1. Switch to darker breads. The best choices are coarse breads sprinkled with seeds and whole grains like cracked or sprouted whole-wheat breads; rye, sourdough or whole-wheat pita bread. (Stick with a slice, not half a loaf.) Worst choices? Bagels, croissants, French bread, kaiser rolls, and, of course, white bread.
2. Choose high-bran or whole-grain cereals. This can be a little confusing since some of the nutritious cereals, like Shredded Wheat, Cheerios, and Cream of Wheat have a higher-glycemic index than the more-processed Honey Smacks or Special K. The best cereal choices include compact, noodle-like, high-bran cereals like All-Bran and Fiber One and coarse whole-grain cereal like Kashi; other good breakfast choices include slow-cooked, steel-cut oatmeal and cereal mixed with psyllium, a soluble fiber that slows digestion of carbs.
3. Elect pasta over rice. While pasta is packed with carbohydrates, a 2-ounce serving cooked al dente raises blood sugar levels less than a baked potato or a serving of brown rice. Other good side dishes include boiled barley, bulgur, kasha, beans, and sweet potatoes.
4. Swap your snacks. Instead of pretzels, have light microwave popcorn; instead of corn chips, have peanuts. Need a sugar fix? Have half a Snicker's bar or an oatmeal cookie instead of graham crackers. And, consider peanut butter on a whole-grain rye cracker (like Wasa crispbread) instead of a rice cake.
5. Embrace fruits and vegetables with just a few exceptions. With vegetables, it's okay to overdo the serving sizes, since most are low in calories and carbohydrates. Potatoes, though, are the one exception and score a 65 on the index chart. Fruits, sweet as they are, also score low on the index with a few exceptions like watermelon, pineapple, plums, cantaloupe, and raisins.
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