The Glycemic Index Diet for Dummies (44 page)

Balancing your intake of protein, carbs, and fat at each meal does many great things for your body, not least of whih are

Helping control your total calorie level (because you're eating more low-calorie foods)

Keeping your blood sugar stable to avoid stimulating your appetite and storing more calories as fat

Helping control your food cravings

Keeping you feeling full and satisfied

Supporting your mood to avoid emotional-eating triggers

On the other hand, unbalanced consumption of protein, carbs, and fat can lead to

Unstable blood sugar that can stimulate your appetite and lead you to eat more

A cycle of food cravings

Not feeling satisfied, which may cause you to overeat

An increase in your total calorie intake because you're eating too many high-calorie foods

Emotional-eating cycles

The negative effects of not balancing your nutrients can creep up on you quite quickly. For instance, if you eat too much fat at one meal, your calorie level will increase rapidly. On the other hand, if you eat too many carbohydrates, you may experience blood sugar spikes that can lead you to feel starving an hour later, possibly creating a situation where you store more calories as body fat. Eating the right balance of fat and carbohydrates (and protein!) keeps your blood sugar and calorie level under control all the time.

Embracing the plate method

The plate method is a fabulous way of balancing your nutrients because it divides your plate into subsections so you know how much to eat of each food group. The idea is to fill your plate with the good, lower-calorie food, leaving only a small amount of room for the foods you should limit — fats and high-glycemic foods. According to the plate method, half of your plate should be filled with fruits and/or veggies, one-quarter with a protein source (such as meat, fish, or poultry), and one-quarter with a low-glycemic starch or grain (such as barley or whole-grain bread). Figure 9-1 provides a template of the plate method that you can easily follow.

When people overeat, they tend to do so with starchy carbohydrates (grains, potatoes, breads, and the like) and meats (beef, poultry, fish, and so on). These are high-calorie food groups where a lot of excess calories come from. The starchy carbohydrates also create the blood sugar spikes that you want to avoid. Using the plate method allows you to better control your consumption of these two food categories each meal so you get the perfect balance of carbohydrates and protein.