berry question

[denisek]

When reading from the book about phase 2 he says it is not a good idea to eat fruit first thing in the morning, so why do the breakfasts start with berries. Are they pretty low on the glycemic index-couldn't find them when I looked in the book. I had berries on my oatmeal this morning but I also had a hard boiled eggs. Can someone please explain this seemingly contradiction.

[luv2bike]

When entering phase two, it's best to start off with fruit that's low on the glycemic index chart. That would be grapefruit, apples and berries. The web site says that other fruit can be added later on in phase 2. Just watch your reaction to a certain item and see if they cause you any problems.

Anything you eat that slows the digestion of sugars in carbs is a good thing. Slowing down the digestion of carbs will result in your body producing less insulin. And less insulin means a less dramatic drop in blood sugar. A diminished rise and fall of sugar means less hunger later. The fact that you ate a boiled egg with your breakfast was a smart thing to do. The fat in the egg is one of carb's competitors and so is the fiber from the oatmeal. Eating these two items with your fruit at breakfast will help alleviate any spikes in insulin from the fruit. So, if you eat fruit at breakfast, never eat it alone.

Here are three important food components that will slow down digestion.

• Fats
• Fiber
• Acids

[Mindy moves on!]

Denise that's a really good question. In the original blue, SB diet book the meal plan for Phase 2 is actually a full-blown Phase 2. It turns out that later SB data confirms that it is best to gradually ease into Phase 2.

So now the recommendation is to start with one whole grain serving or fruit or both (at separate meals), but don't have the fruit first thing in the am. The reason for this is that after clearing all the sugars out of your body on Phase 1, dumping fruit sugar in your system first thing in the morning overwhemls your insulin and causes a spike, which could lead to cravings, headaches and more.

So when entering Phase 2, don't follow the menu plan in the book. Look at the sticky's on the Phase 2 forum and learn how to transition. Once you are totally into Phase 2, then you can follow the meal plans. But keep in mind that most of us lose best with only 1-2 grains and 1-2 fruits per day.

Once you get up to 3 grains and 3 fruits you will be at your limit and essentially in Phase 3, where weight loss stops and maintenance begins.

Unfortunately the book is very vague which is why this site is so important. Some of us get updates that they pay for directly from the SB diet and we incorporate those gems here. And in Dr. Agatston's later books (such as in the new Quick & Easy cookbook, he goes into those updates there).

Good luck to you. It sounds like you are doing well. :sun: I would have answered this sooner but I was sick and not posting for a couple of weeks.