(Above) Karen Elizabeth,Patrick Holford & Rupa Pattni (The Vitality Show)
Healthy Eating & Lifesyle Choices Group
Hello and welcome to my Healthy Eating Groups. I am Karen Elizabeth a Naturopathic Nutritional Therapist and I hope you will enjoy my weekly meetings. I am very passionate about nutrition and really look forward to the opportunity of working alongside Guests/members
“I truly believe prevention is better than cure!”
12 Week Programme
My exclusive Healthy Eating and Lifestyle Choices Group will enjoy a weekly meeting which will be full of interesting Nutritional topics covering some science behind food to helping you to understand food labels. Providing ongoing support; helping you to overcome any hurdles as you come across them. I will be using some delicious recipes from a wide range of Nutrition Experts e.g. Patrick Holford, The Food doctor, Diet Freedom and many more…..
So are you an apple or a pear?
You may wonder what the relevance of this question is... Over twelve weeks the programme assists you in learning about the importance of what nutrition can do for you and how to achieve your desired body shape!
We will be looking into the science behind some key foods which will show how some are great for some people and some not for others! This part of the meeting is conducted in a fun and interactive way.
As a Nutritional Therapist I am particularly interested in the body's metabolism, specifically about blood sugar control and consequently have done much researched into this area. My findings are that a low Glycaemic Load Diet has many proven health benefits…
- Helps with weight loss
- Balances your blood sugar to avoid’ highs and lows’
- Improves diabetes control
- Reduces risk of heart disease
- Reduces blood cholesterol levels
- Helps to manage the symptoms of PCOS (Poly Cystic Ovary Syndrome)
- Helps protect heart health
- Helps prevent some forms of cancer
- Helps protect eye sight
- Improves acne and skin problems
- Reduces hunger and keeps you fuller for longer
- Prolongs physical endurance
- Helps re-fuel carbohydrate stores after exercise
- Helps prevent diabetes
Glycaemic Load is linked to the effect a food has on blood sugar levels and insulin. It measures how much carbohydrate is in a food (its Glycaemic Load) and whether it is ‘fast-releasing’ carbohydrate or ‘slow-releasing’ (its Glycaemic Index). Low glycaemic load foods are slow releasing carbohydrate providing sustained energy release and steady blood sugar levels. We need to keep the level of sugar in our blood as steady as possible to avoid ‘highs and lows’ causing cravings and slumps in the daytime.
If we eat foods with a low GL, then we will have steady blood sugar levels and will not reach for sugary snacks. Protein based snacks will help sustain energy levels for longer. It is not about low-carbohydrate, but about the right carbohydrates.
Lowering Dietary Glycaemic Load
• Increase the consumption of whole grains, nuts, legumes, fruits and non-starchy vegetables
• Decrease the consumption of starchy high-glycaemic index foods like potatoes, white rice and white bread
• Decrease the consumption of sugary foods like cookies, cakes, sweets and soft-drinks
A Portion Guide at a Glance
Dry Weight (g) looks like when cooked
Rice 40g
Pasta 40g
Quinoa 65g
Potato (boiled new ) 70g
Couscous 25g
Pasta 40g
Quinoa 65g
Potato (boiled new ) 70g
Couscous 25g
1 ½ tbsp 2 ½ tbsp
2 handfuls 4 handfuls
3 tbsp 4 rounded tbsp
70g 3/4 small
1 tbsp 3 handfulls
2 handfuls 4 handfuls
3 tbsp 4 rounded tbsp
70g 3/4 small
1 tbsp 3 handfulls
To lose weight, try to eat 40 GL points per day, made up of 3 meals (10 points each) and 2 snacks (5 points each). Your plate should hold
- ¼ protein, ¼ carbohydrate
- and ½ vegetables