Glycemic ... WHAT?!!

How many of us have dreaded carbohydrates? How many times have we heard the typical phrase "eating bread makes you fat" or "As soon as I cut out bread, I lost 5 Kg"?

Bread, tortillas, rice, pasta, dairy, fruits and vegetables are foods that contain carbohydrates to a greater or lesser extent. The brain and many vital organs need glucose to function, so completely cutting out carbs will never be a healthy way to lose weight.

There are 2 types of carbohydrates:

Simple, as refined sugar, white flour, polished rice and white bread. These carbohydrates can be easily absorbed, so that they rapidly rise our blood glucose.

Complex, which are contained in vegetables, dairy, whole grains/flours and fruits. These carbohydrates contain starch and fiber that are absorbed more slowly, keeping our blood sugar levels more stable.

Carbohydrates and proteins provide the same amount of energy per gram (4kcal), however, carbohydrates have the quality to become fat in our body, so they have become infamous for "fattening".

Not all carbohydrates have the same effect in our health.  Choosing those that are the most beneficial can help us lose weight, recover from a workout, reduce the risk of heart disease, diabetes and even some cancers.

A simple way to "grade" carbohydrates we eat is called the Glycemic Index (GI) method:

This index measures how much 50g of food increases our glucose (sugar) level. Foods with high GI increase our glucose very quickly, so we will need a lot of insulin to absorb them. By contrast, a low GI food will raise glucose to a lesser extent, which will keep us from being hungry longer and save insulin.

This index is starting to be included on food labels, but you will probably not find it in most of the products you buy in the supermarket.

I'll give you some tips to choose low GI foods:

• Choose foods with fiber or starches (unpeeled fruit, vegetables and whole grains)
• Choose foods that are prepared with vegetable fats such as olive oil or canola oil. Foods containing fat have a lower GI, since fat takes more time to be digested.
• The next time you go to the supermarket remember this: The more fat and /or fiber the lower GI.
• It is important to remember that the final preparation of food will define the final GI, so I recommend that when you get home, try to combine high GI foods with a little fat.  For example: if you prepare pasta, add a little olive oil or protein (meat or cheese) to the recipe.  If you eat cereal with milk, add some nuts to it.

I hope that with this information you feel more confident when choosing your foods and recipes.

If you are interested in the GI of foods, click HERE

And for a list f GI in food click HERE

Do not forget to LOG OUT these VACATIONS

A small reminder:

Healthy tip: Try to choose BIG fruits like watermelon, melon, orange or papaya. These contain more water, fiber and less calories.

Go on VACATION without fearing WEIGHT GAIN.

 Does the thought of taking a vacation remind you of snacks, soft drinks, alcohol, food and losing control of your weight? Do you predispose yourself to gain the weight you lost this last period?

Don’t freak out! This time I'll give some tips for you to go on vacation without guilt when eating and enjoying the most without gaining weight:

• Try to prepare healthy snacks with fruits, vegetables and healthy dressings.
• If you want to avoid small eating all day, choose the snacks that you like, put them on a plate and eat only that amount.
• Always choose snacks that contain vegetables and have a fat-free dressing.
• Choose fat-free dressings such as vinegar, chili powder, lemon, soy sauce or Worcestershire sauce.
• If you know you're going out for dinner at a restaurant, try to have a very light lunch.
• Do not skip meals, try to eat at least 3 times a day, even a little.
• If you like alcohol, choose low calorie beverages such as wine and beer. Drinks with more degrees of alcohol like vodka, tequila and rum have much more calories.
• If you drink beverages containing soda, use those that don’t contain sugar.
• Whenever you can, drink natural water and add sliced fruit like watermelon, strawberry, kiwi, lemon, tangerine or orange to give it a little taste. You can add some Stevia to achieve the sweetness you want.
• Try taking a walk a day, at least 30 minutes and preferably after eating.
• Choose to be active this holiday, climb stairs, play with your children, do group sports, and go for a walk with your family.
• Relax and sleep.

Remember that holidays are to recover and take new energy.  If you go up a few extra pounds, that is no reason not to enjoy your family.  You will eventually come back home and start your healthy routines.

"There is only one life, sizes are many" M. Godoy

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

Food allergies... can I help my children?

This time we have invited an expert in nutrition in children, Betzabé Salgado, with more than 10 years of experience working in the Mexican Children’s Hospital.  She will explain us what a food allergy is and how to help our children to cope with them.

Food allergies are caused when the immune system reacts to certain proteins found in our diet.  Symptoms go from skin dermatitis to asphyxia (anaphylaxis).

The diagnosis of a food allergy should be done by a specialist to determine which food is to be removed from the child's diet.  

If we remove the food that causes the allergy, we can erase the immune system’s “memory” for that protein and decrease the symptoms until the child returns to normal.

Some of the food that can cause allergic reactions are:

Cow's milk

Egg

Fish

Seafood

Nuts: almonds, hazelnuts, peanuts.

Wheat

Fruits: melon, kiwi, strawberry, watermelon.

The treatment for children with a food allergy depends on the stage of life in which they are.

In children under 6 months it is recommended to continue breastfeeding at least until they turn 1 year old.  No artificial formula offers the benefits of breastfeeding for allergic children.  The mother should take a diet that eliminates certain food such as cow's milk protein, which will improve the baby’s dermatitis.

If their gastrointestinal or respiratory symptoms do not improve, there are special milk formulas with pre-digested (hydrolyzed) milk protein to be prescribed by a specialist (gastroenterologist and nutritionist).

The beginning of solid food in these children should be between 4 and 6 months of age.  As long as it is scheduled and has the supervision of the parents and pediatrician it will be successful.

Nutritional care should be a daily task so we recommend:

• Having a proper diet, complete and balanced, with a list of foods that your child should not eat, and knowing the ingredients of everything you buy.
• Scheduling the feeding of your children which will decrease the risk of giving them allergenic food.
• Make a list of new recipes, change the ingredients for healthy food for your child.
• Talk to other families with children suffering from food allergies and search for specialty food stores.

If you need more information write to: betzasalg@hotmail.com

See you next week!

Lower your blood pressure without medication.

And we continue with hypertension...

In the late 90's, several scientific studies known as the DASH study (Dietary Approach to Stop Hypertension), evaluated the effect of nutrients in blood pressure. 

According to what they found, they designed a diet for people suffering from hypertension or at risk of presenting it.  This diet was so effective as to reduce blood pressure values without drugs.

The DASH diet is a diet plan that includes several servings of certain beneficial foods (fruits, vegetables, low fat dairy, whole grains, fish, poultry and nuts) and few servings of red meat, sweets and sugary drinks. 

This plan is rich in magnesium, potassium and calcium as well as protein and fiber.

Here we give you the basic tips to get started:

• Remove the salt shaker from the table.
• Increase consumption of cereals, bread or pasta with whole fiber (grains).
• Decrease caffeine, try to use decaffeinated products.
• Increase consumption of vegetables and fruits.
• Choose low-fat dairy products or fat free.
• Use natural seasonings, such as pepper, onion, garlic and even herbs.
• Do not use dressings like mayonnaise or cream, as well as conservatives, these products will make you increase weight, and will only worsen your hypertension.
• Limit consumption of meats (such as bacon and ham), pickled foods (such as cucumber, vegetables, olives, cabbage) and condiments (salad dressings, mustard, ketchup and soy sauce).
• Read food labels and try to choose food that contains less than 5% of the daily recommendation of sodium.
• Decrease consumption of sugary foods like soda, candy, ice cream, etc.
• Drink 2 liters of water a day.

For best results, these recommendations should be combined with physical activity, to strengthen your heart. This will help to decrease the force exerted by blood in your arteries and in turn reduce your blood pressure.

This diet is healthy so it can also be adopted by healthy people with no risk, and many benefits!

For more information:  DASH diet