Fat (the more fat the food/meal contains, the lower the GI) -- unfortunately with high fat comes high calories and often a less than desirable dose of either saturated fat or (even worse) trans fat. Choose your fats wisely. Olive Oil is wonderfully healthy but it still contains 9 calories per gram or about 40 per teaspoon.
Protein (the more protein in the food or meal, the lower the GI) -- watch out for the saturated fat contained in meats, though. Look for the leanest cuts of beef. Eat more chicken, turkey, and fish. Eat legumes more often too; although they do contain lots of carb, it is a type that is kind to your blood sugar.
Fibre (the higher the soluble fibre, the lower the GI). Soluble fibre is digested very slowly and is the kind found in a lot of grain species and, of course, in fruits and vegetables. Suprisingly the totally undigestible insoluble fibre (mostly in wheat bran and vegetables) that helps to "regulate" other bodily processes, although very good for us, has little impact on the GI.
Acidity (the higher the acid content of the food or meal, the lower the GI) -- vinegar and lemon juice contain Acetic acid and are absolutely Magical in lowering glycemic impact. Treat yourself to some good Balsamic Vinegar and use it for lots of stuff -- not just salad dressing. Sourdough bread contains Lactic acid and this gives it a lower GI/GL level as well.
Particle Size (the finer a grain is ground, the higher the GI) -- those newer, child-friendly whole wheat breads that can almost pass for white are so finely ground as to be almost as bad as if they were made with white flour -- look for visible graininess in breads and flours. Use more Oatmeal (large-flake; avoid instant) and Barley in your cooking for example.
Gelatinization (just a fancy term for what cooking does to some carbs -- overcooking raises the GI) -- the stickier the food (some rices, are just meant to be stickier -- arborio and jasmine rice are best avoided and instant rice is totally unthinkable because it combines the worst of gelatinization with smaller particle size too) or the softer they are cooked (pasta -- should definitely be served 'al dente') the more quickly the food is digested. The cooking process is actually doing part of the digestion before you even eat it.
Hope this information is helpful -- Eat Hearty, gang . . . chewing is good for you
