Healthy Starter Recipe
be
i nformed
3
Grilled
Halibut with
Watermelon Salsa
Preparation Time: About
12
minutes Serves: 6
Ingredients
4
grilled or pan-fried halibut
fillets, approximately 6 oz.
each
2
cups diced watermelon
3
Tbsp chopped red onion
½
cup chopped bell pepper
mix: red, yellow and green
2
tsp finely-diced jalapeno
pepper
2
tsp extra-virgin olive oil
3
Tbsp fresh lime juice
1
Tbsp fresh mint leaves,
chopped
1/8
tsp salt, plus a pinch for
the fillets
1/8
tsp pepper, plus a pinch
for the fillets
Preparation
1.
In a large bowl, combine
watermelon, onion, bell
pepper and jalapenos.
Drizzle with olive oil and
lime juice. Toss to coat.
2.
Add mint leaves, salt and
pepper. Toss to mix. Cover
and set aside.
3.
Season fillets with salt
and pepper, grill or pan
fry over medium heat on
a non-stick surface coated
with cooking spray. Cook
approximately 3-4 minutes
on each side, depending on
thickness.
4.
Plate fillets and top with
salsa. Bring to room tem-
perature before serving.
Understanding the
Glycemic Index
What is the Glycemic
Index?
The Glycemic Index (GI) is
a numerical system of
measuring how much of a
rise in blood sugar a food
triggers. A GI that is 70 or
more is high, a GI of 56 to
69
inclusive is medium and a
GI of 55 or less is low. Eating
low GI foods can help balance
your blood sugars, reduce
cholesterol and aid in weight
loss. See Chart A.
As you might expect, there
are a number of factors that
influence the Glycemic Index
of foods. See Chart B.
Practical Tips
Putting this all together,
there are some practical tips
in managing your Glycemic
Index. We suggest that you
go with less processed grains
such as dense, dark pumper-
nickel or rye breads, whole-
grains, steel-cut oats, quinoa,
and sweet potatoes. Cook
your pasta and veggies less.
Try adding lemon juice and
vinegar at meals. Consume
some healthy fats and protein
with meals and when eating
high GI foods, keep portions
small and balance with low
GI foods.
.............................................................
Alexis Williams, RD
(
Registered Dietician,
Transition Health)
High GI Foods
•
White baking
potatoes = 77-100
•
White bread = 71
•
Rice cakes = 90
Factors
Processing
Cooking
Type of Sugar
Acid
Fibre
Fat and Protein
content of the meal
Medium GI Foods
•
Pasta (cooked for
20
min) = 65
•
Banana (depends
on ripeness)
= 46-70
Influence on Foods
The more processed, generally the
higher the GI.
The more cooked a carbohydrate food
is, the higher the GI.
Fructose (fruit sugar) and lactose (milk
sugar) are lower GI than glucose, there-
fore fruit and dairy products are usually
on lower on the GI.
Adding yogurt, vinegar, lemon, or
tomato juice or any other natural food
acid can reduce the GI by 30% with
just 4tsp.
Foods high in soluble fibre are lower
because the soluble fibre forms a gel
which inhibits how quickly the carbohy-
drates are absorbed into the blood.
Balancing high GI foods with protein
and fat will lower the overall GI of
a meal.
Low GI Foods
•
Pasta (cooked for
7
min) = 30
•
Legumes = 15
•
Sweet potato = 55
A
C H A R T
B
C H A R T
b e a c t i v e
40
References:
www.glycemicindex.com