So one day I got the results from some testing I had done, and the results found that I was heading for serious illness if I did not change my lifestyle and eating habits.
Well, the cause of this important and scary news just didn't happen overnight, so I am turning back the clock, to bring some context to this news.
Generally, I have always pretty much eaten what I like to eat. I don't think I have ever been in that place where "I live to eat", rather than "eat to live", but there were periods or stretches where I did not pay attention.
I had a busy 8 to 4 job Monday to Friday, and spent very little time away from desk. About those hours of work...usually worked 7:30 to 6:00 every day, and sometimes took work home in the evening and on weekends. So about that eating, I did not eat breakfast, and when lunchtime came around I would go for a walk and purchase my meal. Sometimes it was a healthy meal and sometimes it was not. Once purchased, back I went to my office, ate my meal and worked. I did this routine for 6 years straight. Now I must admit, I took weeks of vacation, but getting into the 6th year of this routine, I found that when I returned from vacation I was not refreshed, and then one day I just could not cope anymore. I did not know if I was coming or going, everything just seemed overwhelming. On top of this 6 year routine, I turned 50. Well bang, zoom, zip, down I went, k'od. It happened faster than you can say "beet greens" ( what...it's a very healthy food!).
You know that song that starts out "The road is long...with many a winding turn...that leads us to who knows where...", well looking back now, I didn't know I was on that road until I did not stay on it...I was on a road to nowhere. Fortunately, when I was down I made some wise decisions and met with some people who really cared and understood what I was going through, both physically and emotionally. Without their wisdom, I would have multiple now have medical issues...one being Type II diabetes, and likely would not be working. I must mention that I received support from my employer in different ways during this time.
Now back to the "heading for a serious illness"
When you are told that you are at serious risk of medical condition, and I mean one more step and you are there, and you are told that you can prevent it, what would you choose to do? No brainer right?
So how did I get all fixed up? Well, with a reduced workload, some prescribed supplements, and a health diet. I have beaten Diabetes, and a host of other conditions. Just look up "Metabolic Syndrome" or "Syndrome X", and you will start to get it. To tell you the truth, I am terrifyed for a lot of people. I mean you do not have to be obese to get sick like this.
One of the recommendations I received was to check out Rick Gallop's GI Diet. Off I went to the bookstore, yes I buy books and I love them, and I found his book, and a pocket book for shopping. At first it was not easy getting rid of all the unopened food items that weren't on the GI Diet Green list. But once changed it was pretty smooth sailing. I relearned how good food can taste. It has been one year and I can tell you that I am still eating, according Rick Gallop's prescribed approach, a very healthy diet. Yes, sometimes I eat the wrong foods, but I always go back to eating healthy.
Since I started this diet a year ago, there are so many more options available in large supermarkets for healthy cereals and breads, and the lists goes on. Of course summer is the best time to start this diet because the fruits and vegetables choices available are abundant.
About Rick Gallop:
Rick Gallop’s bestselling G.I. Diet was published in 2002 and quickly became the most successful Canadian diet book ever, with more than two million copies sold worldwide. It is currently available in twenty-two countries, in a dozen different languages. Gallop holds a Masters degree from Oxford University and was president and CEO of the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Ontario, Canada
Rick Gallop waged his own personal battle of the bulge, tried countless diets before discovering the Glycemic Index or G.I. and realized he had found the magic bullet that addressed all these issues head on.
Developed by Dr. David Jenkins, a professor of nutrition at the University of Toronto, the G.I. measures the speed at which foods are broken down by the body to form glucose, the body's source of energy. High G.I. foods break down quickly and leave you looking for the next food fix. Low G.I. foods break down more slowly and leave you feeling fuller, longer you can eat less without going hungry. It is these low G.I. foods that form the core of the diet.
The G.I. Diet makes all the calculations for you by listing all foods in three traffic light colour categories: red light foods which you avoid if you want to lose weight; yellow light listings are foods that are to be used occasionally; and green light foods – eat as much as you like.
In short, the G.I. Diet will not let you go hungry or feel deprived. It is so easy to follow. Finally it will not harm your health like many of today's diets, but rather will actually reduce your risk from heart disease, stroke, type II diabetes and many cancers.
YOUR DIET, or ,The Way You Eat...
Are we eating more fat than we did 20 years ago?
Fat is considered a bad word these days, engendering enormous confusion and contradiction. But some fats contain key elements that are crucial to the digestive process.
It's difficult to control the quantity of fat you consume, because your body loves it. Non-fat foods require lots of processing to be transformed into those fat cells around your waist and hips; but fatty foods just slide straight in. Your body expends about 20-25 per cent of the energy it gets from a non-fat food just to process it, and your body hates wasting energy. So it does everything it can to persuade you to eat more fat. That's why fatty foods, such as juicy steaks, chocolate and decadent ice cream, taste so good. But because fat contains twice as many calories per gram as carbohydrates and proteins, we really have to be careful about the amount we eat.
we need to understand how the three key components of any diet - carbohydrates, fats and proteins - work in our digestive system.
Which fats are better for you?
There are four types of fat. Saturated fats, which are found in butter, cheese and meat, as well as coconut and palm oil, which are used in snack foods, are a principal cause of heart disease, because they boost cholesterol, which in turn thickens arteries. Hydrogenated oils - vegetable oils that have been heat-treated to make them thicken - take on the worst characteristics of saturated fats, so avoid them.
Most vegetable oils, such as corn and sunflower, are polyunsaturated fats, which are better for you. But the best fats are mono-unsaturated ones, which are found in olives, peanuts and almonds and olive and rapeseed oils. These have a beneficial effect on cholesterol and are good for your heart. Omega-3 oil, found in deep-sea fish, flax and rapeseed, is good for your heart, too.
Have obesity levels increased thanks to carbohydrates?
Carbohydrates are the primary source of energy for your body. They are found in grains, vegetables, fruit and dairy products. The body converts them into glucose, which dissolves in the bloodstream and is diverted to those parts of the body that use energy, such as muscles and the brain. Carbohydrates are rich in fibre, vitamins and minerals, including antioxidants.
For years, we've been advised to eat a low-fat, high-carbohydrate diet, and grains form the basis of government nutritional guidelines. Unfortunately, it has encouraged us to rely too much on them.
So how can you lose weight?
Grain is highly processed nowadays. The more a food is processed, the less processing your body has to do to digest it. The quicker you digest your food, the sooner you are hungry again, and the more you tend to eat. In order to lose weight, you need to slow down the digestive process by eating "slow-release foods".
Which are the 'slow-release' foods?
These are high in fibre, which fills up your stomach and takes longer to break down than other food components do. This leaves you feeling fuller for longer. There are two types of fibre: soluble, which is found in oatmeal, beans, barley and citrus fruits, and has been shown to lower cholesterol levels; and insoluble, which is important for normal bowel function, and is found in whole wheat breads and cereals and most vegetables.
What is the glycemic index?
The second tool in identifying "slow-release" foods is the glycemic index, which measures the speed at which you digest food and convert it to glucose. The faster the food breaks down, the higher the rating on the index, which sets sugar (glucose) at 100 and scores all foods against it. Have you ever eaten a large Chinese meal, with noodles and rice, only to feel hungry again an hour later? That's because your body rapidly converted the rice and noodles, high-GI foods, to glucose, which prompted your pancreas to release insulin. The insulin reduces the level of glucose in your bloodstream, by diverting it into various body tissues for immediate use or by storing it as fat, and inhibits the conversion of body fat back into glucose for the body to burn. Low-GI, low-calorie foods make you feel full for longer time, so you are inclined to eat less.
What is the role of protein?
One half of your dry body weight is protein, i.e., your muscles, organs, skin and hair. Protein is needed to build and repair body tissue, and it figures in most metabolic reactions. It is better than carbohydrates or fat at keeping you alert and feeling full. Choose low-fat proteins: lean or low-fat meats that have been trimmed of visible fat, skinless poultry, fish, low-fat dairy products, beans, omega-3 eggs, tofu and soy or whey protein powder.
It is vital to spread your daily allowance of protein across all your meals: it is a critical brain food, providing amino acids for the neurotransmitters that relay messages to the brain.
What ratio of carbohydrates, fat and protein should you consume?
Ultimately, all food is a source of body energy, and energy is measured in calories. The average adult uses between 1,500 and 3,000 calories a day, depending upon the level of activity, rate of metabolism and body weight. For decades, people have been advised to get 55 per cent of their calories from carbohydrates, 30 per cent from fats and 15 per cent from protein. Instead, get 55 per cent from carbohydrates, but eat less fat (21 per cent of your calorie intake) and more protein (24 per cent).
GI Diet Shopping & Eating Out Pocket Guide
The Shopping Guide Book
What a great little book by Rick Gallop. What we buy when shopping and eating out can be the downfall of an otherwise successful diet. Here we have an on the spot pocket guide to foods while shopping and eating out, with the easy-to-use traffic light system of GI so making the right diet food choices couldn’t be easier.
Eating Out
Again we get realistic ways to choose the GI diet friendly food from the menu. Practical ways to make a better GI choice, like asking for extra veg instead of potatoes with your meal. Plus green, yellow and red GI diet foods for eating out.
Fast Food
You’ll be pleased to know fast food is also covered in this pocket sized must have for the GI dieter. Green diet foods for the likes of McDonalds and Subway are given here and more helpful suggestions on making lunch on the go GI.
Yippie - a sample "green light" recipe.
APPLE BRAN MUFFINS
Ingredients:
3/4 cup All-Bran cereal
1 cup skim milk
2/3 cup whole wheat flour
Sweetener - equivalent to 1/3 cup sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp allspice
1/2 tsp cloves
1 1/2 cups oat bran
2/3 cup raisins
1 large apple peeled and cut into 1/4 inch cubes
1 low-cholesterol (omega-3) egg, lightly beaten
2 tsp vegetable oil
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
1. Mix the All-Bran and skim milk in a bowl and let stand for a few minutes.
2. In a large bowl, mix the flour, sweetener, baking powder, baking soda, salt and spices. Stir in the oat bran, raisins and apple.
3. In a small bowl, combine the egg, vegetable oil and applesauce. Stir, along with the All-Bran mixture, into the dry ingredients. Keep stirring until it is well mixed...it may seem dry but will not be when baked.
4. Spoon the mixture into an oil-sprayed 12-muffin tray. Bake at 350F for 20 minutes, or, until lightly browned.
Source: The Glycemic Index Diet
Rick Gallop ©2002
Random House Canada
