The Glycemic Index Diet for Dummies - Meri Raffetto [102]
Buy dried beans from a grocery store that's more likely to have a quicker turnover rate.
Store beans in a dark, cool area in an air-tight container.
Explore new recipes: Your waistline will thank you
If you fall into a rut of using only one or two low-glycemic grains, breads, fruits, or vegetables, you'll feel deprived quickly. Imagine if you only use pearl barley with dinner every night because it's an easy low-glycemic grain to add to your diet. Yawn. I bet you'll get bored quite quickly. Research shows that feeling deprived or restricted with food can backfire and interfere with weight loss. Many individuals who feel restricted end up binging on foods they feel are "bad."
I'm here to tell you that living a low-glycemic lifestyle doesn't have to be restrictive. You have many food options to choose from, so get out there and experiment with different foods and recipes so you don't ever feel limited. Having a wide variety of low-glycemic choices at your disposal every day is guaranteed to keep you from getting stuck in the food doldrums. I encourage you to experiment with your old standby recipes and check out some new ones. Chapters 16 through 19 provide some great recipes to help get you started.
Chapter 16: Breakfast Recipes to Start Your Day Off Right
In This Chapter
Understanding the health benefits of eating breakfast
Discovering quick low-glycemic breakfast options for people on the go
Preparing delicious breakfast recipes in advance to be available for the week
Whipping up tasty breakfast recipes when you have more time
Bspan>reakfast is the meal of weight-loss champions, yet it's the meal most often skimped on or just plain skipped. People of all ages — adults, teens, and children — have different reasons for missing a healthy breakfast. Some feel they're simply too busy in the morning to grab something; others just don't feel hungry in the morning. Whatever the reason, they're missing out. Years of research show that a healthy breakfast each day benefits all age groups. However, the "healthy breakfast" part is what many of the people who do eat breakfast aren't getting quite right. Their morning meal may be so low in calories and protein that it doesn't do a sufficient job.
If you're a notorious breakfast-skipper, or if you're addicted to high-glycemic, sugary breakfasts, you may think throwing low-glycemic foods into the mix makes managing breakfast even more of a task. But I promise it's easier than you may expect. Use this chapter to come up with some new ideas and motivation for breakfast. Whether you want a grab-and-go granola bar or a hearty egg scramble, numerous low-glycemic breakfast options await you for each day of the week.
Understanding Why Breakfast Is So Important
What's all the fuss about breakfast? So much more than all that business about the importance of getting in three meals a day. Research is finding more and more health connections to breakfast, making it a meal that you don't want to skip. The next sections cover just exactly why breakfast is such an important meal (other than "because your mother told you so").
Reviewing the health benefits of breakfast
You probably give breakfast little thought as you wake up in the morning, but did you know it can actually help you with your weight-loss efforts, boost your job or school performance, and just plain make you feel better? So many benefits from one simple meal!
Following are some of the specific ways breakfast makes a big difference in your well-being:
It refuels you for the day ahead. Breakfast literally means to break a fast. After eight to ten hours without food, your body needs to replenish its blood sugar supplies. Most importantly, your brain needs a fresh supply of blood sugar to use as its main energy source, because it doesn't have any storage capacity like your muscles do. That means it needs to refuel each morning so it has the energy for sustained mental work. Your muscles also need a fresh supply of blood sugar