COVER
ABOUT THE BOOK
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
TITLE PAGE
INRODUCTION
A healthy vegetarian or vegan low-GI diet
The GI food table
Get slim and stay slim
Eating for two
Nurturing the next generation
Look younger, live longer
SALADS AND VEGETABLES
Green pea soup with mint
Tomato and red pepper soup with avocado
Braised vegetables with lemon and parsley
Little gem, chicory and watercress salad
Marinated olives
Quick ways with vegetables
Golden thai curry
Quick grilled mediterranean vegetables
Mushroom pâté en croute
Cumin-roasted sweet potatoes
Tumbet
Chunky oven-baked ratatouille
Red onion and goat’s cheese tart
Onion, tomato and basil crustless quiche
Egg fu yong
Gratin dauphinoise with wild mushrooms
Quick after-work meals
Keralan curry
Spinach curry (sag bhaji)
Cabbage thoran
PASTA AND NOODLES
Soba noodles with green soya beans
Conchiglie with broccoli
Spaghetti with red hot sauce
Noodles with stir-fried vegetables
Quick salads and dressings
Fusilli with uncooked tomato and basil sauce
Linguine with peppers, basil and pecorino
Pasta with cherry tomatoes and asparagus
Pappardelle with aubergine and artichokes
Pasta twist, tomato and mozzarella bake
Grilled vegetable lasagne
BEANS AND LENTILS
Preparing dried beans and lentils
Lentil and vegetable soup
Leek, chick pea and saffron soup
Pistou
Dips, pâtçs and spreads
Bean salade niçoise
Lentil and cumin cakes
Chick pea, tomato and coriander salad
Thai beancakes with sweet red pepper sauce
Asian soya beans
Greek butter beans
Slow-cook black beans
Best-ever chilli
Vegetable tempura
Pizza bake
Special meals
Little provençal pancakes
Courgette koftas
Lentil dal
Middle eastern lentils and spinach
Puy lentil casserole
CEREALS AND GRAINS
Grains
Golden rice, avocados and wild mushrooms
Moroccan chick pea casserole
Breakfast recipes
Vegetarian sushi
Risotto with rosemary and lemon
Warm beetroot and quinoa tabbouleh
Millet with peppery leaves and avocado
Millet and cauliflower mash
Oatcakes
Buckwheat with lemon and herbs
Saffron risotto cake with red peppers
Barley and mushroom risotto
Lemony rice
NATURAL PROTEIN FOODS
Warm smoky tofu and broccoli salad
Griddled tofu with chilli, pak choy and ginger
Tofu and mushroom skewers
Sauces
Grilled spiced tofu with peppers
Quick tofu curry with peas
Tempeh burgers
Sweet and sour seitan
Grilled seitan with onions
Asian-style braised tempeh
30-minute dinner parties
Tofu and arame salad
Western-style tempeh with mushrooms
Deep-fried tofu and hijiki balls
FRUIT, SUGAR AND SPICE
Choosing a sweetener
Mango and passion fruit
Lychees, kiwis and ginger
Apricot and orange fool with pistachios
Dried fruit compote
Mulled wine pears
Honey and cinnamon-roasted figs
Exotic fruit compote with coconut cream
Peach and blueberry compote
Seasonal celebrations
Yogurt ice cream with honey raspberry sauce
Spicy apricot flapjacks
Sparkling raspberry jelly
Sticky parkin
Sticky date bread
Lemon cake
Vegan victoria sandwich cake
Chocolate mousse cake
SOURCES
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
COPYRIGHT
So many people have been involved with this book in one way or another and I would like to thank them all: Viv Bowler, Senior Commissioning Editor at BBC Worldwide, and my agent, Barbara Levy, for seeing and sharing my vision for the book and helping to make it a reality, for which the talents of Isobel Gillan, designer, and Michael Paul, photographer, were essential, and much appreciated and valued. The photographic shoots were a particular pleasure – I’d like to thank Louise Mackaness for preparing the food so well, Kumiko Ochiai for styling the shots (as well as making wonderful coffee and giving me tips on Japanese cooking), and Yuki Sugiura for helping at the shoots. A big thank you, too, to Sarah Reece, who not only kept everything running smoothly throughout the editorial process, but also posed for all the chapter-opener shots. You’re a star, Sarah. I’d also like to thank Rachel Connolly for her thorough yet sensitive editing of the text; Mari Roberts, brilliant editor of the new GI edition; Kelly Davis for proofreading; Hilary Bird for indexing; Dr Jacqueline Stordy for information on omega-3 oils; Lyndel Costain for advice on nutrition, and the Vegetarian Society for general information and advice. As ever, a huge thank you to my family and friends, who must feel as if they have lived with this book for months, and most of all to my husband, Robert, who really has, helping with shopping, tasting, washing up and being generally patient and supportive. Thank you Robert, thank you everyone. It was really appreciated.
THE GI – GLYCAEMIC INDEX – HAS FASCINATED ME EVER SINCE I FIRST READ ABOUT IT AND REALIZED THAT EATING LOW-GI FOODS IS A FABULOUS WAY TO GET SLIM AND STAY SLIM.
Eating low-GI Foods is a way to be slim while eating delicious, healthy, ‘normal’ food, without calorie-counting or even serious limiting of portions. For a health-conscious food-lover who is also vain enough to want to be thin, this really seemed to be the answer …
So I used the GI in my own cooking and based my book Fast, Fresh and Fabulous on it. This was done in a low-key way because at the time the term ‘GI’ was still very much ‘dietician speak’. How times change: now ‘GI’ is everywhere! So we decided to call this beautiful new edition the Low-GI Vegetarian Cookbook, and I have greatly expanded upon the glycaemic index, describing in detail how to use it for effective, permanent weight loss, and for good health and vitality at every stage of life.
What exactly, then, is the GI, and what’s so good about it? The ‘GI’ is the glycaemic index, which is a measure of how food affects our blood glucose. Any food containing carbohydrate registers on the GI according to how quickly it raises our blood glucose – our ‘blood sugar’ level – as it is broken down and digested.
This is important, because while we need carbohydrates for energy, we don’t need the ‘wrong’ sort: those with a high rating on the GI index. These are converted rapidly into glucose in the body, giving us the familiar ‘sugar high’. Too much glucose in the bloodstream can be harmful and has to be removed rapidly. To do this, the body takes emergency action: it releases high levels of insulin, which remove glucose from the blood into the cells, where it is used as energy and any excess stored or converted to fat.
Then, an hour or so after eating a high-GI food, we get an energy ‘low’ and the desire for another quick energy fix – and, if we eat more of the ‘wrong’ carbohydrates at this point, the cycle continues. This distorts our natural appetite, making us crave snacks because we never feel satisfied. If this process is repeated too often, we may become ‘insulin resistant’, which means it takes ever larger amounts of insulin to reduce our blood sugar. This can lead to high blood pressure, diabetes, raised cholesterol and the increased storage of fat – a group of symptoms known as metabolic syndrome, or Syndrome X.
What we need is low-GI carbohydrates, from which the glucose is released slowly and steadily. These carbohydrates keep us feeling full and satisfied for longer. The body has time to use the glucose methodically, which gives us a sustained, steady flow of energy.
Eating these healthy carbohydrates can have a positive effect on every part of your body, from the digestive system to the heart and even the skin. A low-GI diet has been shown not only to help achieve and maintain a healthy weight, but also to reduce the risk of stroke, prevent or control diabetes and possibly even reduce the risk of breast cancer and Alzheimer’s disease. It is a very healthy way of eating and perfectly suited to the vegetarian and vegan way of life.
In the following pages I’ve explained how to eat a healthy vegetarian or vegan diet, whatever your age and situation. You’ll find details of the proteins you need, as well as the low-GI carbohydrates, and how you can make sure you’re getting the necessary minerals, vitamins and essential fats. Plus, how to plan balanced meals, and how you can use the GI to lose weight, gain health and never have to diet again.
✮ These are the best recipes for slimming. Eat as much of these as you like.
COOK’S NOTES
The ingredients you need are fully described and explained throughout the book and there is also a list of stockists at the back (see here), so I hope you’ll find everything clear and easy to follow. Many of the ingredients are easy to get just about anywhere; a few are less well known and available in health-food shops and specialist supermarkets, although they are beginning to creep onto the shelves of ordinary supermarkets.
All the recipes in this book list both imperial and metric measurements. Conversions are approximate and have been rounded up or down. In most of the recipes you can be fairly relaxed about measuring but to be on the safe side it’s always best to choose one set of measurements and stick with it, rather than mixing them.
If you have a fan oven, you need to reduce the temperatures given throughout this book, as recommended by your oven manufacturer. On my oven this usually means reducing the heat by about two notches on the dial, so 180°C/350°F becomes 160°C/325°F, and so on.
When eggs are used, they are medium (‘large’ in the US), free-range and preferably organic.
Australian cooks
Your tablespoons measure 20 ml (4 teaspoons) whereas ours are only 15 ml (3 teaspoons), so where tablespoons are given, please measure 3 teaspoons to get the correct amount.
American cooks
Your pints are smaller – only 450 ml whereas ours are 600 ml. So for liquids please use a British pint measure or follow the metric quantities given.
A HEALTHY VEGETARIAN OR VEGAN LOW-GI DIET IS ONE THAT PROVIDES ALL THE NUTRIENTS WE NEED FOR ENERGY, GROWTH, REPAIR, MAINTENANCE AND PROTECTION, IN ROUGHLY THE RIGHT PROPORTIONS. WE NEED PROTEIN, CARBOHYDRATES, VITAMINS, MINERALS AND ESSENTIAL FATS – AND A LOW-GI VEGETARIAN OR VEGAN DIET CAN SUPPLY THEM ALL.
PROTEIN
Protein is essential for growth, maintenance and repair of tissues, and for the healthy functioning of the body. The best sources of protein are:
■ nuts and seeds
■ beans and lentils
■ soya milk and yogurt
■ natural protein foods such as tofu, tempeh and seitan
■ new protein products such as TVP and Quorn
■ dairy food, including milk, cheese and yogurt
■ free-range eggs
There is also protein in grains and cereals, especially quinoa, though they are mainly carbohydrate (see here). Many foods, even potatoes, apples and leafy vegetables, contain small amounts of protein.
All protein, whether of animal or vegetable origin, is made up of building-blocks called amino acids, arranged in different patterns in different foods. When your body has unpicked the patterns it doesn’t know whether these blocks have come from chickens, chick peas or chicory.
There are twenty of these amino acids. Our bodies can make some of them, but there are nine which it cannot. These are called essential amino acids. Like meat and fish, all the protein foods mentioned above contain these essential amino acids, but the mix in animal proteins is closer to what our bodies want. The vegetable proteins are a bit more erratic; however the great thing is that the amino acids some lack, others can supply. Grains are rich in one of the essential amino acids, beans in another, so if you have, say, baked beans on toast, hummus and pitta bread, or lentil dal and rice, you are getting the full complement. This mixing often happens naturally in a meal, but if it doesn’t, your body can store unused amino acids for matching up later.
You can get all the protein you need from vegetable sources. The trick is to eat as wide a variety of these foods as possible and to resist the temptation to rely too much on dairy foods. That way you get the benefit of maximum nourishment and optimum health.
CARBOHYDRATE
Carbohydrate is our main source of energy, and is found in three forms:
■ simple sugars, found in fruit, milk and all types of sugar
■ complex carbohydrates or starches, found in cereals and grains such as bread, rice, potatoes and all vegetables. Beans and lentils contain complex carbohydrate as well as protein.
■ fibre, now called non-starch polysaccharide (NSP), is the cellulose, tough cell walls and gums in fruits, vegetables and cereals. It’s indigestible but vital to the healthy functioning of the gut.
As I’ve explained here, our bodies break carbohydrates down into simple sugars, which are then absorbed into our bloodstream, giving us energy. Generally, the more fibrous a carbohydrate, the more slowly it is broken down as the sugars are separated from the fibre during digestion, and the lower its rating on the GI. This gives slow, sustained energy and is one of the reasons why complex carbohydrates such as whole grains, vegetables and pulses are so beneficial. Processed cereals, potatoes, white bread, cakes, sugary drinks and snacks, refined sugar and products made from it all have a high GI rating and go relatively quickly into our bloodstream, giving a quick energy lift, which is less sustained and means we may soon be looking for another boost.
The glycaemic index
Foods with little or no carbohydrate, such as oils and fats, meat, fish and cheese don’t have a GI rating. Any food containing carbohydrate (starches and sugars), however, does register on the glycaemic index, according to how quickly it raises your blood glucose (sugar) level as it is broken down and digested. The more refined, sweet and starchy the food, the higher it registers on the GI. It gives you a quick energy-burst but stresses your system to release insulin rapidly and quickly store or use the blood glucose.
Most fruits are low on the index, with the exception of very sweet, tropical varieties: pineapple, also melons and watermelon. Sugary and refined foods are high, while beans and lentils are low, as are many whole grains including oats, barley, buckwheat and quinoa. Most rice is high, though basmati rice, both brown and white, is only medium, especially if cooked al dente.
Raw vegetables and most cooked vegetables are low, but mashed potato is high – in general, potatoes are lower when they’re new, unpeeled and slightly undercooked or baked and eaten with their skins, but they’re still on the high side and best eaten with lots of raw vegetables to slow up the absorption of the sugars.
It’s healthiest to eat foods with a low or medium GI but you don’t need complicated reference books and calculators – most of the time this means sticking to whole, unrefined cereals, pulses, tofu, vegetables and fruit. If you do eat foods with a high GI, you can lessen the effect by eating them with something with a low rating, such as yogurt, pulses, fruit or vegetables.
Fat also slows the digestion of carbohydrates, and so lowers the GI rating of a food, which is why croissants have a medium rating while white bread is high. Obviously adding lashings of fat to a meal is not the answer, especially if you want to lose weight, but including some healthy oil – a lightly dressed salad, for instance – is a good way of lowering the GI rating of a meal.
Adding fresh lemon juice (or vinegar) also significantly lowers the GI rating of a food; the reasons are not clear, but it may have something to do with the acidic qualities of the lemon juice, which is great, because a dash of lemon juice enhances the flavour of so many foods as well as providing vitamin C and other body-protecting antioxidants.
THE GI FOOD TABLE
This table shows the low, medium and high GI ratings of common vegetarian and vegan foods.
* Limit portion while slimming, see here.
Foods with Low GI
FRUITS
Most, including:
Apples, fresh and dried
Apricots, fresh and dried
Avocado*
Bananas
Berries, frozen (without sugar)
Cherries
Figs, fresh
Grapefruit
Grapes
Kiwi fruit
Mangoes
Oranges and Mandarins
Peaches
Pears
Plums
Prunes
Satsumas
Strawberries
Sultanas
VEGETABLES
Most, including:
Alfalfa sprouts
Asparagus
Aubergine
Beans, green and runner
Beetroot (raw)
Broccoli
Brussels sprouts
Cabbage
Carrots (raw and cooked)
Cauliflower
Celery
Courgettes
Cucumber
Lettuce
Mangetout
Mushrooms
Okra
Olives
Onions
Pak choy (bok choy)
Parsley
Peas
Peppers
Potatoes (baby new only)*
Spring greens
Spring onions
Sweetcorn fresh, frozen or canned without sugar
Swiss chard
Spinach
Tomatoes
PULSES
Most dried beans and lentils
Canned beans and lentils without added sugar
Canned baked beans (no sugar)
Canned bean, lentil and chunky vegetable soups
Soya ‘nuts’, bought or home-made
BREADS AND CRISPBREADS*
100% stone-ground wholemeal bread
Wholegrain, high-fibre breads with 2½ to 3 g fibre per slice
High-fibre crispbreads
BREAKFAST CEREALS*
All-Bran
Bran
Traditional porridge oats
Oat bran
Homemade muesli
GRAINS*
Barley
Bulgar
Buckwheat
Oatmeal
Quinoa
PASTA*
Pasta – all types made from durum wheat
Buckwheat noodles
Noodles made from mung beans
NUTS AND SEEDS*
Almonds
Cashews
Flax or linseeds
Hazelnuts
Macadamia nuts
Peanuts
Peanut butter (no palm oil or added sugar)
Pistachios
Pumpkin seeds
Sesame seeds
Sunflower seeds
DRINKS AND SNACK FOODS
Chocolate drink: ‘light’, instant
Coffee, decaffeinated (without sugar)
Corn thins
Milk, skimmed
Popcorn, homemade, with olive oil and salt
Soya milk, unsweetened
Soya nuts
Soya-nut butter (a good alternative to peanut butter)
Tea, regular and herb (without sugar)
SWEETENERS
Apple juice concentrate
Stevia (here)
Foods with Medium GI
FRUITS
Figs, dried
Fruit spreads: extra fruit, low sugar
Raisins
VEGETABLES
Beetroots, cooked
Carrots, cooked
Potatoes, peeled and boiled
Sweet potatoes
BREADS
Crispbread with fibre
Croissants
Wholegrain breads
Wholemeal pitta bread
BREAKFAST CEREALS
Alpen Crunchy Bran
Shredded Wheat
GRAINS
Rice: basmati, white and brown; long-grain brown; wild*
Wheat berries
SWEETENERS
Agave syrup
Fructose
Honey: raw organic
Foods with High GI
FRUITS
Canned fruit in syrup
Cantaloupe melon
Dates
Honeydew melon
Watermelon
VEGETABLES
Broad beans
Baked potatoes
French fries
Mashed potatoes
Parsnips
Pumpkins
Swede
BREADS
Bagels
Baguettes
Bread, white or brown
Crispbreads
BREAKFAST CEREALS
Granola
Commercial muesli
Popcorn (sweetened)
GRAINS
Couscous
Millet
Polenta
Rice: short-grain white, instant
Millet
PASTA
All tinned pastas
Gnocchi
SNACK FOODS AND DRINKS
Alcoholic drinks
Biscuits
Chocolate and sweets
Cookies
Crisps
Doughnuts
Fruit drinks
Ice cream
Juice, sweetened
Milk, whole
Popcorn, sweetened
Pretzels
Rice cakes
Soft drinks, regular
Tortilla chips
SUGAR AND SWEETENERS
Corn syrup
Glucose
Sugar: all types
Low GI Portions
Many of the low-GI foods can be eaten freely, although some, because of the amount of fat or type of starch they contain, need to be eaten in a limited amount for most effective slimming. These foods are marked*; for slimming, size the portions as follows:
Avocado ¼
Bread, 2–3 g fibre per slice
1 slice
Crispbreads (high fibre)
2 slices
Low-GI cereals
60 g (2 oz)
Nuts
avoid while slimming
Pasta
40 g (1½ oz) dry weight
Potatoes, boiled, baby new
2–3 (100 g)
Rice: basmati, brown or white
50 g (1¾ oz) dry weight
MINERALS AND VITAMINS
Most minerals and vitamins pose no problems for vegetarians or vegans. A vegetarian or vegan diet, particularly the low-GI version, is typically richer in vitamins A and C, B vitamins biotin, panto-thenic acid, folate and B6, and magnesium, than a meat diet. We do need to look at iron, calcium, vitamin B12, vitamin D, riboflavin (B2) and iodine.
Iron
We need iron for healthy blood and energy, and since meat is a prime source, people often worry about how vegetarians and vegans can get enough. However, perhaps surprisingly, studies have consistently shown that vegetarians and vegans are no more likely to suffer from lack of iron than meat eaters. The following are good sources of iron:
■ grains and grain products such as wholewheat bread and pasta, millet, quinoa
■ fortified breakfast cereals
■ dried fruit, especially apricots, figs and peaches
■ nuts and seeds, especially almonds, pistachio nuts and pumpkin seeds
■ lentils, peas and beans, including soya products
■ molasses
■ green leafy vegetables
A vital point is that we absorb more iron when we eat foods containing it alongside a good source of vitamin C, like lemon juice, fresh fruit, or vegetable juices. A balanced vegetarian or vegan diet, planned along the lines suggested in this book, includes sufficient iron.
Calcium
Calcium is essential for healthy bones and teeth. Most people know it’s found in dairy produce, but there are also some rich vegetable sources. One cup of cooked kale contains about the same amount of usable calcium as a 175 ml (6 fl oz) glass of milk. Calcium is found in:
■ milk, yogurt and cheese
■ leafy green vegetables, such as purple sprouting broccoli, kale and watercress
■ dried fruit, especially figs
■ fortified soya milk, and tofu prepared with calcium sulphate – check the label
■ blackstrap molasses
■ tap water in hard water areas and some bottled mineral waters – read the label
The calcium issue is a complex one because a number of factors can affect our ability to absorb and retain it. As calcium is needed by the body to process protein, some apparently rich sources of calcium aren’t that effective if they’re also high in protein. That’s one of the reasons why I think it’s a mistake for vegetarians to rely too much on dairy products. It’s important to eat other good sources of calcium, as listed above, regularly. And for vegans, these are essential and need to be eaten daily.
Healthy bones depend on other things as well as calcium. Vitamin D is essential for the proper absorption of calcium (see here