The Low GI Diet: Day 1, Dinner
A few months ago I began reading the New York Times bestseller The New Glucose Revolution: The Authoritative Guide to the Glycemic Index
8:40pm - Even though I still felt full at dinner time, I knew that skipping dinner would be a bad idea so I made Pla Nung Baan Rai for dindin and got my maid to stir-fry cucumber shoots and broccoli with a little garlic and salt.
THAI COUNTRY-STYLE STEAMED BLACK COD
Ingredients
- 1 medium-sized fillet of Black Cod
- 6 fresh shitake mushrooms, julienned
- 1 small tomato, sliced
- 1 tbsp oil
- 2 tbsp rice wine (sake or huang jiu)
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 1/2 tsp white pepper
- 3 tbsp fish sauce
- 3 tbsp lime juice
- 2 stalks lemongrass, sliced into rings
- 3 fresh kaffir lime leaves, sliced finely
- 1/4 cup sliced shallots
- 2 cloves of garlic, chopped finely
- 2 red chillies, cored, seeds removed and sliced (you can use bird chillies if you want the heat)
- 1 tbsp slivered ginger root
- 1/2 a lime, sliced thinly
METHOD
- Place the cleaned fish on a non-metal heat-proof dish separately.
- Whisk the liquid ingredients in a bowl evenly and season with salt and white pepper.
- Pour the liquid mixture onto all other flavoring ingredients, mix well and place on top of fish.
- Finally, steam the fish at high heat for 15 minutes.
- Garnish with cilantro and serve hot with steamed brown rice.
Nutritional Value: The cold-water black cod is high in omega-3 fatty acids and the rest of the herbs, spices and vegetables are high in vitamins, minerals and much more. As will fresh whole foods the nutritional value is high.
Taste verdict: It tasted good but it wasn’t hot enough. I used a base recipe from an ethnic Thai cookbook and left the basil out, but I regret not using bird chillies.
Summary of Day 1
All these recommended portions from the many books and internet articles are preposterously generous. I am so stuffed, there’s too much food, I feel like it’s going to shoot out of my ears! Whoever told us to get our 5-a-day (some think you should get 7 portions a day) of fruit and vege is insane and deserves to be locked up in the Priory. Along with the proteins, fats and small amounts of wholegrain carbs, it’s simply too much bulk to stuff into a gut on an everyday basis. I am surprised how the measly amount of bean salad and that dense sandwich kept me full right up till dinner, something that would have been impossible with your regular humongous plate of Asian noodles or white rice with side dishes.
How I’m Feeling Right Now
9:23pm - Earlier on I mentioned I was surviving on 5 hours of sleep. Truth be told, for the whole day I felt really wired. The kind of feeling I get when I’ve had one too many cups of coffee minus the heart palpitations. Maybe it’s the enzymes from the raw foods in the morning, maybe it’s the slow-releasing properties of low-GI foods. I feel exhausted but my body is fully alert. The food fuel has been overextending my body while my brain is telling me it should be resting. Does that make sense? I’ll check in again tomorrow morning…
