The Glycemic Index Diet for Dummies - Meri Raffetto [104]
Here are a few quick low-glycemic grab-and-go starter ideas:
Two slices of whole-wheat toast with 2 teaspoons peanut butter or almond butter
Two slices of whole-wheat toast with 1 ounce of melted mozzarella (a lower-calorie/fat cheese)
One hard-boiled egg and two slices of whole-wheat toast
1 cup lowfat yogurt mixed with 1/2 cup fresh berries
1/2 cup cottage cheese and a piece of fruit
Chowing Down on Cereals
What could be a more classic breakfast option than cereal? Most cold cereals tend to have a higher glycemic load, but some have glycemic loads that are in the low to medium range. If you're a cold cereal fan, consider trying one of these options (just remember to watch your portion size):
Cheerios
Fiber One
Kashi GoLean
Kellogg's All-Bran
Kellogg's Bran Flakes
Life
Want another lower-glycemic breakfast option? Try hot cereals. Oatmeal and grits are two hot cereals that end up with a low to medium glycemic load as long as you stick to a serving size of 2/3 cup or less cooked cereal.
To give your hot cereal some pizzazz, try any of the following suggestions:
Add your favorite low-glycemic fresh fruit. Berries, peaches, and even bananas work great in oatmeal.
Make some quick baked apples and add them to oatmeal. Baked apples are soft and add a touch of cinnamon to your meal; see the following recipe.
Spice up your oats with cinnamon, ground nutmeg, allspice, or cloves.
Heat up your grits by adding jalapeños or hot sauce.
Add cayenne pepper, chili powder, or cumin to grits to give 'em a kick.
Sprinkle a little shredded cheese on your grits and let it melt in.
Baked Apples for Oatmeal
Baked apples are a wonderful topping for your oatmeal (as well as a great snack all on their own). They're also quite easy to prepare. Here's a quick-and-dirty recipe for baked apples. (Note: If you're unsure of the best way to core and slice an apple, check out Figure 16-1.)
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 20 minutes
Yield: 8 servings
4 sweet apples (Fuji or Gala), peeled, cored, and sliced into 1-inch chunks
1/2 cup apple juice
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2 Mix the apples, apple juice, and cinnamon in a bowl until the apples are well coated. (You can add more cinnamon depending on your taste.)
3 Pour everything into an 8-x-8 glass pan and cover the pan with aluminum foil.
4 Bake for about 40 minutes, or until the apples are soft.
5 Serve over cooked oatmeal.
Per serving: Calories 45 (From Fat 2); Glycemic Load 6 (Low); Fat 0g (Saturated 0g); Cholesterol 0mg; Sodium 1mg; Carbohydrate 12g (Dietary Fiber 1g); Protein 0g.
Figure 16-1: How to core and slice an apple.
Getting a Quick Start with Smoothies
When you want a quick breakfast, smoothies are a healthy choice. They take just minutes to prepare, and you can bring them with you or drink them while you're getting ready for your day.
The trick with smoothies is to watch how much you drink. Because smoothies are a beverage, they can be very deceiving. Restaurant and smoothie bar servings are much too large, giving you an excess of calories and sugar. (More specifically, restaurant smoothies are often up to 24 ounces in size and total about 600 to 800 calories.) To make matters worse, people often think of smoothies like they do a typical drink and eat more food with them, bumping their total number of calories for that particular meal way up. Limit your smoothie servings to 8 to 12 ounces and keep in mind that a smoothie is a meal in itself. You don't need to eat other foods with it.
When making your own smoothies, try freezing the fruit ahead of time and eliminating the ice from the instructions. Doing so speeds up the smoothie-making process and adds a nice shakelike consistency without the risk of ice chunks.