The Blood Sugar Solution Cookbook (6 page)
Read The Blood Sugar Solution Cookbook Online
Authors: Mark Hyman
Tags: #Health & Fitness / Diets, #Cooking / Health & Healing - Low Carbohydrate
These are less wholesome carbohydrate options than those given above, but they are convenient; whole grains are always a better option. I recommend gluten-free, seed-based crackers like Mary’s Gone Crackers rather than high-glycemic rice cakes or crackers.
By now some of you might be wondering how to make this work on your budget. Eating well can be an eye-opening experience when you learn a few simple tricks. Try the following:
- Because cheap food is inexpensive due to subsidization, it might seem that you have to buy junk food in order to stay within your budget. Track all of your expenses for one week and observe how much of what you spend your money on contributes to achieving your health goals. If you notice certain items do not serve your ultimate health goals, then perhaps this is a good place to start rearranging your spending habits. For example, one cup of Starbucks at $4 a day adds up to $1,460 a year. Make your own coffee!
- Reorganize your budget and priorities, and you might create more funding for good food. For example, can you pack your lunch, saving money for high-quality food?
- Money represents your life energy. Every dollar you make you pay for with time. How you spend your money reflects how you spend your time. Think about how you can make more conscious choices about the way you spend your money.
- Make choices that give you more resources: Choose three things to change that can give you more time or money and record them in your journal. Reflect on how your life and health change as you go through the six weeks of the program.
- Shop at neighborhood stores or discount stores like Trader Joe’s or shopping clubs like Costco.
- Develop a repertoire of cheap, healthy, easy-to-prepare meals that decrease stress, time, and cost.
- Grow your own veggies or herbs in a windowsill pot, backyard garden, or community plot.
Organic and whole foods are now available in packages, cans, and boxes. They tend to be found in natural foods stores or the health food section of your regular grocery store.
Even if a particular food item has ingredients you are familiar with, you may want to avoid certain ingredients in processed or manufactured foods. For example, you will want to be careful not to inadvertently include foods in your diet that aren’t allowed on the program.
Labels list the ingredients and some of the nutrition information. Be sure to read all food labels carefully as you shop for the ingredients you will use while on the program. This will help you adhere to the guidelines of the Blood Sugar Solution as closely as possible.
Here are things to be aware of:
- Beware of health claims on the label.
Food packaging and labels represent marketing at its cleverest. Look for high-quality ingredients and don’t be fooled by exaggerated claims. My usual rule is that if it has a health claim, it is probably not good for you. - Watch for where an ingredient appears on the list.
If the real food is at the end of the list and the sugars or salts are at the beginning, beware. The most abundant ingredient is listed first, and the others are listed in descending order by weight. - Beware of ingredients in foods that are not labeled.
Foods in very small packages, foods prepared in the store, and foods made by small manufacturers are exempt from labels. - Look for additives or problem ingredients.
If a food contains high-fructose corn syrup, hydrogenated oils, or partially hydrogenated oils, put it back on the shelf. Also look out for sulfites, nitrites, and any funny-sounding preservatives or fillers that don’t seem familiar or safe to you. If you can’t recognize or pronounce the ingredient, it is probably not fit for human consumption. - Look for hidden sources of gluten and dairy.
Gluten can be lurking in soba noodles, tamari, miso, seasonings, and broth, so look for a gluten-free option. Dairy can be found in mayonnaise, chocolate, and “natural” flavors and anything that has casein (look for it on the food ingredient list). Beware! - Look for sneaky pseudo-names for sugar.
Sugar comes in many forms and textures. Honey, syrup, sugar cane crystals, sugar alcohols (xylitol, maltitol, etc.), powders, fruit juices, dried fruit, natural sugars, artificial sweeteners, refined sugars, concentrated, dehydrated, malted, fermented sugars, molasses, sorghum, and liquid sweeteners are all sugar. - Would your great-grandmother have served this food?
Finally, before you analyze the numbers, ask yourself whether this food could have been served at your great-grandmother’s table. If not, beware.
Glycemic load (GL) is a measure of how quickly a food enters your bloodstream. A low-GL diet leads to better health and is the only diet that has been proven to work for long-term weight loss. In fact, eating a low-GL diet can speed up your metabolism by about 300 calories a day—the equivalent of running for one hour a day.
Phytonutrient index (PI) refers to the amount of colorful plant pigments and compounds in a food that help prevent disease and promote health. A high PI also leads to better health. Here are a few tips to help you maintain a low GL and a high PI: