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Anyone who knows me, knows that I love me some carbs. I wish that I could live off of variations of mac-n-cheese. Recently because of that fact my dad and my brother are diabetic, and other personal reasons I decided that I needed a push to find some carb alternative foods. The cookbook The Glycemic-Load Diet: A powerful new program for losing weight and reversing insulin resistance
Cookbook description: Dr. Rob Thompson’s eating plan is based on breakthrough science of the glycemic load. Fabulous filling meals that speed up your metabolism, curb your cravings, and improve the way you look and feel. These surprisingly hearty recipes are designed to eliminate the “glucose shocks” that deplete your natural insultin – making it easy for you to lose weight without feeling deprived.
This cookbook is co-written by Dana Carpender (award winning cookbook author) and a medical doctor (preventative cardiologist), Dr. Rob Thompson. I really enjoyed reading the first few chapters of the book which provided health insights directly from Dr. Thompson. Some of my finds from education portion of the cookbook:
- The difference between Glycemic Index and Glycemic Load. “Glycemic index – the older concept. This is a measure of how quickly any given carbohydrate food is absorbed into the bloodstream, which in turn governs how high blood sugar will rise as a result.” Scientists measure the glycemic index in a portion that contains fifty gram of available carbohydrate. “The problem with this is that it bears no resemblance to the amounts of food people typically eat in real life.” He goes onto explain that the glycemic index of carrots is 68 and whole wheat pasta is 53 BUT the amount of carrots you’d need to eat to get to 50 grams is very unlikely as opposed to 1.5 cups of pasta.
- Glycemic Index doesn’t tell us how foods affect people in real life. Instead of using the standard fifty grams of available carbohydrate as a test food, the glycemic load takes into consideration the amounts of food people typically eat.
- The suggested daily (read: healthy) range for glycemic load is under 500. To put that into perspective a bagel is 340 and spinach and broccoli are both zero.
- Suggested food items include: meats, fish, eggs, cheese, nuts, vegetables and fruits.
I am not sharing these insights from the cookbook with the intention of suggesting* how many carbs someone should consume – that is up to you and your health care provider. I just shared these to set the tone for the types of recipes that are contained in this cookbook. The cover says “150 recipes to help you lose weight and reverse insulin resistance” but I’d say the recipes found in this book are great for anyone who is looking for low carb/low starch recipes.
We have tried a few recipes so far and they’ve all been excellent. And of course by “we” I mean, Rory made the recipes and we both ate them. I’m a pretty good taste tester if ya didn’t know. Photos and recipes from the dishes we’ve tried to come in future posts.
Recipes we’ve tried:
- Seared Fish with Ginger-Limed Cucumber Topping
- Seriously Simple Southwestern Sausage Soup
- Hot Tuna Wraps
A few of the recipes I’m looking forward to trying:
- Breakfast Custard
- Salmon and Asparagus Casserole
- Orange-Hazelnut Green Beans
- Tomatoes Stuffed with Curried Tuna Salad
- Cashew Crusted Chicken
- Bass with Sour Cream Roasted Red Pepper Sauce
- Pumpkin Mousse Pie
Here is amazon link you’re interested in getting it. It’s available in paperback and kindle format.
*disclaimer: this post has some information that in medical/health related in nature. The intention of this post is to share my personal insights after reading this cookbook. I am not making any medical claims, because I DO NOT have a medical background. I was not compensated for this review, I bought this cookbook on my own and decided to share.
Actually listening to an Integrative Nutrition module on the Glycemic Load / Zone Diet right now:)