In the GI News Kitchen

American dietitian and author of Good Carbs, Bad Carbs, Johanna Burani, shares favourite recipes with a low or moderate GI from her Italian kitchen. For more information, check out Johanna's website. The photographs are by Sergio Burani. His food, travel and wine photography website is photosbysergio.com.



Beet greens frittelle.
Italians love to use every part of every vegetable plant they can. This recipe incorporates the slightly bitter-tasting leaves of the rootbeet in a simple, quick and wholesome vegetable side dish or entree. “Frittelle” translates as “fritters” but there’s nothing deep fried here! Serves 4 as side dish

7oz (200g) beet greens (15 leaves with stems)
1 tablespoon olive oil
¾ cup chopped red onion
1 large clove garlic, minced
½ teaspoon sea salt
freshly ground black pepper to taste
3–4 tsp lemon zest (yellow part only)
2 large eggs
2 egg whites or ½ cup egg substitute
½ cup freshly grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese
¼ cup flavored breadcrumbs (I used store bought)



Wash and pat dry beet greens. Coarsely chop and set them aside.
Heat a large nonstick pan over medium-high flame. Add the olive oil, onion, garlic, salt and pepper. Sauté for 1 minute, stirring frequently. Add in the greens, lower to medium heat and continue cooking for 5 minutes. Stir occasionally. Add in the lemon zest, mix throughly. Adjust seasonings. Set aside to cool.
In a mixing bowl whisk together the next 4 ingredients (eggs through breadcrumbs). Add to the vegetable mixture and combine well using a wooden spoon.
Over a medium flame heat a small cast iron frying pan, previously coated with vegetable spray. Drop ½ cup of vegetable mixture into pan, slightly flatten with the back of a fork and cook for approximately 2 minutes on each side. Continue until all the vegetable-egg mixture is cooked. Serve hot, warm or cold.

Per serve
Energy: 743kJ/177cals; Protein 14g; Fat 10g (includes 3g saturated fat and 93mg cholesterol); Available carbohydrate 10g; Fibre 3g

Cut back on the food bills and enjoy fresh-tasting, easily prepared, seasonal, satisfying and delicious low or moderate GI meals that don’t compromise on quality and flavour one little bit with our Money Saving Meals recipes including these salads from the Low GI Vegetarian Cookbook (Hachette Australia) and the California Walnut Commission.

Roasted beetroot and white bean salad with balsamic dressing.
Serves 4

600g (1lb 5oz) beetroot
120g (4oz) baby spinach leaves
3 cups cooked white beans (that’s two 2 400g/14oz cans, drained)
1 red onion, halved, thinly sliced
4 thick slices grainy bread, to serve

Balsamic dressing
1½ tbsp (30ml) balsamic vinegar
2 tsp flaxseed oil
1 garlic clove, crushed
salt and freshly ground black pepper



Preheat oven to 180ºC (350ºF). Trim the beetroot leaves, leaving about 3cm (1in) of top attached. Do not trim bases as this will cause the beetroot to bleed and loose its colour. Wrap beetroot in a large piece of foil and place on a baking tray. Roast for 1½ –2 hours or until tender. Set aside to cool. Once cool, put on rubber gloves and peel the beetroot. Cut into thin wedges.
Place the spinach leaves, beans and onion in a bowl. Toss to combine. Add the beetroot and toss gently to combine.
To make the dressing, place the vinegar, oil and garlic in a small jug. Whisk well to combine. Season with salt and pepper. Pour the dressing over the salad and toss to combine. Serve immediately with the bread.

Tangy roasted beet and walnut salad.
This fibre-rich salad from the California Walnut Commission features roasted beets to highlight the flavour of fennel and oranges. Although this recipe is high in fat, it's the heart-healthy kind providing essential omega-3 and 6 fatty acids. Use a little less oil if it bothers you. Serves 6 (as an accompaniment).

Dressing
1 tbsp (15ml) orange juice
2 tbsp (30ml) white wine vinegar
1 tbsp (15ml) pure maple syrup
1/4 cup (50 ml) extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Salad
2lb (1kg) beets
2 bunches watercress or arugula
2 oranges, peeled and cut into sections
1 fennel bulb, thinly sliced
1 cup California walnut halves, toasted



Preheat the oven to 375ºF (190ºC). Place the beets in an 8in (20cm) square baking dish. Bake in the oven for about 1 hour, or until beets are tender (will depend on size of beets). Cool.
Whisk together the orange juice, vinegar and maple syrup in a medium bowl. Gradually whisk in the oil, taste and season with salt and pepper if desired.
Peel, slice and toss beets with 2 tablespoons (30ml) of dressing.
Gently toss watercress, oranges, fennel and walnuts in serving bowl. Top with beets and drizzle with remaining dressing.

Per serve
Energy 1445 kJ/ 345als; 26g fat (includes saturated fat 2.4g); 9 g fibre; 7.8g protein; 21g available carbohydrate

What about borscht?
Janet Clarkson’s, Soup. A Global History (Reaktion Books distributed in Australia by New South Books), contains an historical recipe for ‘Borschtch’ as described in On the Manners and Customs of the Ukrainians in Letters from the Ukraine, by a Russian Gentleman, published in 1807. ‘This being a national dish, the method of preparing it may not be uninteresting. They take a quantity of meat, and boil it in sirovetz, water made sour by letting some bread remain in it for several days; they add to it such vegetables as are in season, cabbage in autumn, beet root in winter, young nettle or sorrel in spring, and the tops of the beet root, or of young cabbage, in summer; after boiling the whole with a small quantity of millet, or flour, they mix with it cream, sour or fresh, as it suits their palate or fancy and eat it with bread cut small, previously dried in an oven.’

Busting Food Myths with Nicole Senior

Nicole Senior

Myth: Spicy food speeds up your metabolism
Many people believe they have difficulty losing weight because they have a ‘slow metabolism’. So it’s comforting to think that breaking out in a sweat over a bowl of chilli is boosting your metabolic rate, thanks to its capsaicin (the chemical compound that gives it the heat). Researchers have found that capsaicin can boost heat generation and thus your metabolic rate, which means you burn more energy. But it’s all pretty short term. And the studies are few and small (and some of them used supplements, not real food!). If you eat chilli often and don’t go back for seconds and say no thanks to the sour cream, the benefits may add up. But there’s no serious evidence that eating chilli (or black pepper or other spicy foods) work as long-term metabolic boosters that will help you burn excess fat.



Look at real life. They eat a lot of chilli in Mexico and that country has a major problem with overweight and obesity—although maybe it would be a bigger problem without the chilli benefits.

The good news is that boosting your metabolism is within your reach, but there’s no quick fix. It’s the usual suspects: healthy eating (at regular intervals) and moving more, including some resistance exercise (yes, weights) to get yourself some muscle power.

Long story short Chilli and other spicy foods may briefly boost your metabolic rate, but for long-term benefits you’ve got to eat healthy, move more and build muscle.

Nicole Senior is an Accredited Practising Dietitian and Nutritionist and author of Food Myths available in bookshops and online and from www.greatideas.net.au

GI Symbol News with Dr Alan Barclay

Dr Alan Barclay

The winning edge: using the GI to maximise performance.
Optimising the amount and type of carbohydrate you consume before, during and after an event can provide you with that winning edge. For most forms of physical activity, our muscles preferred source of fuel is glucose. This is because the carbohydrate we eat or drink, which is not used immediately for energy, is stored mostly in our muscles and liver as glycogen. When our muscles need fuel, our bodies quickly break down this glycogen into glucose for energy. That’s why, for optimal physical performance, it’s vital to consume the right amount and type of carbohydrate before an event to maximise glycogen stores. You can also improve your performance in an endurance event or a carnival, by carefully choosing the amount and type of carbohydrate you consume during and after the event.

The night before a morning event Your evening meal the night before should contain more carbohydrate than normal to stock up your body’s glycogen stores. The carbohydrate should be low GI and the whole meal should be lower in fat, moderate in high quality protein and comfortable in quantity (don’t over eat or drink).

The morning of the event Make your breakfast a carbohydrate-based one that’s lower in fat and moderate in protein. Exactly what you eat depends on the time between breakfast and the start of your event. The following table provides a guide based on your start time. As with dinner, only eat a comfortable amount, otherwise you may regret it …



Event foods
During the event choose high GI carbohydrates that are easily digested and absorbed like:

• Gatorade or other isotonic sports drink
• Goo or other gel/liquid glucose supplement
• Jelly beans or other sugary lollies
• White bread with regular honey
• Scones with regular jam

Recovery foods
Aim to eat 1–2 hours after an event and your food and fluid choices should be low GI. Your body needs to replenish its glycogen stores, and delaying this replenishment can lead to fatigue and underperformance. The following suggestions will provide you with 75g available carbohydrate:

• 5–6 slices of a low GI bread like Burgen or Tip Top 9 grain
• 2½ cups Sustain cereal with reduced fat milk
• 11 Ryvita biscuits
• 1½ cups cooked basmati rice
• 3½ cups 100% fruit juice
• Milo or Sustagen
  

The GI Symbol, making healthy low GI choices easy choices



For more information about the GI Symbol Program
Dr Alan W Barclay, PhD
Chief Scientific Officer
Glycemic Index Foundation (Ltd)
Phone: +61 (0)2 9785 1037
Mob: +61 (0)416 111 046
Fax: +61 (0)2 9785 1037
Email: alan.barclay@gisymbol.com
Website: www.gisymbol.com

GI Update with Prof Jennie Brand-Miller

Prof Jennie Brand-Miller answers your questions.



Are you at risk of gestational diabetes?
All women should be tested for gestational diabetes in every pregnancy. Women with risk factors are more likely to have gestational diabetes but women with no risk factors at all can also have this problem. There are many different risk factors that predict the risk of developing diabetes during pregnancy. One or more of these may be operating in different women.

There are some risk factors that cannot be avoided:
Your genes. If there is a family history of type 2 diabetes, then there is likely to be a genetically-determined tendency to develop the problem. The average age of diagnosis in Australians of Caucasian or northern European origin is about 60 years. Thus a negative family history is not necessarily reassuring as many women in their pregnancy may not yet have a first degree relation who is old enough to have developed or been diagnosed with diabetes.

Your background. In Australia, gestational diabetes is more common in women who come from an ethnic background with a higher overall rate of diabetes or an earlier age of onset. This includes, but is not confined to women from the Pacific Islands, South East Asia, China and the Indian subcontinent.

Your age. With women now delaying their families often until their 30s, they are much further advanced towards the time when they potentially may develop type 2 diabetes in the future. Therefore under the stress of pregnancy this problem can be unmasked.

A previous adverse obstetric history. There is an increased risk of developing gestational diabetes in women who have had previous miscarriages, large babies and adverse pregnancy outcomes.

A previous history of gestational diabetes. Women who have had gestational diabetes in one pregnancy are much more likely to develop this again in subsequent pregnancies. However this is by no means inevitable and there is generally about a 50% recurrence rate. This rate can be reduced by careful attention to diet between the pregnancies, particularly with respect to reducing the intake of saturated fat.

Having PCOS. Women with PCOS have a much higher risk of developing gestational diabetes.

Risk factors that can be reversed or avoided:
Being overweight. Women who are overweight are much more likely to develop gestational diabetes. They are also much more likely to have large babies.

A poor diet, both before and during pregnancy. Women diagnosed with gestational diabetes who follow dietary advice are able to significantly lower their blood glucose levels. Thus it is likely that a less-than-healthy diet during pregnancy may unmask a tendency towards gestational diabetes.

Exercise. Women who exercise regularly are less likely to develop gestational diabetes. Women who are most active before pregnancy have less than half the risk of developing gestational diabetes compared to those who are least active, and those with the highest activity levels in early pregnancy reduce their risk of gestational diabetes by around 25% compared with those who are inactive.

This is an edited extract from my new book (with Dr Kate Marsh and Prof Robert Moses), The Bump to Baby Low GI Eating Plan for Conception, Pregnancy and Beyond (Hachette Australia). In the book we share the latest science to help women enjoy a healthy pregnancy while safeguarding their baby’s future wellbeing. It’s available from bookshops and online in Australia and NZ and as an eBook from Amazon, iTunes etc. We have a website too, where you can visit us, learn more about our book (and look inside), find pregnancy friendly recipes, keep up to date with the latest news about the importance of lifestyle for pregnancy and preconception, download information and weight charts, contact us and link to other useful information. Visit us HERE.



GI testing by an accredited laboratory
North America
Dr Alexandra Jenkins
Glycemic Index Laboratories
20 Victoria Street, Suite 300
Toronto, Ontario M5C 298 Canada
Phone +1 416 861 0506
Email info@gilabs.com
Web www.gilabs.com

Australia
Fiona Atkinson
Research Manager, Sydney University Glycemic Index Research Service (SUGiRS)
Human Nutrition Unit, School of Molecular and Microbial Biosciences
Sydney University
NSW 2006 Australia
Phone + 61 2 9351 6018
Fax: + 61 2 9351 6022
Email sugirs@mmb.usyd.edu.au
Web www.glycemicindex.com

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GI News—August 2012

• 4 steps to better blood glucose;
  
• Prof Jennie Brand-Miller on why gestational diabetes is such a big deal;
  
• Safe fasting during Ramadan;
  
• The right diet (low GI of course) to fight malnutrition and help cancer patients combat their disease;
  
• Emma Stirling with the scoop on avocados;
  
• 3 avocado recipes including a simply sensational avocado pea mash.
  

High blood glucose levels pose a threat to your health even if you don’t have diabetes. In fact, elevated blood glucose levels within the ‘normal’ range can damage the blood vessels and circulatory system, increasing the risk of a heart attack, type 2 diabetes, weight gain and even certain types of cancer. This issue we focus on why keeping your BGLs on an even keel really matters. To help you achieve this we have tips on reducing the GI of your diet and low GI recipes to try.

Good eating, good health and good reading.

Editor: Philippa Sandall
Web management and design: Alan Barclay, PhD
Contact email (for questions or permission to reproduce stories from this newsletter): info@gisymbol.com for technical problems or faults please contact smb.ginewstech@sydney.edu.au

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Food for Thought

Why maintaining healthy blood glucose should be a lifelong goal.
High blood glucose levels pose a threat to your health even if you don’t have diabetes. In fact, elevated blood glucose levels within the ‘normal’ range can damage the blood vessels and circulatory system, increasing the risk of a heart attack, type 2 diabetes, weight gain and even certain types of cancer. It does so by increasing the production of damaging free radicals and creating oxidative stress and inflammation.

Over time, the effects of high blood glucose levels become even more noticeable. In people with poorly managed diabetes, problems may occur with the skin, leading to bacterial infections, fungal infections and itching. Nerves may be damaged, causing numbness, prickling, tingling, burning and aching sensations. There may even be a loss of nerve function so that a process like digestion is impaired. The narrowing of large blood vessels will slow blood flow and cause heart disease, stroke and the loss of circulation, which can lead to amputation. Small blood vessels may become damaged, which can cause problems that may include blurry vision, blindness and kidney disease.

4 steps to better blood glucose.
Switch to low GI foods These are the smart carbs your body slowly digests and absorbs, the result being that they produce only gentle rises and falls in your blood glucose and insulin levels.
Keep your carb portions moderate For most of us 30 to 60g carbohydrate at any one sitting is a good average to aim for. What does that look like? 2 to 4 slices of bread, 2/3 to 1 1/3 cups cooked rice or 2 to 4 medium (150g/5oz) potatoes. That’s 2 to 4 carbohydrate exchanges.
Eat more regularly Mealtime consistency matters. Enjoy three square meals a day or three smaller meals with some healthy snacks.
Exercise regularly Exercising muscles need fuel and the fuel that they prefer is glucose. Moving your muscles burns glucose, fat and consequently calories and lowers blood glucose levels. That’s what we call a win/win.

Tips for reducing the GI of your meals

• Replace those high GI crunchy breakfast bubbles and flakes that spike your blood glucose and insulin levels with smart carbs like natural muesli or traditional (not instant) porridge oats or one of the lower GI processed breakfast cereals that will trickle fuel into your engine.
• Swap your bread. Choose a really grainy bread where you can actually see the grains, granary bread, stone-ground wholemeal bread, real sourdough bread, soy and linseed bread, pumpernickel, fruit loaf or bread made from chickpea or other legume based flours.
• Make your starchy staples the low (or lower) GI ones. Look for the lower GI rices like basmati, Doongara Clever Rice or Moolgiri medium grain rice, serve your pasta al dente, choose less processed foods and intact grains such as barley, buckwheat, bulgur, quinoa, whole kernel rye, or whole wheat kernels and opt for lower GI starchy vegetables like low(er) GI potatoes (Carisma or Nicola), parsnip, orange fleshed sweet potato, carrots and butternut pumpkin (winter squash).
• Learn to love legumes – home-cooked or canned and add chickpeas to stir fries, red kidney beans to chilli, a 4-bean salad to that barbecue menu, and beans or lentils to casseroles and soups.
• Combine high GI carbs with low GI tricklers to achieve a moderate overall GI. Lentils with rice, rice with beans and chilli, tabbouli tucked into pita bread, baked beans on toast or piled on a jacket-baked potato for classic comfort food.
• Tickle those taste buds and slow stomach emptying with a vinaigrette with salads, yoghurt with cereal, lemon juice on vegetables like asparagus and sourdough bread.
• Snack low GI with fresh fruit, a dried fruit and nut mix, low fat milk and yoghurt (or soy alternatives), fruit bread etc.