Body Blitz: 5 Simple Steps to Permanent Fat Loss. Joanna Hall

your weight and body fat goals, you will have more energy during the day, and most importantly, you will minimize your hunger pangs.

      To help you understand how the starch curfew works, the table below shows you when to eat what carbohydrate foods for optimum energy and weight loss.

Carbohydrates	Food Examples	When to Eat
starches	all breads, pasta, rice, potatoes, sweet potatoes, cereal, oats, bulgur wheat, millet	breakfast, lunch and mid-afternoon snack – you are not allowed to consume in mid-morning snack or after 5 p.m.
fruit	apples, nectarines, melons, grapes	all meals and snacks, especially in evening meal
vegetables	peppers, kale, carrots, broccoli	all meals and snacks, especially in evening meal
processed sugars	sweets, chocolates, cakes, biscuits	minimal consumption

      WHAT IS THE GLYCAEMIC INDEX?

      Traditionally carbohydrate foods, which provide the main fuel base for our bodies, are classified as simple or complex carbohydrates. Simple carbohydrates such as sugars, some fruits, cakes and biscuits provide a quick increase in blood glucose levels whilst complex carbohydrates such as brown rice, porridge oats and wholegrains raise blood glucose at a slower rate and keep blood glucose levels more stable for longer. The rate at which our blood sugars change with eating different types of carbohydrates is called the glycaemic index (GI). The concept of GI carbohydrates is fairly new and is particularly recommended for individuals who may be sensitive to swings in energy. Here is a table to help you assess the GI of the carbohydrate foods you eat. Pure sugar receives a value of 100, and other sugary foods and starches are compared to that. Later in the chapter, to help you optimise your energy levels, we’ll look at when it is best to eat which GI carbohydrates.

      Glycaemic Index Carbohydrates

Glycaemic Index Rating	Food
100	sugar
80 – 90	carrots, cornflakes, honey, parsnips, potatoes
70 – 79	wholewheat bread, white rice
60 – 69	bananas, white bread, raisins, brown rice
50 – 59	porridge oats, frozen peas, pasta, sweet potatoes
below 50	oranges, orange juice, dried peas, apples, fructose

      IS IT OKAY TO GRAB A QUICK SUGAR FIX?

      Sugar gives us an instant release of energy, which is then followed by an energy low. When we consume a large concentrated form of sugar, such as a slice of chocolate cake or a commercially-made muffin, the hormone insulin reacts to the elevated blood glucose levels and transfers the sugar from the blood into the cells. This response is so effective that the body can decrease the blood sugar levels very effectively. This in turn creates a feeling of further tiredness, lack of energy and increased appetite about 90 minutes after you had your first chocolate fix. So while sugar has a role to play in the diet, its ability to provide a quick instant energy boost is short-lived and can create a roller-coaster of high and low blood sugar levels, which sends us craving more sugar as well as for some of us causing depression and continued fatigue. So instead of relying on sugar from sweets we need to rely more on the natural sources of sugars from fruit and vegetables to stabilise our blood sugar levels.

      HOW MUCH FRUIT AND VEGETABLES SHOULD WE EAT?

      The World Health Organization recommends we eat at least five portions of fruit and vegetables a day. But what exactly is one portion? Unfortunately the slice of tomato in our sandwich does not equal a portion! And sorry potatoes do not count, as they are a starch.

      Here are some examples of the amount of fruit and vegetables in one portion:

• apple, orange or banana	1 fruit
• very large fruit e.g. melon, pineapple	1 large slice
• small fruits e.g. plums, kiwi, satsuma	2 fruit
• raspberries, strawberries, grapes	1 cup
• fresh fruit salad, stewed or canned	1–1^1