In tandem with lowering our saturated fat intakes, we should also concentrate on consuming more carbohydrates. Carbohydrate foods generally make us feel fuller faster than do fats, give us more energy, help stave off hunger pangs and do not easily convert to body fat.
Carbohydrates come mostly from plants, i.e. cereals and grains, fruits, vegetables and legumes, but dairy products also contain carbohydrates. Recommended dietary guidelines suggest we eat substantial servings of cereals, legumes, rice and pasta, followed by vegetables and fruits. Dairy products should be eaten in moderation then, in diminishing quantities, meat, sugar, butter and the like can be consumed. People with diabetes are recommended to evenly distribute their carbohydrate intake in three meals throughout the day.
What are High-Carbohydrate Foods?
• Bread, especially wholegrain and wholemeal varieties
• Crispbreads and crackers
• High-fibre breakfast cereals, including rolled oats, whole wheat and untoasted muesli
• Pasta and rice (such as basmati or Doongara)
• Other grains such as barley, bulgur and couscous
• Legumes, including baked beans, kidney beans, chickpeas, lentils, three bean mix
• Fruit (also a good source of fibre if the whole fruit is eaten, rather than juiced)
• Low-fat milk products, including milk, soy drinks
• Starchy vegetables, such as potatoes, sweet potato, yams, sweet corn
What is Glycaemic Index?
While a high-carbohydrate diet is better for us than a high-fat diet, some research suggests that certain kinds of carbohydrate foods are better than others. During the 1980s, nutritional research resulted in the creation of the glycaemic index (GI), a ranking of carbohydrates in foods based on their impact on blood glucose (sugar) levels in the body. Originally developed to help people with diabetes, research is showing that the GI may be a valid tool to assist in weight loss and heart disease prevention.
Rapidly absorbed pure glucose has a GI of 100. Carbohydrates that break down slowly and release glucose into the blood stream gradually have low GI values (55 or less), while those that are easily digested and absorbed quickly are considered to have high GI values (70 or more).
Medium (or intermediate) GI foods have values between 55 and 70. Low-fat high-GI food doesn’t have to be excluded from a healthy diet – when coupled with equal amounts of low-GI food the result is a healthy diet with an intermediate-GI rating. The most important rule to follow is to eat as wide a variety as possible of low-saturated fat, low-to-medium GI foods.
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