Actually, one rule will do: Lower each meal’s overall score on the glycemic index (GI) - an indication of how quickly a meal drivers up your blood sugar - and you’ll feel full longer. The index ranks foods against glucose, a sugar that scores 100. Under 50 is considered low; 50 to 70 is medium; over 70 is high. An easy-to read guide to scores is Pocket Guide to the GI Factor - Top 100 Low GI Foods by Jennie BrandMiller and Kaye FosterPowell.
BE WARY OF WHITE
Such as white bread (73), bagels (72), crossants (67), doughnuts (76) - just about anything made with white refined flour. Also troublesome are white veggles and grains such as instant rice (72), baguettes (95), potatochips (75), baked potatoes (85). New potatoes (57) are a better choice.
there are exceptions to the white rule, including dairy products (40 or less), and most pasta (40 to 50).
EAT HEALTHY FAT
Cook with olive and canola oil, snack on nuts, and make sandwiches with cheese, peanut butter or avocados. Also good is lean protein such as beans, fish, chicken, and lean buts of beef. All of these score low.
EAT FIBRE
That means whole-grain breads (53), long-grain or brown rice (55), vegetables (most score low), fruit, and unsweetened fruit juices. Beware, some dried fruits, such as dates (103), have a high GI.
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FOOD FOR MEN
1. Tomato Sauce
Men who eat a lot of tomatoes, tomato sauce or pizza smothered with the stuff may be giving themselves a hedge against prostate cancer. So say researchers at Harvard University, who studied the eating habits of more than 47,000 male health professionals. They found that men who ate tomato sauce two or four times per week had a 35 per cent lower risk of developing prostate cancer than men who ate none. A carotenoid called lycopene, which tomatoes contain in abundance, appeared to be responsible. But scientists were puzzled: tomato juice didn’t seem to have a protective effect. Other research showed why. For best absorption, lycopene should be cooked with some kind of fat. So pizza may be just what the doctor ordered.
2. Oysters
Myth has it that oysters are the food of love. Science may agree. Just two to three oysters deliver a full day’s supply of zinc, a mineral critical for normal functioning of the male reproductive system. Scientists are divided over reports that sperm counts have declined over the last 50 years and that environmental factors are to blame. Nutritional deficiencies do seem to be the cause of certain cases of low testoterone. Getting adequate zinc is sometimes the answer (up to 15 milligrams per day is recomended for men; more than 40 milligrams can pose risks). In on trial 22 men with low testoterone levels and sperm counts were given zinc every day for 45 to 50 days. Testoterone levels and sperm counts rose.
3. Broccoli
A recent Harvard study find that cruciferous vegetables, like broccoli, may protect against bladder cancer, which is common among Asian men. Scientists analysed the diets of nearly 50,000 men and discovered that those who are five servings or more per week of crucifeous veggies were half as likely to develop bladder cancer over a ten-year period as men who rarely ate them. And broccoli and cabbage were singled out as the most protective foods.
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Actually, one rule will do: Lower each meal’s overall score on the glycemic index (GI) - an indication of how quickly a meal drivers up your blood sugar - and you’ll feel full longer. The index ranks foods against glucose, a sugar that scores 100. Under 50 is considered low; 50 to 70 is medium; over 70 is high. An easy-to read guide to scores is Pocket Guide to the GI Factor - Top 100 Low GI Foods by Jennie BrandMiller and Kaye FosterPowell.
