Jackie Miao

A few months ago I began reading the New York Times bestseller The New Glucose Revolution: The Authoritative Guide to the Glycemic Index and found some of the concepts surprising. Did you know that Jasmine rice causes a spike in your blood sugar levels faster than sugar itself? This week I’m logging everything I eat to see whether or not it makes a positive difference to go low-GI!

1:30pm – I was quickly fading at about 12:30pm so promptly made two things for lunch. The first was my own version of a Mexican black bean salad a la superfoods-style!

ENSALADA FRIJOLES NEGROS

Makes: 5 servings

Ingredients

• 250 grams boiled black beans (GI 30)
• 1 onion, chopped roughly (GI 0)
• 6 organic cherry tomatoes, sliced (GI 0)
• 4 tablespoons of whole corn kernels (GI 46)
• 1/2 a red bell pepper (GI 0)

Salad Dressing

• A bunch of cilantro leaves, chopped (GI 0)
• 1 tsp N.Z. Kamahi Raw Honey (GI 33)
• 3 tablespoons of Extra Virgin Olive Oil (GI 0)
• Juice of 2 fresh limes
• Salt and pepper to taste (GI 0)

METHOD

Whisk the dressing ingredients in a small bowl using a fork and pour over the salad. Mix well, chill for 30 mins and serve.

Nutritional Value: Black beans are an anti-inflammatory, high protein, fibrous superfood which is a good source of magnesium, phosphorus, thiamin, manganese, molybdenum and anti-oxidant flavonoids.

Taste verdict: Yummy. What I like most about my version is the lower fat content so I don’t feel nauseous when I have more than a few spoonfuls. Beans can be very heavy but my version lifts and doesn’t weigh down which some recipes tend to do especially if they have avocado in there. It has a tangy zest from the lime and there’s a beautiful floral hint from the Kamahi raw honey.

Next up is the main for lunch…

TUNA, ROCKET & CHEESE SANDWICH

For my main meal, I made a Tuna-Rocket Sandwich using toasted Mestemacher Natural Flaxseed Bread, which is a type of German sourbread that uses wholegrain. Like blue cheese, this wheat-free ‘low-GI’ dense-bread is an acquired taste and may not sit well the first few times. Now I simply prefer this to regular bread since I’ve grown to love the nutty taste. This is an extremely healthy bread with no artificial additives, and releases energy in a sustained manner which doesn’t cause my heart rate to jump like white bread.

Ingredients

• 2 slices of Natural Flax Seed Bread, toasted (Low GI)
• A bunch of rocket/arugula leaves (GI 0)
• Shaved padano cheese (GI o)
• 1/3 can of tuna in water
• 2 tablespoons of fat-free unsweetened yogurt (GI 0)
• Sea salt and black pepper to taste (GI 0)

Nutritional value: Super-nutritious tuna is high in protein, and the flaxseed bread is high in omega-3. Good all-around profile.

Taste verdict: The peppery rocket and cheese go beautifully! I love using yogurt as a substitute for mayonnaise because you get that creamy feel without all that fat. Makes me think that the only time mayonnaise should be used is in the form of aioli… when I’m eating Poisson!

3:15pm – Instant energy after lunch and I still feel stuffed and energetic after 3 hours. I hope this is going to last me until 7 or 8pm tonight. Until then!