Paul: “I used to be starving just before mealtimes and so ended up overeating a lot. Since I started having snacks between meals even when I wasn’t hungry, I no longer feel ravenous at meal-times.”
Wise, planned snacks can be part of a balanced eating plan, whether you’re slimming or not. With GiP eating, low glycaemic snacks can be your best friends, as they help you to keep blood sugar steady in between meals.
What’s more, they can positively help you watch that waistline, since a feeling of fullness means you’re less likely to raid the fridge as soon as you drop your briefcase in the hallway. Good snacking means having a healthy relationship with all foods.
The Gi Plan actually forces you to have snacks. The book has a whole chapter devoted to snacks, but here are some examples of low-GiP alternative snacks.
| Eat this | Instead of | Save |
|---|---|---|
| 2 Oatcakes | 2 Rice cakes | 3.5 GiPs |
| Walnut halves (half a dozen) | Pretzels | 3 GiPs |
| 2 Cream crackers | 2 Water biscuits | 4.5 GiPs |
| Roasted peanuts 25g (half-pack) | Crisps (small packet 25g) | 3.5 GiPs |
| Chocolate chip Muffin, American style | Ring Doughnut | 2.5 GiPs |
| Fun size Snickers bar (19g) | Milk chocolate (4 square pieces) | 4 GiPs |
| 1 Pitta bread | 1 Baguette (individual) | 4 GiPs |
The Gi Plan is about enjoyment of food, and being mindful of what you’re eating. So, at a glance you can see from the above that 2 cream crackers “cost” you more GiPs than 2 oatcakes, so this might nudge you in the right direction – the oatcakes will be more slowly digested. What you also need to be aware of, however, is that certain foods may be lower in GiPs (take the muffin for example) but that doesn’t mean they’re necessarily a healthy food! Incidentally, the chocolate in this muffin helps to lower the GI, and the jam in the doughnut raises it; hence the swap idea.
The Comfort Cushion
Food only fills a physical hole, not an emotional need. If you become more aware of the underlying feeling that causes you to overeat, you are more able to make some changes by doing something different. You can regain control and experiment with new and healthier ways to meet this same need.
You may wish to keep a daily Food and Mood Diary (sample in the book) that will highlight the emotional need that causes you to reach for certain snacks, for example, boredom, stress, comfort, security or any other challenging feelings that you are striving to manage.
Remind yourself. ‘What would have to happen, that is within my control, for this need to be met in a healthy and functional way?’ Before you reach for solace in that ‘naughty but nice food’, remind yourself if choosing this is taking you nearer to the ‘new’ you and if it isn’t, choose again!
Taken from the best-selling Gi Plan by Azmina Govindji & Nina Puddefoot
