Yam and oatmeal help you lose weight! Low GI starch is safe

Many people who are trying to lose weight have a wrong idea that they can only lose weight successfully if they don't eat starchy staple foods. Nutritionists point out that weight loss requires a balanced intake of all kinds of food. For starches, you can choose high-fiber, low-glycemic index (GI) whole grains, yams, and oats. In addition, there are rice noodles, noodles, soybeans, etc., which can help you lose weight more effectively!

Yam is a starchy food with a low glycemic index (GI) and can be consumed in moderation by people who want to lose weight.

Starch makes you fat and you shouldn’t eat it? Calculating calories also takes GI into account

In order to maintain a slim figure, are you still refusing to eat starchy staple foods such as rice and bread, which are generally believed to make you fat? In fact, not every starchy food is off-limits, because starch is the main source of daily calories, and insufficient calories can easily lead to weakness and drowsiness. Therefore, only by taking in enough calories and measuring the "glycemic index" (GI) of food can you eat healthily and maintain your ideal body shape.

Each food can be divided into three types according to its glycemic index (GI): low, medium, and high. A high GI diet will accelerate the rise in blood sugar after a meal, causing hunger and inducing appetite, thereby increasing food intake. In addition, since insulin is secreted rapidly and in large quantities after eating, it easily promotes fat synthesis; therefore, if you want to reduce blood fat content and properly control your appetite, you must choose low-GI foods to help lose weight.

Oatmeal, yam and rice flour can be used for weight loss with low GI starch

For starch, it is recommended to choose oatmeal, whole wheat bread, whole wheat breakfast cereals, yam, rice noodles, lath, emperor beans, soybeans, etc., which are all low GI foods. Oatmeal, whole wheat, cereals, etc. are rich in dietary fiber and are a good breakfast choice.

Source: Ministry of Health and Welfare; Table created by: Lin Zhiyang

Whole-wheat breakfast cereals are low-GI starch foods, but corn flakes are high-GI foods, which are not conducive to weight control.

Rice, sweet potatoes, and potatoes are high GI starches

On the other hand, white rice, glutinous rice, udon noodles, white toast, white bread, bagels, sweet potatoes, taro, potatoes, French fries, sweet corn, corn chips, mung beans, muffins, etc. have a glycemic index (GI) of more than 70 and are considered high GI foods.

GI increases after food processing such as shredding, grinding, boiling, etc.

However, starches with a high glycemic index (GI) are not completely forbidden to eat, but they should be consumed in moderation and attention should be paid to the cooking and processing methods. Nutritionist Wang Zinan pointed out that foods that are shredded, ground, juiced, or cooked for a long time are easy to digest, so their glycemic index (GI) will also increase. For example, the GI of porridge is higher than that of white rice, and the GI of mashed potatoes is higher than that of whole potatoes.

Braised pork rice + blanched vegetables high in fiber to lower GI

In addition, it is recommended that people eat starchy staple foods with high-fiber vegetables, which can also help lower the glycemic index (GI). For example, if you have braised pork with rice for lunch, don’t forget to add a plate of blanched vegetables. This way of eating will have a lower glycemic index (GI) than eating braised pork with rice alone.

In addition to helping with weight loss, regularly consuming a low GI diet can help cells absorb nutrients more efficiently and provide blood sugar to the brain for a longer period of time. Therefore, regularly eating low GI foods can help reduce the risk of diabetes, and can also help improve the brain's concentration and memory, and bring many health benefits!