One of the principles of a low GL diet is to always eat carbs with some protein. Examples of this are:

• Nuts or seeds with fruit
• Fish, eggs, meat or beans with brown rice or potatoes
• A nut butter such as sugar-free peanut or almond with a ‘non-squishable’ bread such as Scandinavian style vollkornbrot or sourdough wholegrain rye
• Natural, live yoghurt with berries
• Hummus (chickpea spread) with oatcakes

The reason this lowers the GL of a meal and consequently makes you feel fuller for longer is that protein takes longer to digest, triggers an increase in stomach acid, plus the shutting of the valves at the top and bottom of the stomach to digest the protein. The sugars in carbs also get ‘slow released’ by this process.

That’s why anything acidic, from citric acid in lemon juice to acetic acid in vinegar help to lower the GL of what you’re eating. Watch out for balsamic vinegar which is almost sugar – at most use a drop. Apple cider vinegar is much better.

Here are some top tips to lower your daily GL

• Add lemon juice or apple cider vinegar to your meals.
• Liquidise solid food to make soup, as this is more filling.
• Add a spoonful of chia seeds to your cereal.
• Soak oats or eat them as porridge (chia porridge soaked overnight is really filling, but be sure to drink plenty of fluids such as water or herbal tea as they act like a sponge in your body.
• Chew each mouthful at least 20 times and sip water throughout the meal.
• Put your fork down on the plate between mouthfuls.
• Never add sweet sauces – Dijon mustard, for example, is sugar-free and anti-inflammatory.
• Wait 30 minutes before eating something sweet.
• Save your dessert until it’s time for a snack, and include some protein.