The Glycemic Index Diet for Dummies - Meri Raffetto [51]
Perhaps making veggies a priority in your diet is difficult due to horrible childhood memories where you had to stay at the dinner table until you finished your spinach. If that's the case, you can find help enjoying veggies again with these tips:
Try, try, and try again. It takes many people 15 to 20 times of sampling a food before it becomes "okay" to their taste buds.
Use different preparation methods. Don't like veggies raw? Then boil 'em. Can't stand sautéed veggies? Try steaming them instead. You may even find that a little spray butter, seasoning, or dip helps transform a formerly unpleasant veggie into sthing palatable to you.
Explore the unknown. Are there any veggies you've never tried? Then make an effort to purchase one uncommon veggie (or fruit, for that matter) each time you go to the grocery store. Discovering how to prepare this food and the benefits you get from eating it is something you can involve the kids in as well.
Broadening Your Taste Buds' Horizons with Beans
Beans in this sense are actually legumes, a class of vegetables that includes dry beans, peas, and lentils. Legumes are available in two forms: canned or dried. Simply rinse canned legumes such as garbanzo beans, black beans, or navy beans under cold running water and they're ready to add to your favorite recipe. (Adding canned beans to soup is simple and delicious; try the White Bean and Chicken Chili recipe in Chapter 18 and see for yourself!) Dried beans require soaking and precooking before use.
The following sections reveal what makes legumes so good for you and how to enjoy them without upsetting your stomach.
Reaping the many benefits of legumes
If you've ever enjoyed baked beans, lentil soup, or meatless chili, you've reaped the benefits of legumes, which include
Low fat content
High fiber content
A good source of protein
Essential nutrients such as iron, potassium, folate, and magnesium
A low glycemic index
Dried beans and peas are great substitutes for meat because they provide protein and fiber without the cholesterol. The American Heart Association recommends substituting beans for meat on a regular basis to lower the risk of heart disease. Adding fiber to your diet in the form of legumes can also help decrease the risk of cancer.
Avoiding digestive discomfort by slowly adding legumes to your diet
Legumes contain more fiber than any other type of food. Because of this, the body can't fully digest them, which can sometimes lead to gas and bloating.
The best way to avoid any legume-induced digestive discomfort is to gradually add legumes to your meals. Start with small portions of legumes once a week and gradually increase the amount you use over a period of weeks. Try these suggestions to experiment with legumes:
Add 1/4 cup of garbanzo beans to your favorite tossed salad.
Use 1/4 cup of lentils or split peas in a rice pilaf recipe.
Include kidney beans in your favorite spaghetti sauce.
Add mashed pinto beans to tacos or enchiladas.
Make sure to also drink more water when you eat legumes to help improve digestion.
Chapter 8: Raising the Bar on Your Metabolism
In This Chapter
Getting a grip on metabolism
Discovering easy ways to optimize your metabolic rate
Steering clear of behaviors that can decrease your metabolism
Metabolism is the rate your body burns the calories from the foods you eat. The higher your metabolic rate, the more food you can consume without gaining weight, making a good understanding of metabolism and how to help it out one of the fundamentals of any weight-loss plan.
Numerous factors influence a person's metabolic rate, which means everyone's metabolic rate is different. Have you ever been on the same diet plan as your friend or relative and seen her drop the pounds quickly while you lose weight at a snail's pace? This is because your metabolic rates are different. If you feel like you're on the slow end of the metabolism