The Glycemic Index Diet for Dummies - Meri Raffetto [79]
Spinach with lemon dressing: This is a great side to go along with your shish kebab or other meat entree. Mix and match to come up with the perfect meal.
Vegetable and lentil soup: Soups that use low-glycemic foods are always a good choice. Most broth-based soups are very low in calories and can often leave you feeling fuller and more satisfied with your meal — a perfect fit for your weight-loss plan!
Hummus: A bean dip made primarily out of chickpeas, hummus is often served with pita bread or vegetables. It's a very low-glycemic food and an overall healthy choice. Ask your server whether you can get whole-wheat pita bread to go along with it.
Thai restaurants
Some of the most popular Thai dishes feature noodles and rice (making them higher-glycemic choices). For healthy, low-glycemic Thai choices, turn to any of the following:
Thai vegetables with chicken and chili sauce: This is a pretty basic but spicy meal. If it comes with rice, either omit the rice or just eat less of it.
Seafood kebab: Like any kebab, a Thai seafood kebab is an excellent choice to order with a side dish of vegetables.
Tom Yum Goong (hot sour shrimp soup): This soup will warm you up. Its low calorie level and low glycemic load make it great as a starter or as part of a meal.
Stir-fried shrimp or chicken with vegetables: Thai stir-fries may be a bit spicier than regular stir-fries, but that's why you like Thai food anyway, right?
Chapter 12: Navigating Special Occasions
In This Chapter
Conquering the obstacles of special occasions
Discovering the best food options for you in any situation
Listing the top low-glycemic choices for holidays, vacations, and parties
If you've followed specific dietary guidelines for weight loss or a health condition in the past, then you're all too aware of how easy it is to slide back into old habits during the holidays, at parties, and on vacations. Balance is the key to staying on track in these situations — but that of course is easier to write about than to actually find. If you lean too much toward the moderation side, you can end up going overboard. On the contrary, if you lean too much toward the strict side, you can end up being miserable, or worse, missing out on special occasions.
Healthcare and wellness professionals throw out the word balance all the time, but very few of them define what that may look like and how it can be realistic for your lifestyle. In this chapter, I help you find that ever-elusive balance so you can enjoy special occasions without backsliding for months afterward.
Overcoming the Challenges Posed by Vacations, Holidays, and Parties
Odds are you've experienced setbacks to your weight-loss goals when faced with a work party, family or religious holiday, or a week-long vacation. But do you really understand wy you got thrown off course? Following are some reasons why these special occasions pose a problem:
People insist on giving you high-glycemic, high-calorie food gifts. Getting homemade cookies from your friends during the winter holidays is common. You may even love to make these treats yourself. Although indulging a little is fine, having too many treats can work against you.
Holiday gatherings and parties feature a limited amount of healthy choices and too much of the high-glycemic, high-calorie stuff. When you show up at either of these events, you never know whether low-glycemic foods will be on the menu. What you do know is that the number of high-glycemic, high-calorie foods will be, well, sky high! Being surrounded by so many foods can make it difficult to find the right balance on your plate. Fortunately parties and holiday gatherings are usually just one-day affairs, which won't hurt your weight-loss efforts. During the holiday season, however, you may find yourself going to many parties, which makes the ability to find that right balance far more important.
Your motivation to make balanced choices is decidedly lacking. Special occasions can easily lead to a lack of motivation, which means not thinking (or caring)