Colorful
fruits and vegetables are the cornerstone of a healthy daily diet.
They
help
maintain your organs and immune system because they are full of
vitamins and
minerals, keeping your body strong as the weight drops off.
Choose
the right fruits and vegetables for your meal plan by organizing them
into
seven unique color groups. Include at least one serving from each group
every
day.
Red/Purple
Red
Orange
Orange/Yellow
Yellow/Green
Green
White/Green
What
about Brown and Beige?
Many
brown and beige carbohydrates, like beans, pasta and potatoes, while
healthy, are
high in calories.
There's
more to it than just eating more fruits and vegetables – they must be
the right
fruits and vegetables. Starchy vegetables such as peas or lentils (200
to 250
calories per cup) are healthy…but contain more calories than you may
want.
If
you need to eat more to satisfy your hunger, add low glycemic-load
vegetables.
For example, spinach and asparagus are better choices than
higher-calorie corn
and peas. A cup of spinach topped with 1⁄2 cup of tomato sauce has only
about
90 calories, but it gives you nutrients from two color groups.
The
good news is your body converts carbohydrates into sugar, which gives
you
energy.
The
bad news is that some carbohydrates turn into too much sugar too fast -
and
with way too many calories.
Checking
the glycemic index and glycemic load will allow you to identify which
carbohydrates are good for you, and
which to avoid.
Glycemic
Index measures how
rapidly the carbohydrates in a particluar food item will turn into
sugar. Food
items with a high glycemic index convert into sugar very quickly, with
negative
physical effects.
Food
items with a low-glycemic index turn into sugar gradually, helping
maintain
your body’s chemical balance. Typically, foods with a low index are
preferable.
Glycemic
Load measures the
amount of sugar a food actually
releases
in the body. Foods with a lowglycemic load usually have a lowglycemic
index.
Foods
can have a high-glycemic index, yet still have a low-glycemic load.
Other foods
have both a high index and a high load.
You
should avoid high-load foods as a regular part of your meal plan.
Always check
both the glycemic index and glycemic load when you choosing
carbohydrate foods.
Use
the chart below to get started.
High-Glycemic Index
Fruits
and Vegetables
Corn
Cranberry
Juice
Orange
Juice*
Raisins
Starches
Bagel
Bread
(white)
Refined
Cereal
Granola
Muffin
Pasta
Potato
Pretzel
Rice
Tortilla
(flour)
Medium-Glycemic
Index
Fruits and Vegetables
Apricot*
Grape*
Pineapple*
Watermelon
Starches
French
Fries
Oatmeal
Pita
Bread
Waffle
Low-Glycemic Index
Fruits
and Vegetables
Apple*
Asparagus*
Broccoli*
Brussels
Sprout*
Cauliflower*
Celery*
Cherry*
Cucumber*
Grapefruit*
Green
Bean*
Green
Pepper*
Kiwi*
Lettuce*
Mushroom*
Onion*
Orange*
Peach*
Plum*
Spinach*
Strawberry*
Tomato*
Zucchini*
Starches
Barley*
Black
Bean*
Kidney
Bean*
Lentil*
Pea*
*Low
glycemic-load foods
Like
carbohydrates, fats can have a positive or a negative effect.
Good fats can lower your risk of heart disease. Good
fats are found in olive oil, fish, olives, avocados and walnuts.
But remember, even good fats have
a lot of calories,
so use sparingly!