Processing of food generally decreases the Glycemic Index. This means cooking, cutting and preserving. So where possible buy foods that are whole, not pre-cooked, and fresh.
Where this is not convenient then be sure to add whole and fresh foods to your pre-made meal. For example: adding fresh tomatoes and salad leaves to your pre-cooked rice and tinned tuna.
It is also important to remember that much of the food processing takes place in your home. Cooking, peeling, cutting, mashing and adding flavours are all forms of processing that can increase the GI of your meal. Also some food processing is non-evident; even though wholemeal bread has more fibre than its white counterpart - because the grains have been broken up - the effect on the G.I. is minimized to the extent that the GI is similar between the two. Choose complete wholegrains where possible as opposed to products containing a broken down form of the grain. The table here shows foods containing significant amounts of carbohydrate and their G.I.
It is important to use the GI as an indication as to what types of foods to include in an overall meal rather than religiously sticking to the GI table. Foods are not labeled with their Glycemic Index, the GI response to foods can be slightly different for different people, it changes depending on how we cook and process the food, and different brands or varieties of the same food can have very different GI’s.
(Learn more about the carbohydrate content on your foods. Click here)
Eating carbohydrate based foods with protein, fibre, fat or adding these to meals increases the time it takes to digest them and hence lowers the overall GI. It is also important to remember we rarely eat foods in isolation – when was the last time you chewed your way through a dry granola? The foods we eat mix together in digestion and the specific GI responses are averaged out. So rather than worry yourself too much over individual foods check out these 10 top tips you can adopt to include carbs in your diet and still lose weight:
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Always include a source of protein at every meal (milk, yogurt, meat, beans, and eggs).
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Include a high fibre food in every meal.
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Eat whole grain foods where possible over their refined counterparts.
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Leave skin on fruits and vegetables.
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Include one low GI food at each meal (see table above).
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Buy whole wheat pasta from your whole food store, and choose long-grain rice.
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Include low fat milk, cheese or yoghurt.
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Add pulses and legumes (such as beans, lentils and peas).
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Favour less processed foods and foods that are firm to bite, as processing, cooking and ripening helps food digest faster.
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Add a vinaigrette or lemon juice dressing to your salad vegetables to lower the GI.
- Bonus tip: Add cinnamon to your breakfast or baking!