The Glycemic Index Diet for Dummies (89 page)

If you want to improve the flavor of quinoa, which has a natural bitter taste that decreases with soaking, wash it prior to cooking and let it soak for 30 minutes.

Experimenting with Vegetables

Vegetables are an importa
nt part of losing weight with a low-glycemic diet. They're low-glycemic, high-fiber, and low-calorie; they also provide an abundant amount of nutrients. Indulging in a variety of vegetables is truly the way to eat more volume and not feel deprived while losing weight.

Other than most root vegetables (potatoes, sweet potatoes, and yams), all vegetables are considered low-glycemic. They contain such a small amount of carbohydrates per serving that researchers don't even bother testing their glycemic loads. So feel free to load up on the veggies you enjoy, be they broccoli, salad fixings, asparagus, or cauliflower, because almost any vegetable is a good choice for your low-glycemic diet.

Cooking vegetables the low-glycemic way isn't really too different from the way you may be used to. The following sections cover a few preparation and cooking tips to help you figure out how to do it.

Preparing low-glycemic vegetables

Many vegetables, both raw and c
ooked, have been tested for their glycemic load, and the difference in levels between the raw and cooked veggies (regardless of how they're cooked) is far from drastic. But that doesn't mean there aren't better ways to cook veggies than others. The best cooking methods for vegetables include steaming, baking, broiling, grilling, microwaving, or lightly sautéing.

Here are two specific healthy-cooking tips for vegetables:

Wash vegetables thoroughly with warm water.
Although your veggies may be low-glycemic, they may also have pesticides on them. If you choose organic, your veggies can also have some dirt, debris, or even small worms. Washing is a good first step with all vegetables, regardless of whether you're eating them raw or cooked.

Avoid frying your vegetables.
Frying veggies adds more fat and calories and interferes with your weight-loss progress.

Boiling versus other cooking methods

Although the difference isn't
large, boiled vegetables tend to come up higher in glycemic load than vegetables prepared by other methods. For example, boiled corn has a glycemic load of 9.7, and corn that's previously frozen and reheated in the microwave has a glycemic load of 7.6. Both glycemic loads are low, but there's a subtle difference.

Boiling vegetables often causes them to lose more vitamins and minerals into the water compared to other cooking methods. I'm not saying you can't ever boil a vegetable, but if you have a choice, choose a different method to keep your glycemic load down and nutrients up.

How long you cook your vegetables can also affect glycemic load. Most veggies retain more nutrients when cooked al dente. The longer you cook most vegetables, the more nutrients you can lose. (Onions, garlic, and tomatoes are a few of the exceptions to this rule.) For the most part, a good rule of thumb is to cook your vegetables lightly.

Introducing Beans, the Truly Magical Fruit

If you're not
familiar with the class of foods known as
legumes
(which includes beans, lentils, and peas), you're missing out. The all-star legumes, beans, really have it all. Beans are low-glycemic, high-fiber, high-protein, and packed with important vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. These little foods are also very convenient to cook or add to a meal. And as a bonus to the dieter, beans help you feel fuller for a longer period of time.

The next sections show you the difference between canned beans and dried beans and provide cooking tips for both types. Get ready to be a bean novice no more!

Pointing out what you should know about canned beans versus dried

You have one major choice when it comes to beans: canned or dried. Canned beans are already cooked, so you can use them instantly on a salad or in soups and other hot meals. Dried beans, on the other hand, need a little preparation before you can enjoy them. Specifically, dried beans must be soaked before you can cook them. Not only is soaking dried beans the only way to get them clean before cooking but it also helps

Decrease their overall cooking time

Remove gas-producing compounds from the outer coating of the shell

Retain nutrients

Making small changes in the way you prepare foods can greatly impact the foods' glycemic content. Canned beans and dried beans often have different glycemic levels. Sometimes the canned is higher than the dried; other times the dried is higher than the canned. These differences are subtle and shouldn't make a large impact on your choices. Why? Because you're not getting too caught up in small number variances. The numbers still fall within a low or medium range, so you're in good shape regardless.