GI Symbol News with Dr Alan Barclay
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Celebrating the low GI way
You don’t have to forsake all of your favourite foods to avoid the battle of the bulge. Watching the amount of food you eat and swapping rich and fatty high GI foods for healthy low GI alternatives will help keep you on an even keel over the festive season. Here are some practical tips for the big day:
| Main course | Serve size |
| Roast turkey breast with Stuffing (made with a Burgen or a grainy low GI bread or traditional oats), or |
1 large slice 1 scoop |
| Baked ham, or | 1 large slice |
| Honey and oregano roasted leg of lamb | 1 large slice |
| Your favourite fish or seafood (avoid deep fried or battered varieties) | 1 piece fish or 4 king prawns |
| Starchy sides (a generous ‘scoop’ is about ½ cup) | |
| Vegetable roasties (see recipe below), or | 1 generous scoop |
| Blu Gourmet pearl couscous salad with vegetables and cashew nuts and sesame dressing, or | 1 generous scoop |
| Baked, boiled or steamed Carisma potatoes, or | 1–2 potatoes |
| Potato (made with Carisma potatoes), rice, pasta or couscous salad with vinaigrette dressing, or | 1 generous scoop |
| Bean, lentil or corn salad with vinaigrette dressing | 1 generous scoop |
| Plus non-starchy veggies (as much as you like, but hold the creamy dressings and sauces) | |
| Mixed garden salad | As much as you like |
| Green vegetables | As much as you like |
| Dessert | |
| Pavlova with light whipped cream, sliced strawberries, bananas, grapes, kiwifruit and passion fruit, or | 1 small piece |
| Trifle with sponge finger biscuits, diet jelly, low fat yogurt with strawberries and blueberries on top and 99% fat free fromage frais, or | 1 small serve |
| Vanilla pannacotta with strawberry salsa | 1 small serve |
You can watch Alan demonstrate some healthy low GI alternatives on Channel 7’s Sunrise.
Honey and oregano roasted leg of lamb with vegetable roasties
(Recipe by Anneka Manning from The Low GI Family Cookbook published by Hachette in Australia and Da Capo in the US/Canada) Serves 6 (with plenty of leftovers)
1 kg leg of lamb, trimmed of all visible fat
2 large garlic cloves, sliced
8 sprigs oregano, each halved
2 tbsp pure floral honey
4 tsp Dijon mustard
2 tsp lemon juice
To serve
1 quantity Vegetable roasties (see recipe)
steamed, boiled or microwaved green beans
Preheat oven to 200ºC (400ºF/Gas 6). Place a rack in a roasting pan and add 1 cup water to the pan. Use a small sharp knife to cut slits all over the surface of the lamb. Poke the garlic slices and sprigs of oregano into the slits. Place the lamb on the rack in the roasting pan and roast for 30 minutes. Combine the honey, mustard and lemon juice. Brush over the lamb and return to the oven for a further 20 minutes for medium or 30 minutes for well-done. Remove lamb from oven, cover loosely with foil and set aside in a warm place for 15 minutes to rest. Carve the lamb and serve accompanied by the Vegetable Roasties and steamed green beans.
Vegetable roasties
3 Carisma low GI potatoes
1 medium orange-fleshed sweet potato (about 500g/1lb 2oz)
2 medium parsnips (about 400g/10oz)
2 medium carrots (about 250g/8oz)
1/2 medium butternut pumpkin (about 700g/)
3 teaspoons olive oil
Pinch salt (optional)
Freshly ground black pepper
4 sprigs rosemary, thyme or oregano, leaves removed from stems
Preheat the oven to 220ºC (440ºF) and line a roasting pan with non-stick baking paper. Peel all the vegetables, deseed the pumpkin and cut the vegetables into 2.5cm chunks. Place them in the prepared roasting pan, drizzle with the olive oil and a tiny sprinkle of salt (if using), pepper and herbs. Use your hands (clean of course) to toss the vegetables to coat with the oil and seasonings. Bake for 1 hour, or until golden and tender, tossing the vegetables about 3 times during cooking so that they brown and crisp evenly. Serve immediately.
Per serve
Energy: 2110kJs; Protein 44g; Fat 13g (includes 5g saturated fat and 110mg cholesterol); carbohydrate 45g; Fibre 9g; sodium 200 mg
The GI Symbol, making healthy low GI choices easy choices
For more information about the GI Symbol Program
Dr Alan W Barclay, PhD
Chief Scientific Officer
Glycemic Index Foundation (Ltd)
Phone: +61 (0)2 9785 1037
Mob: +61 (0)416 111 046
Fax: +61 (0)2 9785 1037
Email: alan@gisymbol.com
Website: www.gisymbol.com
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