Looking for some healthy low glycemic recipes? Check out some easy and tasty recipes below! All food items can be categorized on the basis on their glycemic index. All food items, drinks or solids, once consumed, they either get burnt and converted into calories, or get stored as fat cells for future use. Foods with a high glycemic index fall into the latter category and are not considered as “healthy”. Consumption of such foods hugely increases the risk of heart disease and diabetes. And that is why excluding them from our diet is an important step if we don’t want to live with two of the most common ailments that plague mankind these days.
Why is Glycemic Index Important?
Glycemic index is measured by assessing the impact of carbohydrates on the body’s blood glucose levels. Dishes prepared using low glycemic recipes release glucose into the blood stream slowly and don’t cause sudden spike in the body’s glucose levels. Foods with a high glycemic index do the exact opposite – they release the glucose into the blood stream quickly and spike up the body’s glucose levels. This is the reason why such foods are especially bad for people with diabetes. Often, though not always, foods that have been prepared using low glycemic recipes also contain fiber and superior nutrition.
You might be wondering how one can determine a low GI or high GI. Here are the numbers that will help you determine whether a food item has high, medium or low GI. Any food item with a Glycemic index of 55 or less belongs to Low Glycemic Index Foods. Any food item with a Glycemic index of 56 to 69 is considered as a medium glycemic index food item. 70 and above GI is amongst high gi foods. More information and glycemic index values can be found in the Glycemic Index Chart.
Keeping the glycemic index chart, also called glycemic index food list, in your kitchen is quite a helpful thing to do in case you want to take care of this aspect of your diet. This will help you by giving you instant information about any food item you might be planning to consume.
Let us give you a generic idea about some dishes with a high glycemic index and some with a low glycemic index as well. Potatoes and foods high in sugar have a high GI. Waffles and doughnuts are examples of commonly consumed foods that have a high glycemic index of 76. White bread is another commonly consumed food that has a high glycemic index. Cornflakes also have a high GI.
Here are some of the low glycemic index foods: most vegetables and fruits, oats, barley and bran. Since we all need to eat something or the other everyday, the smart thing to do is to substitute dishes with high glycemic index with foods that have a low GI. Simply making this small change in your diet can help you lose weight, manage your blood cholesterol levels, control and reduce your risk of heart disease, reduce your risk of diabetes and mainly help you live a healthier life.
Samples of Low Glycemic Recipes:
Here are a few recipes that come in handy when you want to make the switch. They are healthy and low in glycemic index.
Mushrooms and Cheese
This recipe can be served to 4 people. Heat your microwave or oven to 200C. Put the mushrooms on a baking tray and put the cheese, walnuts or almonds, thyme sprigs and margarine on top of the mushrooms. Cook the mushrooms for 8 to 10 minutes and allow the cheese to melt over the softened mushrooms.
Not only is this recipe extremely easy to make, it is also delicious and healthy.
Chickpeas Salad and Chicken Steak
Cook the chicken steak until it is medium-done by cooking it on both the sides after oiling the steak slightly
Once the steak is done, toss the chickpeas, tomatoes, shallots, parsley sprigs, salt and pepper together. Add a few drops of lemon juice to make the salad tangy. Now add some extra virgin olive oil to the salad as well.
Cut the steak into half and mix it with the salad to complete the dish.
More Low Glycemic Recipes – Easy and Delicious Chicken Curry!
The recipe will take only 20 minutes to complete and can be an awesome dish to serve to your guests too.
Marinade the chicken overnight in your refrigerator by adding lemon juice, salt, black pepper, red or green chili, ginger and garlic to it.
Heat some oil in a pan and fry the chicken pieces after marinating it overnight.
Once the frying is done, take some more ginger and garlic paste and add that to the oil after removing the chicken pieces.
Add grated tomatoes to the pan next and then add some salt and chilli along with it as well.
Cook this mixture for 5 minutes and then add a glass of water to the pan
Add the fried chicken pieces into the curry next and let them cook until the chicken is completely cooked and tender.
A delicious curry that can be enjoyed with any accompaniment like brown bread or basmati rice is ready!
Roasted Aubergine
Another great recipe that is also low in glycemic index is Roasted Aubergine.
Put the aubergine directly on the gas stove so it gets roasted from all sides.
Once its skin turns black and starts to crackle, remove the aubergine from the gas and peel its skin off. Wash it once to get rid of the skin completely.
Now mash the aubergine well and keep it aside.
Chop some red onions and tomatoes and cook them one at a time in a pan with heated oil. You will need 2 tablespoons of oil for this recipe.
Once the onions and the tomatoes are done, add salt and pepper as per your taste. You could also add some red or green chilies if you enjoy spicy food.
Add the mashed aubergine to the pan now and let it get cooked over a slow flame for another 15 minutes.
Once the aubergine is cooked, you can enjoy the dish best with brown bread.
There are plenty of healthy recipes which are using low GI food items. The transition from high GI foods to low glycemic index foods might require some effort initially but it will soon become a habit. Simply use low glycemic recipes in your daily diet and you will be on your way towards achieving a healthier and a leaner body.