HCG AND THE "SARASOTA DIET" ROBERT G CARLSON, MD,FACS

HCG AND THE "SARASOTA DIET" DAY 4 Avoiding the whole grains. ROBERT G CARLSON, MD,FACS
Sarasota Diet- HCG and low carbohydrate Day #4
Day #4: 221.2

This was my first real challenge. I ate dinner out and carefully only ate the grouper and the green beans. The garlic mash potatoes however were continually calling for me to "Eat me". But I endured. My breakfast consisted of bacon and eggs on a low carb wrap. The wrap did have 3 grams of carbohydrates however...the bacon and eggs none. I snacked on Macadamia nuts throughout the day, and for lunch had two rollups of ham and muenster cheese. After dinner, and no dessert, I really needed something sweet, so I piled three containers of sugar-free jello into a large bowl and proceeded to fill the rest of the bowl with whip cream....no calories.

I have had a number of questions about eating whole grain breads pastas, or even brown rice. Well i am restricting my total carbohydrate intake to under 20 grams each day. A serving of 100% whole grain macoroni has 47 grams of carbohydrates, whole wheat spaghetti 37 grams, brown rice has 45 grams of carbs in one cup,Arnold's multigrain bread-20 grams, but their sugar free carb counting only has 9 grams in one slice.....essentially half your day's intake of carbohydrates. Bottomline is whole grain or not. They are packed with carbs and if you want to be successful with the Sarasota Diet, they can't be on your menu.

So what about the Glycemic Index
Not all carbohydrate foods are created equally: in fact they behave quite differently in our bodies. The glycemic index (GI) describes this difference by ranking carbohydrates according to their effect on our blood glucose levels. Eating a lot of high GI foods can be detrimental to your health because it pushes your body to extremes. This is especially true if you are overweight and sedentary. Switch to eating mainly low GI carbs (the ones that produce only small fluctuations in our blood glucose and insulin levels) is the secret to long-term health; thus reducing your risk of heart disease and diabetes which is the key to sustainable weight-loss.

• Low GI means a smaller rise in blood glucose levels after meals

• Low GI diets can help people lose weight

• Low GI diets can improve the body's sensitivity to insulin

• High GI foods help re-fuel carbohydrate levels after exercise

• Low GI improve diabetes control

• Low GI foods keep you fuller for longer.

So the key is to avoid those high glycemic index foods!