Tasty Low Glycemic Recipes

A reader wrote asking: ”Are there alternative ways to snack, other than eating tasteless “sugar-free” sweets, that don’t play havoc with my blood sugar?”

Of course, I told him about low glycemic foods, but for a scientific explanation of why low glycemic foods are best I turned to Michael Bryer-Ash MD, medical director of the UCLA Diabetes Medical Center for the answer.

He replied: “Even “sugar-free” products can contain carbohydrates (“carbs”) that may raise blood sugar levels rapidly. It all depends on the glycemic index (GI) and total amount of carbs in the “sugar-free” snack.

“The glycemic index” is a measure of how a food, or combination of foods, acts to increase glucose in your blood. Pure sugar has a rating of 100. Foods with GIs above 70, once generally called “simple sugars,” raise blood sugar more rapidly than foods with lower GI ratings.

“Fresh fruits such as apples, nectarines and pears are the best sweet treats for people with diabetes or other dietary sugar concerns because of their lower Glycemic Index rating and high-fiber content. This high fiber content is what slows digestion, thus inhibiting rapid blood sugar rises,” continued Dr. Bryer-Ash.

Regardless of the carb source, at least 90 percent of all carbs convert to sugar (glucose) in the body within 15 minutes to two hours after ingestion and your blood glucose level changes accordingly,” he points out. That’s why people with diabetes are advised to test their blood sugar levels two hours after eating to determine the maximum effect of the carbohydrate consumed. High glycemic foods cause the blood glucose level to reach a peak anywhere from 15 to 30 minutes after ingestion. Approximately one hour after ingestion of carbohydrates, the blood sugar level begins a rapid decline. Even in healthy people this produces a low that could result in hypoglycemia (low blood sugar).

A much better snack choice includes a source of protein. Combining protein with a low glycemic carbohydrate will help the blood sugar level remain stable for several hours. Choosing foods containing a high percentage of fiber are an excellent way to balance your diet and maintain your energy level. The selection of low carb low glycemic foods will keep you strong all day long.

LowGlycemicRecipes.net is the first resource to provide exclusively Low-Glycemic Recipes complete with GI and GL scores and nutrient info!

We understand what you really need. That’s why our service is so unique. Look how smart you are—You have reached the first website that offers you authentic delicious, low glycemic recipes complete with a combination of glycemic and nutrient information found nowhere else.

Our website features low glycemic recipes, which, if followed most of the time, will keep your blood sugar levels well controlled.  With this information you can help prevent and control diabetes, lose weight, and even prevent acne. We have prepared our low glycemic recipes with YOU in mind, providing all the information YOU need to determine if a meal is healthful or not.

With this information you can go to a grocery store, out to dinner, pack a healthy brown bag lunch, or prepare meals at home using ingredients which will enhance your health. You really can change your life for the better.

We have truly made it easy for you. Our recipes are nutritionally balanced, loaded with nutrients, and bursting with the energy of life. We did this by identifying the glycemic content of the carbohydrate foods plus we provide the calories, protein, saturated fat, sodium, and carbohydrate amounts contained in our approved recipes. We also provide a treasure of vital information found in few places. It’s the glycoload (The GL is the vital measurement of the speed a particular carbohydrate–is digested, releasing the pure form of sugar known as glucose into your bloodstream. Going low glycemic can make all the difference in the world to your health).

Medical studies show that rapid elevation of blood glucose as well as high blood glucose levels over time are destructive to the organs and cells of the body.  If we wear out our bodies, where else are we going to live?

We need carbohydrates to live, but there is a vast difference between carbohydrate foods that are healthful and those that are unhealthy. The Glycemic Index (GI) and its companion measure the glycoload (GL) are the tools we use to separate the carbs that have a good effect from those that have unhealthy effects on our bodies by rapidly raising our blood glucose.

According to research at Harvard University, the amount of carbohydrate a meal contains, and the GI score of that carbohydrate, are both equally important in determining the effect a particular carbohydrate food will have on your blood sugar levels after you ingest it. The Glycoload is the accurate way to measure this combined impact.

Other websites and various books promise to provide low glycemic recipes, but many of the recipes they provide are not necessarily low glycemic because they don’t factor in the amount of carbohydrate grams in the recipe. In fact, when we analyzed the ingredients of many of the recipes from many of these sources, we quickly discovered that most of their recipes are high glycemic–at best, some were moderate in their glycemic effect. However, most were NOT low glycemic

That is why we began to seek out the correct information. We had to begin from scratch. As creators of low glycemic recipes, one of the first things we have to do is go to at www.glycemicindex.com to find accurate GI/GL data on the recipes we were considering recommending. We then had to go to other websites, including one maintained by the USDA (United States Department of Agriculture), to glean or calculate other important nutrition facts such as grams of protein, or milligrams of sodium. We felt and still believe that we owe it to our readers to determine the most accurate information.

Remember, carbohydrates that are metabolized and quickly absorbed by your digestive system tend to rapidly spike your blood sugar to high levels. Carbohydrates that are metabolized slowly by your body release glucose gradually into your bloodstream. The fast acting carbs are high on the GI scale and the slow acting carbs are the ones that are low on the GI scale and thus truly low glycemic.

How do we get an accurate definition of a low glycemic carbohydrate food? The first measure is the glycemic index score. Most carbohydrate foods have been tested on at least ten healthy people for their bloodstream glucose elevating effect. The result is a score from zero to 100. Carbohydrate foods that rank 55 and under are considered low glycemic UNLESS you eat too much carbohydrates transforming a low glycemic meal into a high glycemic one.

So, how is the optimum amount of carbohydrate figured for various carbohydrate foods?  For a carbohydrate food to be truly low glycemic it must have a GI score of 55 or under AND produce a glycoload (GL) of 10 or under.  All of our recipes  meet these stringent requirements

We are the first website to provide not only GI scores, but also the GL effects of serving sizes of the carbohydrates that we recommend. We also provide nutrient information such as calorie counts and amounts of carbohydrate, protein, fat, and sodium.

Our recipe service will help you maintain healthier blood sugar levels, lose excess weight and keep it off, and even prevent acne. For more information on studies that confirm those statements go here: http://members.lowglycemicrecipes.net/learn.

We look forward to sharing this enlightening data, so you, too, can make the most healthy nutrition decisions. When you gain access to this important information you will be empowered to tremendously boost your health. You can now order your own complete set of these 160 recipes – 30+ breakfasts, 30+ lunches, 30+ dinners, and up to 70 snacks which you will be able to download all at once or print out individually PLUS  you will have access to 30 days of daily delicious, nutritious low glycemic menus.

The cost: You can gain unlimited access to our authentic recipes for a monthly fee of only $9.95 per month. You will have access to over 160 true low glycemic meals and snacks plus more will be added to this premium subscription site periodically. Your payment will also allow you access to our new managetype2diabetes.com website which will provide interactive tools and information designed to help you manage Type 2 diabetes (or avoid it if you have pre-diabetes).

Simply go to our Welcome page and scroll down to the payment icon. Once you pay, you will get immediate access to our module of 160+ recipes: 30+ breakfasts, lunches, dinners and up to 70 snacks. You’ll be able to mix and match breakfasts and lunches and dinners and create your own personalized menus.  What a bargain!

Send us any comments or questions you might have to drbreecher@lowglycemicrecipes.net.