What to eat on a low GL diet

The previous article gave some background on the benefits of a low GL diet. Today we are taking a look at how to actually put it into practice.

Here are some of the basic rules and guidelines to stick to when embarking on a low GL diet. Read the lists below a few times until you start to get a sense for which foods are high GL and which are low. Ideally, you want this to become second nature so you don’t have to waste time checking ingredients at each mealtime.

Your Daily Allowance

Each day, you should aim to get between 35 - 45 GLs, which includes both food and drinks. There is no strict rule for how you break this down, your lifestyle may dictate this, but here is a general guideline:

Breakfast: 10 GLs
Lunch: 10 GLs
Dinner: 10 GLs
Drinks and Snacks: up to 15 GLs across the day.

Drinking for low GL

Avoid alcohol wherever possible. Try to stick to a maximum of 5 glasses of wine, or 2-3 pints of beer per week. If you find that it is too difficult to achieve this, remember that any reduction at all is an improvement and will have benefits, so don’t become disheartened.
Limit or avoid caffeine. Try to stick to a maximum of 1 cup of tea or coffee each day and completely cut out any fizzy caffeinated drinks.
Aim to drink 8 glasses of water per day, or more if you are exercising. This can include any non-caffeinated herbal teas.

Eating for low GL

Avoid sugar, sugary foods and any food containing fast-releasing carbohydrates. These are foods that will receive a GL rating of 10 or above, per serving.
Avoid trans-fats. Healthy fats are essential for our bodies to function properly, but those found in processed vegetable oils and the hydrogenated fats found in sausage, fried food and other junk food are harmful and should be avoided.
Aim to include low GL carbohydrates with a portion of protein at each meal. The protein will actually reduce the glycaemic load of the carbs even further.
Include whole, unprocessed foods that are high in soluble fibre, such as oats, beans and lentils.
Include plenty of healthy fats in your diet. It is now a well-established fact that fat does not make you fat and conversely, low fat does not assist in weight-loss. In fact, fat is an essential part of a healthy diet. Take a look at this article to learn more about the role that fat plays in the body. Foods such as avocado, olives, seeds and fish are all wonderful sources of healthy fat. Include a good amount of these and your body will stop craving the trans-fats that can be so damaging to your health.

GL food checklist

Here are some guidelines for the GL content of various food categories. You can begin to get an idea of which foods you can fill up on and which must be eaten in moderation.

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