Is a low GI diet suitable for vegetarians?
The low GI diet is just as easy for a vegetarian to follow – in fact, teaching vegetarians to follow the low GI diet can be easier because most are eating many of the best low GI foods already. For the vegetarian, the same principles apply: substitute your plant protein sources for the meat. Eat more beans, lentils and other legumes – all among the lowest GI foods we have tested. Quorn is also a great meat substitute with no GI as it has almost no carbohydrate (2 g/100 g). Some additional points: • The GI only applies to foods containing significant amounts of carbohydrate. Most vegetables have small amounts of carbohydrate and those that provide more usually have a low GI, with the exception of potatoes. You can therefore tuck into your veggies without considering the GI for every one – and benefit from antioxidants and all the micronutrients they supply! • Legumes should be a daily part of any vegetarian diet for your protein – happily these are also a mainstay of a low GI diet. • Al
