The purpose of this article is to state the reasons why a Low GI Diet should be considered for you and your family. I should point out that I’m not a GI zealot. Or a zealot of any nutritional point of view. I hope that this shows.

The main reason I support a Low GI Diet is that it is largely supported by most knowledgeable nutritional and diet experts. It also stands up to everyday practicality.

The Case For A Low GI Diet…in no particular order.

1. Low GI, healthy foods release their energy slower and steadier than moderate and high GI foods. Actually Low GI unhealthy foods do as well but we’ll get onto why Low GI doesn’t always mean a healthy option.
   • You’ll notice less slumps, especially the infamous mid-morning and mid afternoon ones.
2. Low GI diet can keep you feeling fuller for longer. The main benefits of this are:
   • less snacking
   • less cravings
3. Low GI Diet products and foods are everywhere. It just takes a little awareness and suddenly the supermarket or grocery aisle becomes full of options. Not all low GI foods are marked as such. A short selection is below. The idea is to demonstrate just how ‘everyday’ a low GI diet is.

Low GI Diet must-haves

• Low GI breakfast with nuts, seeds and grains
• Oats e.g. porridge or natural muesli
• Multi-grain bread
• Pasta
• Low-fat milk and yoghurt
• Most fruit
• Sweet corn
• Sweet potato
• Legumes

Not all Low GI diet foods are created equal.

And not all low GI foods are healthy foods. At first I thought low GI diet also meant low or no sugar. Wrong. In fact, there are some low GI products with loads of sugar. So be wary of these and check the nutritional panel and ingredient list.

Enjoy!

There are many moods of breakfast. Sometimes I crave all natural cereals, sometimes sugary cereals, sometimes high fibre ones and sometimes just plain old wheat-bix.

(There’s never a time that I don’t eat breakfast. Not from a virtuous ‘the most important meal of the day’ mind, more that, like I said, I love breakfast cereals).

So, I’ve listed the best breakfast cereals by category.

1. Best for kids: Weetbix or any whole gain wheat biscuit type cereal. Kids can burn the carbs off in minutes. They’re cheap, easy to eat, easy to add fruit and stuff to and filling. Many active sportsmen claim to eat as many as nine each morning.
2. Best for weightloss or weight management. Anything low GI. Forget low fat. Most of these are high in sugar. Sugar is the weight losers enemy. Actually, with the amount of sugar we consume, it’s all of our enemy. A nutritionally well-balanced low GI breakfast cereal will keep you feeling fuller for longer so lessening the urge to snack.
   

   Best for weight loss? Low GI breakfast cereal.

3. Best for sugary hit. Take your pick. For mine it’s Crunch Nut Cornflakes. Just the other evening I was talking to a friend about our secret cereal fetishes and lo and behold the next morning the honey covered cornflake delights were on the table. My wife had bought some for a kids’ treat. More lo and beholding as I chowed through three bowls of the stuff. Fun while it lasted but regretted it the whole day.
4. Best breakfast recipes using cereals. I’m a serial cereal mixer. If you’re in a sugary mood, offset it by mixing the madness with some healthy breakfast cereal, especially anything low GI and high fibre and protein.
   For extra healthy breakfast, mix your healthiest cereals with some soy grits or protein. They don’t taste too bad but need to be part of a mix.
   A fresh breakfast recipe is to add some grated green apple to your cereal. Actually any fruit in season is a good idea. They add flavour, freshness and fibre.

Enjoy!

Breakfast cereal is good. Right?

For some reason most of us think cereals and especially muesli are good for us and our family. Of course, there are the obvious examples but surely grains and milk are are a healthy way to start the day.

If only it were so.

Are your kids eating a bowl of sugar?

Eating a healthy breakfast or a bowl of sugar?

Take 2 minutes and check the levels of sugar in the cereals your kids are eating. Go on, I’ll wait.

Surprising isn’t it?!?

Even the so-called ‘healthy’, ‘whole grain’, ‘all natural’, ‘real fruit pieces’ claims can mask sugar levels of 25%. And more.

Healthy foods aren’t always healthy I’m afraid.

The good news of breakfast cereal.

The good news is there are a few really healthy breakfast cereals on the market.

The first place to look is not the the front of the pack. That’s where all the marketing hype is. Go straight to the back. Check out the nutritional panel. There’s no hype there. Just facts.

DIY breakfast ideas

If you can’t find something healthy and low in sugar, it’s pretty easy (and cheap) to make you’re own. Plus, you can tailor it to suit your tastes.

Try nuts like:

• almond flakes
• hazelnuts
• linseed
• walnuts

Seeds like:

• sunflower
• pepitas
• sesame

Grains (whole) like:

• Oats
• Puffed wheat

Fruit (fresh is best)

• Whatever’s in season
• Kids favourites
• Berries
• Green apples, sliced or grated

Develop your own breakfast recipes. Share them with friends.

Maybe one day they’ll be so popular you can market them.

Enjoy!

We often place breakfast cereal in the ‘healthy’, ‘good for me’ category. It must be to do with the ingredients – grains, dried fruit and the milk we add. I wish it was so simple.

Are you eating a healthy breakfast cereal or a bowl of sugar?

More and more we’re becoming aware of just how much sugar many cereals contain. The sugar is either naturally occurring in the ingredients or added. (Nevermind the sugar we add ourselves either through table sugar, honey, chocolate, fruit etc).

Naturally occurring sugar is fine. Up to a point. If a cereal contains dried fruit, as many do, they actual sugar level can be as high as 25%.

Added sugar is far worse. Check the contents of the cereal you’re eating. If it states ’sugar’ high on the ingredients list then you could be starting your day effectively with a bowl of the stuff. Not a good start to the day.

The nutritional panel doesn’t lie.

If you’re trying to reduce the amount of sugar you consume (and that is probably most of us), then the first place you should look is on the back of the pack. Even on so-called ‘healthy’ mueslis you might be shocked and awed by the amount of sugar.

Low sugar (and by ‘low’ I mean under 5%) cereals do exist.

It’s just takes some detective work. What’s especially hard is finding a low sugar breakfast cereal that actually tastes good. (We can’t escape from the fact that sugar makes things taste great). But they do exist.

Your own breakfast cereal.

In the meantime you may have to create your own breakfast recipes. If you do, try brans, nuts and seeds. Rolled oats are good but I find them boring. In any case, the best breakfast ideas include a balance of carbs, protein and fibre. And another thing, go for whole grains.

Far easier than making your own is to find a cereal with taste and without sugar. My advice is to start Googling.

The goal of a low GI (food low on the Glycemic Index) meal is to allow the release of glucose slowly and steadily into the bloodstream, without overstimulating the pancreas to produce too much insulin. In other words, keeping the ’safety catch’ on the insulin trigger.

A low GI meal is wonderful for our bodies, but there is still a need to observe the fine print of the food we eat. For example, the amount of sugar (yes, some low GI food may contain large quantities of added or naturally occurring sugar. Always check the nutritional panel).

Some people say it’s a waste of money buying an expensive German car – all they care about is going from “A to B” safely. This is fine. But, the analogy doesn’t hold true when it comes to your meals. Quality ingredients produce nutritional food of a higher value than the rest. It’s as simple as that.

Each ingredient is there to either add nutritional value or bulk up the product and reduce the cost. You might notice this, for example, in cereal products that include dried fruit or rolled oats in the box.

Look for products with minimal processing like seed and nut mixes, fresh fruit and vegetables. The closer they are to nature the better the nutritional value.

Easy GI

It’s surprising to many just how easy it is to go low GI. For example, did you know, watermelon is the only fruit high on the glycemic index? So fruit’s in.

Vegetables, especially greens like broccoli, are ideal for a low GI diet. Just don’t smother them in high fat or high sugar condiments.

Whole grains are the low GI way to go for breads, rice and pastas.

Enjoy!

Now, with all the information available about what’s in many cereals I’ve changed my mind. I also think many others have changed theirs as well.

Nothing good ever comes out of a box.

I once heard this from a nutritionist friend when we were chatting about cereals. (Yes, I actually do chat about cereals).

And when you look a bit closer at what’s in most breakfast cereals you’ll probably agree. It’s too easy to point the finger at the obvious culprits – the mass-produced kid-friendly cereals, especially the chocolate based ones. We know these are nutritionally poor. But what about the so-called healthy cereals?

Many of these healthy cereals point to the fruits included in their ingredients as if that’s evidence of their goodness. What they don’t highlight (but it’s there on the nutritional panel) is the surge in sugar levels from dried fruit.

Don’t get me wrong, fruit is vital everyday food. But the better option is fresh fruit added to your cereal. It’ll taste better and give you far more nutrition, especially fibre.

The most important part of any cereal – the nutritional panel.

Have you noticed when you’re considering a new product you immediately turn it over to check-out the nutritional panel? I know I do. Without really thinking about it.

I guess the reason is that it just feels more credible than other claims made on-pack. The nutritional panel and ingredient list seems like a government requirement to manufacturers and wrong information would be punishable – which, in fact, it is.

Ticking the cereal boxes

So what should we look for in the nutritional information? Of course, it depends on what you’re looking for, for example weight-loss, low GI, organic or just an all-round healthy start to the day.

For me, the best breakfast cereals have to tick all the boxes: natural ingredients, low carb (say, under 50%), high protein, high fibre, low salt, no additives and, most of all, low sugar.

Sugar is the enemy of a healthy breakfast.

Starting your day with a hefty dose of refined, processed sugar like what is found in many cereals, is not a good start. Tasty, sure, but the honeymoon is soon over when the sugar-high wears off and your energy levels dip. Not to mention the 10.30am hunger pains.

Wean yourself off the sugar by mixing some low sugar cereal with your regular cereal. Gradually, over a week or so, increase the level of the low sugar cereal and you’ll notice your body get used to (and appreciate) the goodness of a healthy, low sugar cereal.

Enjoy!

Now, more than ever, low glycemic breakfast cereal options are available for you on every local supermarket corner. Exactly why are low GI cereals so ideal and how do they benefit your health in the first place?

A low GI or glycemic index count in your cereal is a mark of good health for you in the morning. Low GI cereals mean your body processes the carbohydrates slower than high GI foods. That, in turn, means a slower release of energy and a feeling of fullness for longer. All in all low GI cereals are better for you in the short and long term.

High fiber cereals tend to be low GI cereals and a lot of organic and natural cereals offer a low GI count. Kashi go-lean is a great example of a low GI cereal that has gained a lot of popularity recently. Kashi is known for making organic and healthy items that contain no unneeded additives. And there are plenty of other low GI cereals available. Just go to the natural or organic section of your local grocery or superstore and you will find a range of low GI cereal options.

However you do not have to totally give up your old favorite. Some ways to wean yourself off your old sugary, carby cereal is to mix it up with a low GI cereal, or have a bowl with a lot of fruit and nuts in it so you are getting just as full but not getting so much of that negative stuff. Try lots of slim milk and adding your low GI cereal first then add a handful of high GI cereal mixed in with some nice, natural blueberries and prepare yourself for a yummy treat.

Another options is to forgo both high and low GI cereals all together on some days and go with fruit and whole grain pancakes or a breakfast burrito for breakfast. Meatless breakfast items usually have a low GI and there are many varieties focused on those with diabetes that provide a delicious low GI breakfast without sacrificing taste. Variety and eating other foods like low GI cereals can bring back some spice into your breakfast – without all those empty sugar calories.

HIGHER GI

Corn Flakes, no particular brand

White rice

White bread

Rice Cakes

Ice Cream

French fries

LOW GI

SuperStart with low fat milk

Brown rice

Soy and linseed wholemeal bread

Nuts and seed muesli bar

Yoghurt

Sweet potato

Word of warning – not all GI foods are created equal
Some low GI foods are high in sugar and of poor nutritional value. That’s the trick for young players. Unlike some other low GI foods, SuperStart is highly nutritious. The high quality, natural ingredients deliver a wealth of lipids, amino acids, vitamins and minerals. And, there’s just 2.1% sugar, all occurring naturally in the ingredients.

Buy 6 packs and save
$8.95 per bag for 6 or more 400g packs.
That’s just $1.28 per 50g serve (including delivery). Plus, think of the money you’ll save by snacking less.

One low delivery price Australia-wide. And we take international orders.

Sincerely,

Justin Smidmore

The Metabolic Food Company

PS. KickStart your busy day with super low GI SuperStart breakfast cereal.

The biggest, most brilliant idea is to actually have breakfast. Maybe not a big idea to you but many people skip the most important meal of the day.

The only thing you should skip in the morning are diets that don’t fill you up with natural, healthy, sustaining foods. There is one more thing you should skip (no, not a rope) and that is high carb, sugary, fortified cereals. You know, the ones that taste great and give you a surge of energy (a surge of sugar more like) but leave you hungry and lacking zest by mid-morning.

Breakfast – make a meal of it

That’s right. A delicious, natural, filling meal you crave every morning. Fuel up on healthy foods and you’ll be amazed how you can push through “hunger o’clock”, that is, 11am.

Make Low GI Breakfast Cereal high on your list

Most simply, low GI foods release their energy slower than medium or high GI foods. That means a longer feeling of energy and hunger satisfaction. And that means they keep you going for longer.

Breakfast Ideas

Traditional egg breakfast – why not?!? Eggs fill you up with protein. Poach them to avoid adding oil to you day. Add some wholegrain toast (no butter, you don’t need it with egg) and herbal tea. And go.

Liquid Breakfast – blend a banana, seasonal berries and low fat yoghurt with low fat milk: cow, soy or oat, bran and some healthy muesli. A meal in a cup.

Enjoy!