12 Steps to Whole Foods

Making Plant-Based Main Dishes
What If I Love Potatoes?
Some popular foods are not “glycemic friendly.” Potatoes are a highglycemic
index food, releasing sugars into the bloodstream quickly, but many
people love them. The good news is that as a whole food, with the right food
combining, you can include them in your dinners. Use two tips to allow you
to significantly slow the impact on your blood sugar.
First, leave the potato peels on (scrubbing them well). Most of the nutrition
and valuable fiber in most foods are in the peel. Potatoes are no exception.
Fiber is well documented to slow the uptake of sugar into the bloodstream.
Second, eat potatoes in combination with a large portion of low glycemicindex
(GI) foods, and your blood sugar will remain stable. The effect of a low
GI food on blood sugar levels carries over to the next meal. Plan to eat at least
one low GI food per meal—and greens are perfect.
If you love potatoes, I recommend these recipes in this chapter, eaten with a
big green salad:
Garlic-Greens Mashed Potatoes (page 169) (a bigger hit than regular mashed potatoes at our family
Thanksgiving)
Twice-Baked Green Potatoes (page 170)
Turnip-Leek Barley Soup (page 168)
The Twice-Baked recipe has plenty of broccoli and spinach, which are both more than 40% protein, so don’t
worry that your meal is too carb heavy. Just keep that green salad the biggest serving in your meal, as we
discussed in Chapter 2, and if you feel your personal need for protein is high, put some kidney beans or lentils
in your salad when you eat potatoes. I often keep cooked legumes in my fridge left over from making soups/
main dishes just for this purpose.
What about Protein, Carbs, and Glycemic Index?
Glycemic index refers to the measurement between 1 and 100 of how quickly a food raises blood sugar. Foods
with a high glycemic index (above 60) release glucose quickly into the blood stream. These foods include
refined sugar and fruit like bananas and watermelon. Foods with a low glycemic index (under 45) release
glucose more steadily over several hours, keeping blood sugar levels stable. These foods include greens, most
vegetables, nuts, beans, yogurt, and whole grains. These foods are the emphasis in this chapter.
Eating low-glycemic foods prevents insulin resistance, Type II diabetes, weight gain, colorectal cancers, heart
disease, and many other conditions. Carbs have been vilified in the media as being high glycemic index
foods—but, in fact, legumes and whole grains, especially when combined with greens and vegetables, are
excellent foods that do not contribute to blood sugar problems and associated health problems. Also consider
that the carbohydrates in whole grains and legumes are complex, slowing the absorption of sugars. Eating a
salad with a whole-grain dish further slows sugar uptake in the bloodstream, as greens are a very low glycemic
index food. They are also high in dietary fiber, leading to healthy digestion.
© Copyright Robyn Openshaw 12 Steps to Whole Foods 161