human Nutrition
University of Otago
PO Box 56 Dunedin New Zealand
Phone +64 3 479 7508
Email tracy.perry@stonebow.otago.ac.nz
Web glycemicindex.otago.ac.nz

See The New Glucose Revolution on YouTube

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GI News—October 2009

• Does organic food have more nutrients?
• Looking for healthy ways to eat well and lose weight – start a cookbook club
• High meat diets and diabetes risk
• Catherine Saxelby on why tomatoes are tops
• Two new recipes from the GI News kitchen
• Michael Pollan on why NOT cooking may be bad for our health
• Check out the new GI Symbol

‘People are always looking for healthy ways to eat and lose weight and a cookbook club is a great way to do both,’ suggests GI News subscriber, Darlene from Arizona. ‘It has been fun for us to come together every week to try new things and it has opened up new ways of combining good foods with recipes that are easy to make and affordable. Here’s how we started our Cookbook Club. I purchased a copy of Glycemic Index Cooking Made Easy a few months ago to lose weight and try new foods – especially vegetables that I am a stranger to. I brought the cookbook to the office and it received so much interest that several of us joined together to take turns preparing a recipe to share. We discuss the recipe and make notes in the cookbook. There are approximately ten of us now and we meet every Wednesday.

At our recent Cookbook Club lunch I tried a dish that contained tuna. I have not had tuna in 30 years and it was very good recipe. Comments from our club regarding the recipes have been – “inexpensive”, “easy”, “great for potluck” and “I would never have thought to mix this or that into a salad but it works very well and I will definitely make it again.” You asked about our favorites so far? All the recipes we have tried so far are favorites! We visit your website and obtain helpful information from your newsletters and share it with the group.’



Good eating, good health and good reading.

Editor: Philippa Sandall
Design: Scott Dickinson, PhD
Web management: Alan Barclay, PhD

Food for Thought

Off the couch and into the kitchen

In a typically thought provoking piece in the New York Times magazine, ‘Out of the Kitchen, onto the Couch’, Michael Pollan writes: ‘...here’s what I don’t get: How is it that we are so eager to watch other people browning beef cubes on screen but so much less eager to brown them ourselves? For the rise of Julia Child as a figure of cultural consequence – along with Alice Waters and Mario Batali and Martha Stewart and Emeril Lagasse and whoever is crowned the next Food Network star – has, paradoxically, coincided with the rise of fast food, home-meal replacements and the decline and fall of everyday home cooking …



Today the average American spends a mere 27 minutes a day on food preparation (another four minutes cleaning up); that’s less than half the time that we spent cooking and cleaning up when Julia arrived on our television screens. It’s also less than half the time it takes to watch a single episode of “Top Chef” or “Chopped” or “The Next Food Network Star.” What this suggests is that a great many Americans are spending considerably more time watching images of cooking on television than they are cooking themselves – an increasingly archaic activity they will tell you they no longer have the time for.

Cooking’s fate may be to join some of our other weekend exercises in recreational atavism: camping and gardening and hunting and riding on horseback. Something in us apparently likes to be reminded of our distant origins every now and then and to celebrate whatever rough skills for contending with the natural world might survive in us, beneath the thin crust of 21st-century civilization.

But to relegate the activity of cooking to a form of play, something that happens just on weekends or mostly on television, seems much more consequential. The fact is that not cooking may well be deleterious to our health, and there is reason to believe that the outsourcing of food preparation to corporations and 16-year-olds has already taken a toll on our physical and psychological well-being.’ Read the whole article HERE.


Michael Pollan

News Briefs

Does organic food have more nutrients? Glenn Cardwell comments on a UK study.

A report published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition came to the conclusion that organically grown produce and livestock had a similar nutrient offering to conventionally grown food. The reviewers trawled all the research for the past 50 years and found only 55 good quality research studies comparing organic and conventionally grown food, many conducted this century. The comparison did not include pesticide residue or the environmental impact.



In many cases, it won't matter how you dress up organic produce because most people won't be prepared to pay the premium price. The other critical factor is that less than one in ten adults eat enough fruit and vegetables to be good for them. Most adults need to double their vegetable intake to get the benefits they provide, before they start to wonder whether they should go organic or not.

Fresh produce in Australia is tested for pesticide residues. Most farmers will ensure that they meet the withholding times to ensure they are below the Maximum Residue Limits for pesticides, which are set by international scientific agreement. A lot of fresh produce has no detectable pesticide or herbicide residue at the point of sale. All the same, this will not appease many people who prefer no pesticides to be used in the first place (and if they weren't used then fruit and vegetables will be a lot more expensive than they are now).

If you can afford it, and you eat plenty of organic produce, then keep buying it. Many of you already are, as the organic market is rapidly growing. It sends a message that you prefer food that is a little more gentle on the environment. For those of us with plenty of mouths to feed and a modest budget, then feel comfortable eating good quality conventionally grown food, as the nutrient levels are very similar to organic produce. Remember that how you look after fresh produce after it has been bought will have the greatest impact on its nutrient content. Eat fresh food as soon as you can after purchase to get the most nutrients from your meal.


Glenn Cardwell

For good health we need carbohydrates

‘Carbohydrates have been and will continue to be an essential part of any human dietary requirement for hundreds of years, unless a fundamental mutation occurs,’ says Christian Nordqvist in Medical News Today.

‘The obesity explosion in most industrialized countries, and many developing countries, is a result of several contributory factors. One could easily argue for or against higher or lower carbohydrate intake, and give compelling examples, and convince most people either way. However, some factors have been present throughout the obesity explosion and should not be ignored: Less physical activity, fewer hours sleep each night, higher consumption of junk food, higher consumption of food additives, coloring, taste enhancers, artificial emulsifiers, etc, more abstract mental stress due to work, mortgages, and other modern lifestyle factors.

In rapidly developing countries, such as China, India, Brazil, Mexico, obesity is rising as people’s standards of living are changing. However, for their leaner nationals of a few decades ago carbohydrates made up a much higher proportion of their diets. Those leaner people also consumed much less junk food, moved around more, tended to consume more natural foods, and slept more hours each night. Saying that a country’s body weight problem is due to too much or too little of just one food component is too simplistic – it is a bit like saying that traffic problems in our cities are caused by badly synchronized traffic lights and nothing else.

It is true that many carbohydrates present in processed foods and drinks we consume tend to spike glucose and subsequently insulin production, and leave you hungry sooner than natural foods would. The Mediterranean diet of the people in Greece or the island of Corfu, with an abundance of carbohydrates from low GI sources (think pasta, or legumes) plus a normal amount of animal/fish protein, have a much lower impact on insulin requirements and subsequent health problems, compared to any other widespread western diet. Dramatically fluctuating insulin and blood glucose levels can have a long term effect on your eventual risk of developing obesity, type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and other conditions. However, for good health we do require carbohydrates. Carbohydrates that come from natural unprocessed foods, such as fruit, vegetables, legumes, whole grains, and some cereals also contain essential vitamins, minerals, fiber and key phytonutrients.’

High meat diets may increase the risk of diabetes
Eating more than 120 g (4 oz) a day of red meat, or more than 50 g (1½ oz) a day of processed meat like hamburgers, frankfurter sausages and bacon, may lead to a greater risk of developing type 2 diabetes according to a study published in Diabetologia that summarised data from 12 studies from around the globe.

Red meat intake was investigated in 10 of the 12 studies and included a total of 12,226 cases of type 2 diabetes from a total of 433,070 participants. There was a 21% increase in the risk of type 2 diabetes for those with the highest compared to the lowest red meat intake. The results of this study are consistent with previous findings of a 35–50% lower risk of type 2 diabetes among vegetarians compared with omnivores.

There are various possible explanations for these findings including the high total and saturated fat content of many red and processed meats which may increase the risk of being overweight or obese; the fact that they are rich in haem-iron which may interfere with glucose metabolism; and the presence of nitrites and nitrates in processed meats which can be converted to nitrosamines which in turn may have toxic effects on the insulin-producing pancreatic beta-cells.

‘The key message from this study,’ says Dr Alan Barclay, ‘is that eating large quantities of red meat, and processed meat, is not necessarily good for your health. Diabetes is a serious condition for the individual and society. Its rapidly increasing global prevalence is a significant cause for concern. It’s currently estimated that around 246 million people worldwide have type 2 diabetes and this figure is expected to rise to 380 million by 2025. The evidence is piling up that high meat diets are not the solution for healthy people or a healthy planet. A moderate consumption of red meat (65–100 g/2–3½ oz of cooked meat), fish (80–120 g/2½–4 oz, cooked), or vegetarian alternatives such as beans, lentils or chickpeas (½ a cup, cooked) each day, is sufficient for most of us and we should limit eating processed meats to just once a week.’

Plate Smash!
‘I believe most people would like to eat the right amount, if only they knew what that was. My new Plate Smash Game makes you stop and think about how many calories you are putting on your plate for one meal,’ says dietitan Amanda Clark. ‘Go over the right amount and your plate will smash!’

Foodwatch with Catherine Saxelby

Tomatoes are tops in any healthy diet



Cherry, egg, vine-ripened, ox-heart or teardrop; raw, grilled, oven-roasted or sun-dried; canned, bottled or in paste form – whichever way you eat them, tomatoes are a versatile ingredient of any healthy diet and a top super food. In terms of consumption, they are our second favourite vegetable after potatoes. Much of our intake is from canned whole tomatoes, tomato pasta sauces, tomato paste, tomato juice (GI 38), canned tomato soup (GI 38) and sun dried/semi dried tomatoes. And of course there’s that barbecue icon, tomato sauce or ketchup.



As with most veggies, you can tuck into them without thinking about their GI. They are so low in carbohydrate that they have no measurable effect on your blood glucose levels, but they do provide you with some fibre, vitamins, minerals and lots of lycopene, all for a mere 73 kilojoules (17 calories) in a medium-size tomato.

What’s lycopene? It’s a powerful antioxidant which has been shown to reduce the risk of cancer of the prostate and possibly cancer of the colon, bladder and lungs. Several studies have found that men who have the highest intakes of lycopene from tomato-based foods had a much lower risk of prostate cancer. And it appears to protect white blood cells, our body's first line of defence against infection. Interestingly processed tomato products – sauces, soups and juices – provide the most lycopene. Cooking and processing softens the tough cell walls of the tomato and increases the availability of the lycopene.

Tomatoes are sometimes avoided by arthritis sufferers, along with other members of the nightshade family like capsicum and eggplant. Reasons given are that they are too ‘acid’ or cause a flare-up of swollen joints or stiffness. But it could really be due to their high natural treasure chest. Along with their flavour, tomatoes contain high levels of salicylates, amines and glutamates, three natural compounds that are often the villains in migraines, digestive upsets and other allergic-type reactions collectively called food sensitivity. As with other culprit foods, it seems if a food consistently causes problems for someone, then it’s best to avoid it (and it’s estimated that around 30% of arthritis sufferers have some sort of food intolerance). At this stage, however, there's not enough evidence to ban tomatoes for everyone with arthritis.

Tips to add more tomatoes to your diet:

• Add sliced tomato to your sandwiches or melts – it's a perfect partner to cheese or ham (add a little Dijon mustard as well).


• Oven-roast Roma tomatoes and stir though a barley risotto with basil, mushrooms and little parmesan. Or just serve them on toast!


• Throw 1 cup of cherry or grape baby tomatoes through a salad. Or use red ripe ones as the basis of that ever-popular Greek salad with steak or chicken.

Why not make your own Salsa di Pomodoro? This recipe is from Mary Taylor Simeti’s Sicilian Food – a delightful book on the food, traditions and recipes of Sicily that’s full of authentic recipes from the author's family and friends on the island.

Ingredients: 1¾ kg (4 lb) fresh very ripe tomatoes, 1 medium onion, 4 sprigs parsley, ¼ cup olive oil, salt, sugar (optional)

Method: Wash the tomatoes and remove the stems, which if cooked would make the sauce bitter. Place the tomatoes in a saucepan with just enough water to barely cover the bottom of the pan, cover, and bring to the boil over a medium low flame. Simmer for 5 minutes, then drain well and cool slightly before passing through a food mill. Discard skin and seeds. Mince the onion and the parsley, and sauté in the oil. When the onion begins to turn golden, add the tomato puree. Simmer for 15 to 20 minutes, season to taste with a little salt, and if the sauce seems to acid, add a pinch of sugar. Makes approximately 3½ cups sauce.

Catherine Saxelby is an accredited dietitian and nutritionist and runs the Foodwatch Nutrition Centre. Her latest publication is The Shopper's Guide to Light Foods for Weight Loss (available as a PDF). For more information, visit foodwatch.com.au.

In the GI News Kitchen

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 HERE.



Frittata with fresh herbs
A frittata is an open-faced omelet. Italian cooks usually welcome in springtime with a recipe like this one because the herbs in their gardens are lush enough to start snipping at their sprigs and leaves. When I’m not in my Italian home, I’m a city girl, with nothing more than a few potted herbs and tomato plants on my deck. In early fall, before the cold sets in, I start cooking with whatever herbs I still have growing. The beauty of this recipe is that you can choose whatever herbs you may have at arm’s length and your frittata will be as sumptuous as this one. I try to include at least three different herbs. When I make this, we have our ‘primo piatto’ first, which is pasta so I just serve it with a hearty salad. If you are making a meal of the frittata, serve it with some low GI bread too if you wish.




Serves 2

3 eggs
½ cup egg substitute or 2 extra egg whites
2 tablespoons thinly sliced fresh chives
2 heaping tablespoons fresh thyme leaves, stems removed
2 heaping tablespoons minced fresh, flat leaf parsley, minced
¼ cup fresh basil leaves, ripped into tiny pieces
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
vegetable oil spray
1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil

• Place the eggs, egg substitute or extra egg white, the herbs and the salt and pepper in a medium sized bowl. Whisk until all the ingredients are blended.


• Cover the bottom of a 10-inch (25 cm) frying pan with vegetable spray. Heat over a medium flame. Add the olive oil and, when it is warmed, add the egg-herb mixture.


• Cook the frittata for 5–6 minutes, using a spatula to lift the edges away from the pan. When the bottom looks cooked, use the spatula or a flat cover or plate to flip it over to the other side and continue cooking for another 2 minutes. Serve immediately or at room temperature with a salad.


• The combined flavors of the herbs are even more pronounced the following day if you have leftovers.

Per serving (without bread or salad)
Energy: 370 kJ/ 201 cals; Protein 16 g; Fat 10 g (includes 3 g saturated fat and 320 mg cholesterol); Carbs 3 g; Fibre 1 g. Because the carbohydrate content is minimal, this frittata will have little impact on your blood glucose levels.

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, visit Diane’s website.

Creamy bean soup with sage & parmesan
Pulses or legumes are an important part of a low GI diet which is why it’s a good idea to try and include them in your meals at least twice a week – more often if you are vegetarian or vegan. One serve is equivalent to ½ cup cooked beans, lentils or chickpeas. This is an easy recipe for a quick smart meal on the run as it only takes about 10 minutes to whip up and the leftovers can be reheated for lunch or popped into the freezer. Makes 4 serves @ $1.10 per serving
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 onions, peeled and chopped
3 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
½–1 teaspoon dried sage (or thyme)
2 × 400 g cans cannellini or butter beans, drained and rinsed
3 cups water or vegetable stock
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese

• Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat and sauté the onion and garlic for about 5 minutes or until the onions are soft, stirring occasionally so they don’t burn. Stir in the sage.


• Tip the beans into the saucepan and pour over 3 cups of water. Cover and bring to the boil then reduce the heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes. Scoop out 1 cup of the liquid and set it aside.


• Whiz the soup to a creamy puree, adding the reserved liquid for a thinner soup if you prefer. Stir in the cheese and season with freshly ground black pepper. Reheat, ladle into bowls and serve topped with a few twists of freshly ground black pepper.

Per serving
Energy: 1040 kJ/ 248 cals; Protein 15 g; Fat 8 g (includes 2 g saturated fat and 7 mg cholesterol); Carbs 27 g; Fibre 8 g

Busting Food Myths with Nicole Senior

Myth: Some foods burn fat.


Nicole Senior

Fact: Burning body fat (losing weight) requires an energy deficit and individual foods are unlikely to make a big difference to your waistline.
The idea that some foods have inherent fat-burning properties has been around for some time. Until I typed ‘fat-burning foods’ into my search engine I had no idea so many foods were recommended for this amazing ability. Bananas, chilli, ginger, garlic, grapefruit, pineapple, low-fat dairy products, kidney beans, green tea, eggs and even olive oil get a mention. There is obviously some confusion about the difference between healthy foods to include in a weight loss diet and actual ‘fat-burning foods’, but is there any evidence to back up any such claims? A perusal of the scientific literature revealed several foods showing some promising effects: green tea, caffeine and chilli. Contrary to the diet book of the same name, evidence for the fat-burning power of grapefruit is conspicuously absent.

Green tea contains antioxidants called catechins which have been found to increase metabolic rate and fat oxidation (the sciency term for fat-burning). But before you go out and drink your own body weight in green tea you need to know the research is far from conclusive and any effect is likely to be somewhat modest. On the plus side, green tea is typically consumed without milk and sugar and without sticky buns and chocolate biscuits. Even without the fat-burning benefits, green tea is a zero kilojoule/calorie source of fluids with the bonus of antioxidants.

Caffeine is well known for its effect in enhancing exercise performance. It actually releases stored fat to fuel exercising muscles. The stimulant effect also helps to reduce fatigue and make exercise feel easier. As expected, there is a down side – too much caffeine is harmful. There are also practical aspects to consider. For instance, a cup of instant coffee or tea before your morning jog is likely to have benefit, whereas an ‘energy drink’ loaded with sugar or an iced coffee on whole milk with whipped cream without exercise will not.

Chillies have an active ingredient called capsaicin, which is the substance that makes them taste hot. The studies on chilli are small and show a variety of responses between individuals, however they do support the idea that daily ingestion increases metabolic rate and increases ‘fat burning’. However the positive impact is limited by the small amounts typically consumed, and eating it daily poses a challenge. On the practical side, chilli is popular in Tex-Mex cuisine and it is easy to see how any advantage could be lost amidst the corn chips, cheese and sour cream! On the other hand, chilli in high concentration may forcefully put the brakes on eating because of the pain, and comes with the added bonus of clearing out your sinuses. There is no need to suffer pain in your quest for health because enjoying comfortable levels of chilli within healthy, balanced meals is one of the many natural highs you can get eating great-tasting food flavoured with healthful herbs and spices rather than the demon salt.

For more information about heart-friendly foods and enjoyable healthy eating including recipes, check out eattobeatcholesterol.com.au.

Talking Turkey with Prof Trim

True or false?

1. You have to bust a gut to lose a gut.



2. Sit-ups will not help reduce fat off the waist.



3. Exercise is better than dieting for weight loss.



4. Swimming is better than walking for weight loss.



5. Exercise before breakfast is better for fat loss.



6. Sauna baths are good for fat loss.



7. Weight lifting is good for fat loss.



8. The best measure of body fat is Body Mass Index (BMI).



9. You lose more weight doing exercise you are good at.



10. An overweight person can be fit and healthy.

The Answers:


Click on the table for a full-sized view


Dr Garry Egger aka Prof Trim

For more information on weight loss for men, check out Professor Trim.

Your Success Stories

I’m frustrated and angry at being ignored for so long. I fell through the net. My experience should become a case study to avoid the problem occurring for other people. – Angus

‘Some 20 years ago when I went home to visit my family in Scotland I was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes and put on oral medication. When I returned home to Adelaide, my doctor conducted the normal HbA1c test and was delighted at the result which showed I had perfect diabetes control and discontinued my medication.

Over the years, numerous health professionals assured me that despite some of my pathology reports showing fasting blood glucose levels on the high side, my HbA1c tests showed I was maintaining excellent control of my diabetes. But I knew my diabetes management was far from perfect. I continually felt unwell and my own blood glucose monitoring showed my levels were high, especially under job related stress. I eventually stopped taking my BGLs as I didn’t see the point.

Frustrated that no one would listen to me, I entered into a research program for people with diabetes. Over a five-year period I had blood samples taken every six months to measure my HbA1c. Again, the results came back showing that my diabetes was continuing to be well-managed.

Eventually, I saw another endocrinologist, who finally solved the mystery of why numerous laboratory-based tests performed over almost 24 years showed my HbA1c readings were within normal range. He ordered a frucosamine test, which measures blood glucose over a shorter period, and following further investigations, told me that I had haemoglobinopathy

I had never heard of haemoglobinopathy so I went away and researched to find out what it all meant. In fact it is an hereditary, uncommon blood abnormality and a pitfall in diagnostics because it interferes with the HbA1 readings. After my diagnosis, I was put on additional oral medication and my diabetes management is back on track.

My story highlights the need for a greater focus on patient-centered care. Health professionals need to listen to what patients say and when results don’t continually add up, people need to be referred to specialist services. When blood glucose results obtained at home over an extended period of time differ substantially from the HbA1c tests, it’s important to consider so called “interfering factors”, one of which could be haemoglobinopathy.’

GI Symbol News with Alan Barclay

Alan Barclay

Facelift for the GI Symbol
Look out for the new and much brighter GI Symbol in your supermarket. The new Symbol, which started appearing on products on supermarket shelves in Australia at the end of September, has all the same trusted credentials as the old one. We have just given it a facelift to make it much brighter and help you make your healthy choices, even easier choices.



The GI Symbol is your trusted guide to healthier food choices. You can be confident that when you choose a food that carries the GI Symbol, that the GI value stated near the nutrition information panel is accurate and the product meets the GI Symbol Program’s strict nutrition criteria.

The Glycemic Index Symbol Program is an international public health program which provides accurate and balanced information on the glycemic index. The Program guarantees that a food carrying the GI symbol has been independently GI tested by an accredited laboratory and meets very strict nutrient criteria, which include specified limits for carbohydrate, energy (kilojoules or calories), total and saturated fat, sodium and, where appropriate, fibre and calcium. Manufacturers pay a licence fee to use the Symbol on food labels and this income is channelled back into research and education.

The Program is run by the Glycemic Index Foundation, a not-for-profit organisation established by the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, the University of Sydney, and Diabetes Australia who are all represented on the board. The Foundation is committed to promoting healthier lifestyles through a combination of low GI diets and sound nutrition.

Contact
Dr Alan W Barclay, PhD
CSO, Glycemic Index Ltd
Phone: +61 2 9785 1037
Mob: +61 (0)416 111 046
Fax: +61 2 9785 1037

Email: alan@gisymbol.com
Website: http://www.gisymbol.com/

GI Update

The latest GI values with Fiona Atkinson

New low GI breakfast cereal
‘It’s good to have some low GI flaked cereals available on the market that taste great and are nutritionally sound,’ says SUGiRS manager Fiona Atkinson. ‘GI testing the Goodness Heart 1st cereal was really easy as the volunteers loved the toasted flakes, oats and dried cranberries.’

Goodness Heart 1st, Goodness Digestive 1st and Goodness Protein 1st are flake type breakfast cereals manufactured with the low GI flour power of BARLEYmax (see GI News May 2006) – a non-genetically modified barley grain with enhanced nutritional benefits developed by Australia’s CSIRO.

We have yet to taste them here in the editorial office, but we have heard enthusiastic reports such as: ‘stays crunchy’, ‘doesn’t go soggy with milk’, and ‘bloody delicious’. According to the ingredient panel they contain rolled barley flakes, golden syrup and (Digestive 1st – sultanas, diced apple and honey) and (Protein 1st – soy flakes and amaranth).
So how does a bowl of these cereals (45 g or 1½ oz a serving) rate in the GI stakes (served with low fat milk)?


Goodness Heart 1st – GI 46 (available carbs 20 g)
Goodness Digestive 1st – GI 39 (available carbs 18 g)
Goodness Protein 1st – GI 36 (available carbs 17 g)

For more information: goodnesssuperfoods.com.au

Fruit juice Q&A with Prof Jennie Brand-Miller

'Does fruit juice have a low GI? If people are craving a sweet drink, are they better off drinking a small glass of fruit juice than a non-diet soft drink, cordial or sports drink?'
Yes, fruit juices have a low GI in most cases (40–50) and they contribute valuable micronutrients that you won't find in alternative beverages. Some fruit juices are not low GI, e.g. Ocean Spray cranberry juice/drinks, which are around 60. Most non-diet soft drinks are in the range 60–70. Sports drinks can be 70–80.

'Does the very high amount of fructose in fruit juice have any effect on the release of glucose?'
When it comes to any sugary product (natural or otherwise), you have usually have a mixture of sucrose, glucose and fructose. Sucrose is digested quite quickly to glucose plus fructose before absorption. While glucose is generally absorbed rapidly, it can be slowed by acidic solutions (e.g. all fruits are acidic). Fructose absorption is a much slower process and doesn’t raise glycemia anyway. The high proportion of fructose in fruit and fruit juice is one reason why they have a low GI. But it’s not the only reason. Very large amounts of fructose (70 g a day or more) from any source can have adverse effects on blood lipids (fats). The old adage applies: enjoy in moderation.

'Are there any advantages to drinking fruit juice, or should people always opt for the whole fruit? So long as people limit themselves to one small glass a day, can 100% fruit juice be part of a healthy diet, or should people consider fruit juice an occasional treat?'
Opt for whole fruit if you want to feel fuller (satiated) for a longer time. but as long as people limit themselves to one small glass a day, 100% fruit juice can be part of a healthy diet. I can’t think of any advantage of drinking fruit juice (I avoid them myself). It's much more satiating to eat the same portion as the whole fruit. But I'm pragmatic too ... if there's no fruit on hand, then fruit juice is better than no fruit, and superior to a soft drink.

Bear in mind that some researchers believe that sugars in solution (whether soft drinks or fruit juice) bypass the satiety centre in the brain, i.e. we don't register them properly and therefore don't take their calories into proper account. I’m actually quite sceptical of this idea. Milk is a solution of sugar but babies seem to grow at the right rate.

GI testing by an accredited laboratory
North America
Dr Alexandra Jenkins
Glycemic Index Laboratories
36 Lombard Street, Suite 100
Toronto, Ontario M5C 2X3 Canada
Phone +1 416 861 0506
Email info@gilabs.com
Web http://www.gilabs.com/

Australia
Fiona Atkinson



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 http://www.glycemicindex.com/

New Zealand
Dr Tracy Perry
The Glycemic Research Group, Dept of Human Nutrition
University of Otago
PO Box 56 Dunedin New Zealand
Phone +64 3 479 7508
Email tracy.perry@stonebow.otago.ac.nz
Web glycemicindex.otago.ac.nz

See The New Glucose Revolution on YouTube

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GI News—September 2009

• Fasting and diabetes
• GI and Parkinson’s disease
• Beans and blood glucose
• Imagining a world where we eat less meat
• 2 new recipes from the GI News kitchen
• Potatoes – good for you? Bad for you?

‘Let them eat cake!’ said the Queen, and they did. Two centuries plus after the demise of Marie Antoinette, the poor are fat and the rich are thin,’ says Steve Jones, Professor of Genetics at University College London in his new book Darwin’s Island. ‘Across the globe, death from excess has, for the first time in history, overtaken that from deficiency. The problem comes from evolution as manipulated by man.’

Good eating, good health and good reading.

Editor: Philippa Sandall
Design: Scott Dickinson, PhD
Web management: Alan Barclay, PhD

Food for Thought

Obesity – a potent cause of evolutionary change
‘Evolution on the farm transformed society ten millennia ago and is doing the same today. Farmers have been powerful agents of selection on wheat, maize, cows, pigs, chickens and more, but the influence of those domestic creatures on the biology of the farmers has been almost as great. Diet began to act as an agent of natural selection as soon as the wild was domesticated ten thousand years ago and caused people to evolve the ability to deal with new kinds of food. Today’s shift in what we eat will have equally powerful effect on the genes of our descendants.’


Steve Jones

‘A new global power – and a new agent of natural selection – is on the move. The empire of obesity began to flex its stomach in the 1980s and shows no sign of retreat. Twenty years before that dubious decade there was, in spite of a collapse in the real price of food, little sign of the coming wave of lard. Then thanks to technology, came the industrialization of diet; the last step in the scientific exploitation of the Darwinian machine. Now a tsunami of fat has struck the world and its inhabitants are paying the price …

The twenty-first century plague is a side effect of the triumph of scientific agriculture. Many of those worst afflicted suffer because they bear genes that make it hard for them to deal with the new diet. Many of the obese will die young or fail to find a mate. As a result obesity will soon be – as farming itself was when it began – a potent cause of evolutionary change.’
– Darwin’s Island by Steve Jones



Darwin's Island is available from bookshops, online and from Amazon.

News Briefs

Fasting safely with diabetes
Most people with type 2 diabetes whose diabetes was well-controlled before Ramadan can safely observe Ramadan fasting is the finding of recent study. UK dietitian Azmina Govindji agrees. ‘It is possible to fast safely if you are careful about managing your diabetes,’ she says.

‘The reason why you need to take care is that some drugs used to treat type 2 diabetes (sulphonylureas) and insulin can make your blood glucose level drop too low when you are not eating. Not drinking enough water can also make you dehydrated. Often the evening meal, Iftar, contains lots of carbs and perhaps sugary drinks. Because this is a time when families eat together to break the fast, the food is richer than you may be eating normally. And you may feel having fasted all day, you have an excuse to reward yourself. You need to be particularly strong willed at this time.’

Azmina’s fasting checklist

• Seek the advice of your healthcare team before starting and at the end of the fast, since they may advice you to change the times or amount of medication you take.
• Do not stop taking your medication.
• Avoid eating lots of unhealthy foods as a reward! Try and maintain a healthy eating pattern after you break the fast. Make sure that you have lots of fruit and vegetables and dal as these are slowly digested and help your blood glucose to rise more slowly too. Remember to drink plenty of fluids.
• Divide your daily food intake into two equal portions, one to be taken at Sehri and one at Iftar
• Remember to check your glucose level regularly, at least once a day at different times of the day.
• After the period of Ramadan, it is essential that you visit your doctor to make sure that your blood glucose is being controlled adequately and also to check whether your medication needs to be adjusted.

Yogurt chicken with fresh fenugreek (pictured above) is from Azmina’s most recent book (with Sanjeev Kapoor) Healthy Indian Cooking for Diabetes. It is available from bookstores in the UK, from Amazon and in Australia online from Great Ideas in Nutrition.

Does diet play a part in Parkinson’s disease?
Parkinson's disease or PD (named after English physician James Parkinson, who gave a detailed description of it in 1817 in ‘An Essay on the Shaking Palsy’) is a chronic, progressive, degenerative disease of the brain that affects movement and coordination.

It occurs when the dopamine-producing cells in a part of the brain called the substantia nigra begin to malfunction and die. Dopamine is an important neurotransmitter (think of it as a chemical messenger) that whizzes information to the parts of the brain that control movement and coordination. When the cells begin to die and the amount of dopamine decreases, messages from the brain telling the body how and when to move are delivered more slowly, producing the typical symptoms of PD – tremor, stiffness, slowness of movement (bradykinesia), unsteady walking and poor coordination.

We don’t know what causes PD. It’s thought that genes play a part in some cases, but that environmental and lifestyle factors are likely to be responsible for the most part.

Recent research has suggested that ‘insulin may increase dopamine transporter mRNA in the substantia nigra and regulate brain dopamine concentrations. Thus high GI or GL carbohydrates might be expected to decrease the risk of PD by an insulin secretion-induced increase in brain dopamine,’ suggest Japanese researchers in the journal of Nutrition.

‘This hypothesis appears reasonable given that the prevalence of PD is generally lower in East Asian regions (China, Taiwan, and Japan) where white rice, a food with a high GI, is a staple food and thus dietary GI and GL appear to be relatively higher than in western regions (Europe and the US), where rice is not a staple,’ they write.

The Japanese study, which was based on what the participants reported eating in the previous month, found that people on a high GI diet were less likely to have PD than those on a low GI diet. The researchers acknowledge the limitations of the study and the need in future studies for an accurate assessment of past dietary habits.

We asked Dr Simon Thornley (Public Health doctor and researcher from the University of Auckland) to comment: ‘In many case control studies including this one, the researchers assess the patient’s diet at the same time as they look at his or her symptoms,’ he said. ‘So cause and effect can be confused. In this study the effects are actually quite small, so the result may be due to other things that they didn’t measure, so what’s called ‘confounding’ or mixing of effects may play a part in their results.’

‘Glucose is known to stimulate dopamine release in the mid brain. Lack of dopamine is a problem for those people with Parkinson's disease. High GI foods may mask or delay Parkinson's disease by stimulating more dopamine release. The dopamine excess from high GI food may protect a small proportion of people that would have gone on to develop Parkinson’s disease from becoming symptomatic and diagnosed. Many questions are still unanswered from this study but it is an interesting hypothesis and more studies are definitely needed. And it is far too early to rush out and tuck into a high GI diet. Remember, the really big problem we face as a community is diabetes.’

Beans benefit glycemic control
Whether you buy them dried or opt for canned convenience, beans, chickpeas, peas and lentils (called pulses or legumes) are one of nature’s lowest GI foods. They are high in fibre and packed with nutrients including protein, carbohydrate, B vitamins, folate and minerals. When you add them to meals and snacks you reduce the overall GI of your diet because your body digests them slowly – primarily because their starch breaks down relatively slowly (or incompletely) during cooking and they contain tannins and enzyme inhibitors that also slow digestion.



University of Toronto researchers looked at the evidence that pulses benefit glycemic control in a meta-analysis published in Diabetologia. They report that alone or in low-GI or high-fibre diets, pulses do make a difference in managing blood glucose. However, because they found ‘significant inter-study heterogeneity,’ they call for further trials. (‘Heterogeneity’ means dissimilarity between studies. It can be because of the use of different statistical methods, or evaluation of people with different characteristics, treatments or outcomes.)

GI Group: Pulses or legumes are an important part of a low GI diet which is why it’s a good idea to try and include them in your meals at least twice a week as a starchy vegetable alternative – more often if you are vegetarian or vegan. One serve is equivalent to ½ cup cooked beans, lentils or chickpeas.

Imagining a world where we eat less meat
By Jess Halliday
Cutting back meat consumption is the new darling cause of pop stars. But if necessary environmental and health goals are to be achieved, the whole supply chain needs to be strumming along in tune. The full article is available HERE.

Foodwatch with Karen Kingham

Apples – an affordable super food



Apples have always been a staple in my home. My children eat them any time of the day or night. I often give thanks for this because they’re super convenient – no sticky fingers, no need to peel and they don't squash in the schoolbag. And, as a health conscious mother, they tick all the boxes when it comes to a healthy snack – portable and easy to eat like other snack foods but without the added fat and sugar.

But does the proverbial apple a day really keep the doctor away. Apple eaters get a decent dose of fibre, some vitamin C and small amounts of B vitamins in a low calorie (kilojoule), low GI package. Apples are also loaded with anti-oxidant compounds called flavonoids (as are tea, onions and red wine) and are a significant source of quercetin and catechin. It's these antioxidant compounds primarily in the skin that are thought to be responsible for apple’s health benefits – so wash them and eat them skin and all.

How does all this translate into health benefits? Research has found that people who eat three or four serves of fruit a day, particularly apples and oranges, have the lowest overall GI and best blood glucose control. While, large-scale studies published in recent years have also shown that eating apples is linked to a reduction in heart disease, diabetes, asthma and some types of cancer (lung, bowel and breast).

For example, the 2007 Women’s Health Study found greater intakes of flavonoid rich foods like apples (along with red wine and pears) are associated with a reduced risk of heart disease among post-menopausal women.



With so many of us needing to trim our tummies, eating an apple a day could put us on the path to shedding pounds without pangs. January GI News reported on a study that showed how feel full foods that you have to chew a lot (apples, carrots, pearl barley, muesli, very grainy breads, lean meat) satisfy appetite faster and keep you feeling fuller for longer. While a study published in Appetite by researchers at Pennsylvania State University found that ‘eating whole fruit (in this case a peeled apple) at the start of a meal can be an effective strategy for increasing satiety and decreasing energy intake at a meal.’ People who ate a whole apple about 15 minutes before lunch, consumed almost 190 fewer calories (around 800 kJ) at lunch than when they didn't have the apple.

Crunch time In a world where eating for health can easily become complicated and costly, it’s good to know that something so naturally sweet and filling will help you enjoy a lifetime of healthy benefits.

For recipes using apples – with the skin on – check out this website.

Karen Kingham is a mother, health and nutrition writer and Accredited Practicing Dietitian. She also consults to the Australian apple industry.

Triple apple Thai salad
If you don't like chilli, add some thin strips of red capsicum instead. This light and tangy low GI recipe was created by Kathryn Elliott for Apples Australia & Horticulture Aust Ltd.
Serves 4, but simply halve quantities for 2

50 g (about 2 oz) raw cashews
2 green onions, cut into thin strips
150 g (5 oz) sugar snap peas, ends trimmed
1 cup wild or baby rocket
1 red chilli, seeds removed, finely chopped
5 wombok (Chinese cabbage) leaves, finely shredded
½ cup fresh coriander leaves
½ cup fresh mint leaves
1 Fuji apple
1 Granny Smith apple
2 Jonathon or Pink Lady apples

Dressing
1½ tablespoons sesame oil
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon soy sauce
2.5 cm (1 inch) piece fresh ginger, grated

• Whisk together the dressing ingredients in a bowl and set aside.
• Place cashews in a frying pan over a medium heat and toast until browned on all sides – about 3–4 minutes. Keep a close eye on them, as they can burn very quickly.
• To make the salad, put the shallots, sugar snap peas, rocket, chilli, wombok and herbs into a bowl. Quarter and core the apples (leaving the skins on). Cut into thin slices and add to the vegetables. Pour over the dressing and toss to combine and serve the salad immediately with the toasted cashews sprinkled on top.

Per serving
Energy: 1030 kJ/245 cal; Protein: 5 g; Fat: 13 g (includes 2 g saturated fat); Carbs: 28 g; Fibre: 6 g

In the GI News Kitchen

American dietitian and author of Good Carbs, Bad Carbs, Johanna Burani, shares favourite recipes with a low or moderate GI from her Italian kitchen (photographed by Sergio Burani). For more information, check out Johanna's website.



Nonna Anita’s tuna-stuffed summer tomatoes
The late summer months in Italy are when Italian cooks feverishly start canning their home-grown tomatoes while preparing fresh tomato-based recipes that their families wait all year to enjoy. Just like with grapes, the sun’s magic produces a succulent sweetness in tomatoes that reaches its peak in September. So, there are tomatoes on the table at lunch and at dinner every day until the family’s garden supply is exhausted. This is my mother-in-law’s recipe that she served for lunch on sweltering hot days. The tuna composition is not so unusual (except for the addition of capers perhaps) but it is the explosion in the mouth of summer fragrances and tastes embodied in the tomato that makes this a staple recipe in our household at this time of year.
Serves 2

2 x 340 g (12 oz) beefsteak tomatoes
200 g (7 oz) can light tuna in olive oil, thoroughly drained
1 (scant) tablespoon capers, drained and rinsed well
1 small stalk celery, with leaves, thinly sliced and diced (approx ½ cup)
3 large sprigs flat parsley, minced (approx 1 tablespoon)
4 large basil leaves, hand ripped into small pieces (approx 2 tablespoons)
¼ cup light mayonnaise
juice of 1 lemon (approx 2 tablespoons)
salt/pepper, optional

• Wash the tomatoes and, using a sharp knife, cut off the tops. With the knife and a teaspoon, loosen and scoop out the tomato pulp and seeds, creating a large hollow center. Sprinkle lightly the insides of the tomatoes with salt, turn upside down and set aside on a cutting board. On the same board, chop the tomato pulp.
  
• In a medium-sized bowl, add the tomato pulp, the tuna, capers, celery, parsley and basil. Mix all ingredients well, making sure to break up the tuna chunks into small pieces. Add the mayonnaise and the lemon juice and mix well. If desired, add salt and pepper to taste.
  Fill the tomato cavities with the tuna mixture and refrigerate for one hour before serving.
  

Per serving
Energy: 1402 kJ/ 334 cals; Protein 25 g; Fat 17 g (includes 3 g saturated fat and cholesterol 16 mg); Carbs 21 g; Fibre 4 g

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, visit Diane’s website.

Pork, choy sum and noodle stir-fry
I first created this for Low GI Gluten-free Living and it really is a one-pot wonder. I have adapted it slightly for Money Saving Meals to cut the costs without losing out on any of the flavour. Pork is a lean meat that’s loaded with essential vitamins such as B12, B6, thiamine, niacin, minerals such as zinc and selenium and nutrients that include iron and magnesium. You can substitute 450 g (1 lb) skinless chicken breast for about the same cost. Buy vegetables that are cheapest on the day. I planned to use snow peas but sugar snap peas were cheaper. You can use any Asian green that you fancy – they are always great value. Remember, recipes are guides – change them to suit you.
Serves 4 @ AUD$3.15 per serve

200 g (7 oz) dry rice noodles
2 tablespoons gluten-free reduced-salt tamari
2 tablespoons gluten-free sweet chilli sauce
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon canola oil
350 g (12 oz) pork stir fry mix (or pork fillet, sliced thinly)
1 onion, sliced into thin wedges
2 teaspoons finely grated fresh ginger
1 red (or green) capsicum, sliced into thin strips
100 g (3½ oz)snow peas or sugar snap peas, trimmed, sliced diagonally in half
1 bunch choy sum, trimmed, halved at stem joint, stem bases removed, leaves and stems sliced
¼ cup (50 g/about 2 oz) toasted peanuts, chopped roughly

• Prepare the noodles according to packet directions, drain and set aside.
• In a small bowl, combine the tamari, sweet chilli sauce and sesame oil and set aside. In a large frying pan or wok, heat 2 teaspoons of canola oil. Add half the pork strips and stir-fry for 1–2 minutes or until just cooked. Spoon into a heatproof bowl and set aside. Repeat with the remaining pork. Heat the remaining oil in the pan over medium–high heat. Add the onion and stir-fry for 2 minutes. Add the ginger, and capsicum and, and stir-fry for about 1 minute. Add the snow peas or sugar snap peas and choy sum stems, and stir-fry for a further 1 minute. (Add a little water or gluten-free reduced-salt chicken stock to pan, if it starts to stick.)
• Return the pork to the pan with tamari mix, choy sum leaves and the noodles. Toss until well combined and heated through. Spoon into serving bowls and serve sprinkled with peanuts.

Per serving
Energy: 1600 kJ/ 382 cals; Protein 28 g; Fat 15 g (includes 2 g saturated fat and 83 mg cholesterol); Carbs 32 g; Fibre 5 g



New low GI cooking website
Libby is ‘cooking at the cutting edge.’ She is a Sydney (Australia) home cook with a family member with type 2 diabetes. Her new website features favourite recipes adapted for low GI eating. There are only a handful of recipes at present, but Libby is adding them regularly ... ‘as fast as I can cook and photograph them in my day-to-day life!’ says Libby.

Busting Food Myths with Nicole Senior

Myth: Potatoes are bad for you.


Nicole Senior

Fact: Potatoes are a vegetable, and vegetables are good for you.
The poor old potato is a much maligned food but it really doesn’t deserve all the criticism. It has been called fattening, bad for blood glucose, and generally undesirable, but this really isn’t fair. Spud lovers can relax. Potatoes are good for you.

Potatoes are starchy tubers that grow underground. I remember as a child digging them out of the soil and roasting them whole in an open fire at a friend’s farm – pure joy! They are high in carbohydrate for energy and stimulate that feel-good brain chemical called serotonin. Eating potatoes help you feel that life is good. Potatoes are also a good source of vitamin C and fibre (especially if you eat the skin) and also contain vitamin B6 and potassium.

People often say potatoes are fattening, but this is an exaggeration. Any food containing kilojoules can be fattening if you eat too much, and carbohydrate in potatoes is no more or less fattening than kilojoules from any other source. It is sad for low-carb diets to recommend followers eat mashed cauliflower and pretend it’s potato. Just enjoy a bit of both.


Photo of baby potatoes: Ian Hofstetter

Eaten whole with minimal additions, potatoes are difficult to overeat due to their high ‘satiety index’. Boiled potatoes are one of the most filling foods you can eat. Potatoes cut into French fries and cooked in unhealthy fats are a different story, but don’t tar all potatoes with the same fast food brush. If you are a French-fry (hot chip) fan, then look for establishments that cook them in healthy oil, keep your portions small and skip the salt. This way, you can have your chip and eat it.

Most potatoes have a high GI but even GI Queen Professor Jennie Brand Miller agrees there is no need to ban high GI foods altogether. Just enjoy them in a balanced meal with plenty of other vegetables and some lean protein. There are also lower GI varieties such as canned new potatoes, and varieties such as Almera (GI 65) and Nicola (GI 58). Orange-fleshed sweet potato has a GI of 61. Adding a little healthy fat also lowers the GI, so in fact some nice fat potato wedges roasted in a little olive, sunflower or canola oil is a healthy, lower GI option. Adding vinegar also lowers the glycemic response. To keep potatoes healthy, avoid serving them with butter, cream and cheese.

One of the things I love about the potato, apart from the gorgeous taste and texture, is how simple they are to prepare. I simply wash, cut and microwave on high until tender, and lightly dress with some extra virgin olive oil, dried rosemary and black pepper. Use whatever healthy oils, herbs and spices you like for an instant accompaniment to lean meat, chicken or fish and steamed greens. And a good tip: always cook more than you need because cooled and reheated potato contains a beneficial kind of dietary fibre called resistant starch that keeps your bowel healthy. That’s what I call potato magic.

If you’d like some delicious ideas to enjoy potatoes in sensible portions, check out the new-look http://www.eattobeatcholesterol.com.au/

Talking Turkey with Prof Trim

'Really, what do you guys know about nutrition anyway? One day you say eat this and the next day avoid it? When will you get it right?''
The fact is that nutrition is a very incomplete science. Unlike other areas of health (like exercise), where we can specifically study muscles and their reaction, nutrition involves so much more.



Hence we chip away at the edges, with small increases in knowledge occurring gradually over time, rather than anything being set in stone. What do we know? Well we can limit it to a few positives.

• In the first place we know that fresh fruit and vegetables – of almost all kinds – are healthy and should be eaten more.
• We know that we eat too much saturated fat for our own good, particularly in the form of spreads like butter, full cream dairy foods, fatty meats and the skin on birds, fast food, cakes, pastries and pies.
• We know that seafood, of just about all forms, contains healthy oils than can help prevent heart disease. But we don’t know yet though whether this remains the case when seafood is farmed, as it will inevitably have to be, given that wild seafood is a finite resource.
• We know that some carbohydrate rich foods that are digested slowly (called low glycemic index or low GI foods) tend to raise blood sugar slowly and reduce hunger levels and are therefore good for people with diabetes and possibly for helping weight loss.
  
• And finally – and here’s the good news – we know that alcohol in moderation (i.e. 1-2 glasses per day for men and women) can be beneficial for the heart.
• But that’s about it for nutrition. Our knowledge of exercise on the other hand is much clearer – doing it regularly is good; doing nothing is bad.
  
  
  Dr Garry Egger aka Prof Trim
  
  For more information on weight loss for men, check out Professor Trim.

Your Success Stories

Elissa Renouf’s story
If you met us you would see five beautiful, happy, healthy, well loved children and two adults that love each other very much and live for their children. If you delved further you would see how determined we are to keep our family this way even if we are constantly handed challenging health issues.



In 1992 not long after our first child, Sam, was born my husband Steve developed type 1 diabetes. He was only 22 and was playing professional Rugby League for the Brisbane Broncos and for Australia. His main concern was to play football again at this elite level. And he did, mainly due to his attitude and by keeping a very strict control of his levels through diet and insulin.

Today, of my five beautiful children, four boys and a girl, three also have diabetes. All the children were happy and healthy until May 2002 when 3-year-old Charlie was diagnosed, then in 2003 Billy, 8 at the time, showed signs. Over the next few months we tested the other children and by October 2003 noticed Freddie, our youngest, was developing diabetes. I found this a particularly hard time. Why couldn’t I stop this from happening?

Managing diabetes 24 hours a day is a way of life for us. We do allow the kids to eat almost anything they want, in moderation, but if their blood glucose level doesn’t allow this we would give them a choice: eat the food and have a needle or don’t eat the food. Billy knew if he had a high blood glucose level at school to ring and find out how much insulin to give himself. The two little boys learnt that if they wanted food outside meal times they sometimes tested themselves and brought me a needle, as they know if they eat at that level they will go high. Steve and the boys are now on insulin pumps, so whenever they eat it is as easy as testing themselves and pushing a few buttons to administer the insulin.

I very rarely have to perform any ketone tests for the children, I prefer to treat high blood glucose levels immediately by giving quick acting insulin. I have studied the kids’ levels through writing everything down including the time of meal, what was eaten, how many serves, the GI, insulin given and activity done. Through doing this I have quite a good understanding how the insulin works in each of their bodies.

I am not sure why so many things have happened to us but I am now trying to make a difference by helping other people who have been affected by diabetes. I have started my own business designing and developing funky, bright, practical ‘Diabete-ezy’ products (Management Plans, Hypo Sticker labels, a Dia-Logit record book, Test-wipes and Ezy-fit cases) that will help others manage diabetes. We have had a fantastic response to our range which we sell direct from our website http://www.diabete-ezy.com/ and through pharmacies and Diabetes Australia.

As diabetes affects a huge population, I just hope that I can be of help in spreading the word that managing your diabetes and being positive has so many benefits. If we as a family can be positive with what challenges we have been handed, there is no reason why other families can’t!

Send us your GI success story.

GI Symbol News with Alan Barclay

Alan Barclay

A sweet blend: the best of both worlds?
Stevia was recently approved for use as a food additive in Australian foods by Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ). It has been used as a sweetener in Japan, South America and other nations for several decades. It is obtained from Stevia rebaudiana – a herb belonging to the chrysanthemum family which grows wild as a small shrub in parts of Paraguay and Brazil. Like many non-nutritive sweeteners, Stevia is 250–300 times sweeter than sucrose. Due to its intense sweetness, it is currently being blended with sucrose and sold as CSR Smart White Sugar Blend in Australia. Even in this form, it is still twice as sweet as plain white sugar, so in theory you should be able to use half as much, reducing your kilojoule and carbohydrate intake. Like many non-nutritive sweeteners, this may affect some recipes (lack of bulk, changes in texture, etc…), and it is more expensive than standard white sugar, Logicane™ and golden syrup.

Click for a complete guide to nutritive and non-nutritive sweeteners along with brands that carry the GI Symbol.



For more information email: alan@gisymbol.com



Contact
Dr Alan W Barclay, PhD
CSO, Glycemic Index Ltd
Phone: +61 2 9785 1037
Mob: +61 (0)416 111 046
Fax: +61 2 9785 1037
Email: mailto:alan@gisymbol.com
Email: alan@gisymbol.com
Website: mailto:alan@gisymbol.com%20%3C/a%3E%3Cbr%3EWeb%20%3Ca%20href=

GI Update with Alan Barclay and Fiona Atkinson

GI of cereals and tubers produced in China
‘Most cereals and tubers produced in China have a similar GI with their counterparts produced in other countries.’ says Yue-Xin Yang from the Institute of Nutrition and Food Safety, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention in a study to determine the GI of some cereals and tubers produced in china to establish a database of Chinese food. The study which analysed the GI of 9 types of sugar and 60 kinds of food was published in World Journal of Gastroenterolgy. Some examples include:

Cooked rice GI 83
Brown rice (cooked) GI 87
Sticky rice (cooked) GI 87
Sticky rice (higher amylose) GI 50
Rice porridge GI 69
Sticky rice porridge GI 65
Black rice porridge GI 42
Rice bran porridge GI 19
Rice cake GI 82 Rice cake GI 82
Steamed bread (refined) GI 88
Shallot and meat dumpling GI 28
Shallot and meat steamed stuffed bun GI 39
Buckwheat noodle GI 59
Millet porridge GI 61
WoTao (corn + wheat) GI 65

GI testing by an accredited laboratory
North America
Dr Alexandra Jenkins
Glycemic Index Laboratories
36 Lombard Street, Suite 100
Toronto, Ontario M5C 2X3 Canada
Phone +1 416 861 0506
Email info@gilabs.com
Web http://www.gilabs.com/

Australia
Fiona Atkinson



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 http://www.glycemicindex.com/

New Zealand
Dr Tracy Perry
The Glycemic Research Group, Dept of Human Nutrition
University of Otago
PO Box 56 Dunedin New Zealand
Phone +64 3 479 7508
Email tracy.perry@stonebow.otago.ac.nz
Web glycemicindex.otago.ac.nz

See The New Glucose Revolution on YouTube

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