Low carb meals quiz
Low carb meals quiz
Test your knowledge about carbohydrates, insulin resistance and low carb meals
How much do you know about carbohydrates?
If you have insulin resistance, you’ve probably read a lot about carbohydrates and what effect they have on insulin production. I thought I knew some basic truths about low carb meals, but in fact, since being diagnosed as insulin resistant and by researching this more fully, I’ve found out some surprising things!
If you’d like to know more, see how many of the following you get right…
With regard to insulin resistance – are the following statements true or false?
- The main thing to understand is the difference between simple and complex carbohydrates
- Eating fruit is a bad idea because it is full of fructose
- Brown/wholemeal versions of bread, rice and pasta are not much better for you than their white counterparts
- Foods that are labelled “high fiber” are not always good choices
- The Glycemic Index can help you decide which carbohydrates to include in your diet
- You can have coffee on a low carb diet
- Potatoes, rice, bread, pasta, cereals and all forms of sugar must be restricted, if not eliminated.
Introduction to the Glycemic Index
The Glycemic Index
This is an introduction to the subject of the Glycemic Index and how it relates to insulin resistance. In this post we’ll look at what it means, how it helps and why we should be interested in it.
You may also have heard of the term Glycemic Load – both of these concepts are important to understand as they relate to carbohydrates. I will explain the basic distinction between them in this post. Continue Reading »
Interview with a Glycemic Index expert
Interview with an Expert on the Glycemic Index
I was lucky enough to be able to talk to Professor Jennie Brand-Miller from the University of Sydney, who is one of the foremost experts on the Glycemic Index. Jennie and her team are responsible for the testing and rating of carbohydrate foods on the GI scale, a reliable, scientific method of measuring a food’s effect on blood glucose levels.
The success I have had is mainly due to the low GI diet – which is a balanced, nutritious way of eating for everyone, but of particular benefit to anyone who is insulin resistant, as it was initially developed for diabetics. The key is not eliminating carbohydrates completely from the diet (which works, but is difficult to sustain), but rather in making wise choices when it comes to carbohydrates. Continue Reading »
Good carbs, bad carbs, good fats, bad fats
Good fats, bad fats
Most people know that there are different types of fat: saturated fat, monounsaturated fats, polyunsaturated fats, trans fats. Any ideas which ones are the good guys? Which are the worst types? Which ones do we get from animals? Which ones are derived from plants? Which are man-made?
And the most important question of all: Should we be afraid of fat if we are insulin resistant?
As you may have guessed from the title, not all fats are bad. A basic knowledge will help you to make the best choices and the short answer is NO, we should not be afraid of fat! Except for one type: see below.
