cutting carbs without weight loss

My mom's glucose level is 120 (normal is 110), she's not overweight but she wants to bring it down to normal level.


How can she maintain her weight (well, actually gain 5 more pounds) without sabotaging her carb and cholesterol level? BTW, the kitchen is not her favorite part of the house..

She might want to check out low GI foods. The Glycemic Index ranks foods by the impact on blood glucose levels - for example glucose is 100, cherries would be 24. Sticking to foods which are lower on the index (below 55) will help.


Yes, it can help with weight loss but it's really about good health and balancing one's blood glucose levels.


Here is a link to the definitive website on the subject. It includes a database plus books (which have recipes) by the leading researcher on the subject, a lovely lady called Jennie Brand-Miller.


BTW, it's not a fad diet by someone out to make money. The website belongs to - and researcher is with - the University of Sydney. It is based on science and research.


http://www.glycemicindex.com/

Thanks Claire. Will check it out.


I've visited several websites that feature low-carb food choices and there are some contradicting information. For example, in one website, grapefruit is considered high in sugar, but recommended in another.


What is the difference between pumpkin and squash?

I don't know about low-carb diets so I can't comment.


On the GI scale, a grapefruit is 25, which is low so will have a low impact on blood sugar levels.


Using the GI is not about eating fewer carbs, it's about eating carbs which has a lower impact on blood sugar levels. So eating lots of grapefruit will not raise the levels, just don't sprinkle it with sugar.


A pumpkin is a type of squash, one of several.

As you can see, it can get confusing. These are from Jennie's GI newsletter:


I’m confused. What’s the difference between GI and GL? Should I use GI or GL and does it really matter?


Your blood glucose rises and falls when you eat a food or meal containing carbohydrate. How high it rises and how long it remains high depends on the quality of the carbohydrate (its glycemic index value or GI) as well as the quantity of carbohydrate in your meal. Researchers at Harvard University came up with a term that combines these two factors—glycemic load (GL). Some people think that GL should be used instead of GI when comparing foods because it reflects the glycemic impact of both the quantity and quality of carbohydrate in a food. But more often than not, it’s low GI not low GL that predicts good health outcomes. So which one should you use?


We are often asked this question. Our advice is to stick with the GI rather than GL—the reason being that following the low glycemic load (GL) route can lead you straight to a low carb diet: ie fatty meats and butter, for example have a low GL. .

But if you eat plenty of low GI foods, you’ll find that you are automatically reducing the GL of your diet and at the same time you’ll feel fuller for longer with these satisfying carbohydrate-containing foods, as well as improve many health parameters.


We also emphasise that there’s no need to get overly technical about this. Think of the GI as a tool allowing you to choose one food over another in the same food group—the best bread to choose, the best cereal to choose etc.—and don’t get bogged down with figures. A low GI diet is about eating a wide variety of healthy foods that fuel our bodies best—on the whole these are the less processed and wholesome foods that will provide carbs in a slow release form.


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What should the daily glycemic load be held below for a diabetic?

As we said in November GI News, we recommend you use the GI, rather than GL so we don’t suggest a GL number to shoot for. This is because a low GL diet can either be low GI and high in carbohydrates; or high GI and low in carbohydrates, and have similar effects on blood glucose levels, but significantly different effects on blood fats and insulin sensitivity. Emphasis on GL could easily lead to an unhealthy diet based on too few carbs. If you concentrate on foods/meals with a low GL, you could well end up eating a diet that is too low in carbs and too high in saturated fat. Fatty meats like salami and bacon and cheese after all have a low GL. If you choose healthy low GI foods – at least one at each meal – chances are you’re eating a diet that not only keeps blood glucose within the healthy range, but contains balanced amounts of carbohydrates, fats and proteins.


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For someone starting out, following a low GI diet might be the way to go.

http://ginews.blogspot.com/2005/08/food-for-thought.html


BTW, I noticed the 360 and Citysuper have had a few Michel Montignac (low GI) products their the shelves. The toast mentioned it has a GI of 44.

Thanks Claire and Pumpkin.


She's visiting soon and I want to prepare healthy food that will help normalize her glucose level. She's technically not diabetic yet, and her reading for the past 2 months were at 105, well within the limits for normal.


Bought a Women's Weekly low-carb cookbook at Taste yesterday and it gave me plenty of ideas (for our meals too). Would appreciate other helpful links/reads.

Sent you a PM Pumpkin