NZ Herald
  • Home
  • Latest news
  • Herald NOW
  • Video
  • New Zealand
  • Sport
  • World
  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Podcasts
  • Quizzes
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Viva
  • Weather

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • New Zealand
    • All New Zealand
    • Crime
    • Politics
    • Education
    • Open Justice
    • Scam Update
  • Herald NOW
  • On The Up
  • World
    • All World
    • Australia
    • Asia
    • UK
    • United States
    • Middle East
    • Europe
    • Pacific
  • Business
    • All Business
    • MarketsSharesCurrencyCommoditiesStock TakesCrypto
    • Markets with Madison
    • Media Insider
    • Business analysis
    • Personal financeKiwiSaverInterest ratesTaxInvestment
    • EconomyInflationGDPOfficial cash rateEmployment
    • Small business
    • Business reportsMood of the BoardroomProject AucklandSustainable business and financeCapital markets reportAgribusiness reportInfrastructure reportDynamic business
    • Deloitte Top 200 Awards
    • CompaniesAged CareAgribusinessAirlinesBanking and financeConstructionEnergyFreight and logisticsHealthcareManufacturingMedia and MarketingRetailTelecommunicationsTourism
  • Opinion
    • All Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Editorials
    • Business analysis
    • Premium opinion
    • Letters to the editor
  • Politics
  • Sport
    • All Sport
    • OlympicsParalympics
    • RugbySuper RugbyNPCAll BlacksBlack FernsRugby sevensSchool rugby
    • CricketBlack CapsWhite Ferns
    • Racing
    • NetballSilver Ferns
    • LeagueWarriorsNRL
    • FootballWellington PhoenixAuckland FCAll WhitesFootball FernsEnglish Premier League
    • GolfNZ Open
    • MotorsportFormula 1
    • Boxing
    • UFC
    • BasketballNBABreakersTall BlacksTall Ferns
    • Tennis
    • Cycling
    • Athletics
    • SailingAmerica's CupSailGP
    • Rowing
  • Lifestyle
    • All Lifestyle
    • Viva - Food, fashion & beauty
    • Society Insider
    • Royals
    • Sex & relationships
    • Food & drinkRecipesRecipe collectionsRestaurant reviewsRestaurant bookings
    • Health & wellbeing
    • Fashion & beauty
    • Pets & animals
    • The Selection - Shop the trendsShop fashionShop beautyShop entertainmentShop giftsShop home & living
    • Milford's Investing Place
  • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • TV
    • MoviesMovie reviews
    • MusicMusic reviews
    • BooksBook reviews
    • Culture
    • ReviewsBook reviewsMovie reviewsMusic reviewsRestaurant reviews
  • Travel
    • All Travel
    • News
    • New ZealandNorthlandAucklandWellingtonCanterburyOtago / QueenstownNelson-TasmanBest NZ beaches
    • International travelAustraliaPacific IslandsEuropeUKUSAAfricaAsia
    • Rail holidays
    • Cruise holidays
    • Ski holidays
    • Luxury travel
    • Adventure travel
  • Kāhu Māori news
  • Environment
    • All Environment
    • Our Green Future
  • Talanoa Pacific news
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Property Insider
    • Interest rates tracker
    • Residential property listings
    • Commercial property listings
  • Health
  • Technology
    • All Technology
    • AI
    • Social media
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
    • Opinion
    • Audio & podcasts
  • Weather forecasts
    • All Weather forecasts
    • Kaitaia
    • Whangārei
    • Dargaville
    • Auckland
    • Thames
    • Tauranga
    • Hamilton
    • Whakatāne
    • Rotorua
    • Tokoroa
    • Te Kuiti
    • Taumaranui
    • Taupō
    • Gisborne
    • New Plymouth
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Dannevirke
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Levin
    • Paraparaumu
    • Masterton
    • Wellington
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Blenheim
    • Westport
    • Reefton
    • Kaikōura
    • Greymouth
    • Hokitika
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
    • Wānaka
    • Oamaru
    • Queenstown
    • Dunedin
    • Gore
    • Invercargill
  • Meet the journalists
  • Promotions & competitions
  • OneRoof property listings
  • Driven car news

Puzzles & Quizzes

  • Puzzles
    • All Puzzles
    • Sudoku
    • Code Cracker
    • Crosswords
    • Cryptic crossword
    • Wordsearch
  • Quizzes
    • All Quizzes
    • Morning quiz
    • Afternoon quiz
    • Sports quiz

Regions

  • Northland
    • All Northland
    • Far North
    • Kaitaia
    • Kerikeri
    • Kaikohe
    • Bay of Islands
    • Whangarei
    • Dargaville
    • Kaipara
    • Mangawhai
  • Auckland
  • Waikato
    • All Waikato
    • Hamilton
    • Coromandel & Hauraki
    • Matamata & Piako
    • Cambridge
    • Te Awamutu
    • Tokoroa & South Waikato
    • Taupō & Tūrangi
  • Bay of Plenty
    • All Bay of Plenty
    • Katikati
    • Tauranga
    • Mount Maunganui
    • Pāpāmoa
    • Te Puke
    • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Hawke's Bay
    • All Hawke's Bay
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Havelock North
    • Central Hawke's Bay
    • Wairoa
  • Taranaki
    • All Taranaki
    • Stratford
    • New Plymouth
    • Hāwera
  • Manawatū - Whanganui
    • All Manawatū - Whanganui
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Manawatū
    • Tararua
    • Horowhenua
  • Wellington
    • All Wellington
    • Kapiti
    • Wairarapa
    • Upper Hutt
    • Lower Hutt
  • Nelson & Tasman
    • All Nelson & Tasman
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Tasman
  • Marlborough
  • West Coast
  • Canterbury
    • All Canterbury
    • Kaikōura
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
  • Otago
    • All Otago
    • Oamaru
    • Dunedin
    • Balclutha
    • Alexandra
    • Queenstown
    • Wanaka
  • Southland
    • All Southland
    • Invercargill
    • Gore
    • Stewart Island
  • Gisborne

Media

  • Video
    • All Video
    • NZ news video
    • Herald NOW
    • Business news video
    • Politics news video
    • Sport video
    • World news video
    • Lifestyle video
    • Entertainment video
    • Travel video
    • Markets with Madison
    • Kea Kids news
  • Podcasts
    • All Podcasts
    • The Front Page
    • On the Tiles
    • Ask me Anything
    • The Little Things
  • Cartoons
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / New Zealand

Nutrition: Eating energetically

By Lani Lopez
Other·
28 Mar, 2012 01:16 AM4 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

Photo / Getty

Photo / Getty

If you're collapsing in front of the telly each night, you might like to take a look at the GI value of what you're eating. By Lani Lopez

We are living in an energy crisis. But this particular crisis doesn't involve oil, global warming, or conflict. This is a far more personal crisis, the battle for the energy to make it through the day.

In my work as a naturopath, the most asked question is how do I get more energy?

It is asked at all stages of life too, Grandparents and young mothers want energy to play with their children. Young couples need the energy to get home from work with enough left over to have a relationship that involves more than flopping in front of the TV every night. I hear everyone, from ironman entrants to people struggling with chronic ailments, all on a quest for energy. A large part of the answer lies in energetic eating, consuming foods to support and sustain us.

One key tool is the Glycemic Index or GI of food, a guide to the rate energy is released from food for our body to use. Basically the slower that energy is released, the better, and the lower the GI number of a food.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

This slow release brings more than just the energy benefits, especially in the battle against obesity. While high GI foods give us crash-and-burn energy cycles and binge-eating urges, low GI foods are more satisfying, suppressing appetite for longer and providing long-lasting energy.

In 1999 an early research leader in this field, Dr. David Ludwig of Boston Children's Hospital, published research showing that foods with lower GI scores reduced hunger in his obese teenage patients.

Ludwig says that higher GI foods "trigger a rise in blood sugar, followed by a cascade of hormonal changes, which tend to make you hungry again sooner because they are metabolised quicker than low-GI foods," which he explains "are more satisfying than high-glycemic foods. Low-GI foods take longer to absorb and help dieters feel full longer, so they are less likely to overeat. High-GI foods break down faster, leaving you hungry and less satisfied."

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Energy is a short term win and weight loss a significant longer term benefit, but research suggests that there maybe even more compelling life-long reasons to go with low GI food.

A study from the University of California has shown that high GI foods may increase the risk of colorectal cancer in women.

But back to energy. In addition to the challenge of sufficient sleep, a successful thief of energy is dehydration. We all know to drink water several times a day, but water alone doesn't satisfy the palate. Some drinks drain energy - caffeine, sugary soft drinks, especially so-called "energy drinks", or more than a few serves of fruit juice a day load the system with sugary fructose, and so, too, with alcohol.

Energy friendly drinks include herbal teas, lemon and other citrus in hot water, vinegar and honey (add ginger to fight colds).

Discover more

New Zealand

Health: Get energised for immunity

29 Apr 11:04 PM
New Zealand

Nutrition Nutrition for flexibility

30 May 01:40 AM
Lifestyle

Nutrition: Bones need nutrients too

07 May 01:57 AM
New Zealand

Nutrition: Dem bones

03 May 02:05 AM

Eating Energetically

Steer clear of:

Sugar under any of its guises; sucrose, glucose, maltose, fructose, corn syrup etc

Processed and refined carbohydrates such as white flour products (even multi-grain bread can be white flour with grains added; read the label).

Eat plenty of:

Fibre-rich food: legumes and beans, kidney beans, chickpeas, lentils, whole grains, brown rice, wholemeal pasta, barley, quinoa, oat bran and low GI cereals.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Fruit and veges, including the skin when possible,
especially with organic and spray-free produce

Smaller amounts more often - snack freely between meals, keep a stash of raw nuts, fruit, avocado and cut up fresh veges handy such as celery or carrot sticks.

Include protein with each meal, add nuts to your cereal, tuna or chickpeas in salad and eat fish and red meat.


Energy Friendly tips
• Refrigerating boiled potatoes significantly lowers their GI. Boil your potatoes, chill them and eat them cold for slower energy release.
• A capful of vinegar ?at every meal ?reduces GI.

By Lani Lopez
??Lani Lopez BHSc, Adv.Dip.Nat, is a clinical nutritionist, author and a specialist formulator of naturopathic supplements.
Find out more at Lanilopez.com or contact her at naturopath@lanilopez.com

Glycemic Index measures increases in the blood glucose (a type of sugar) by eating a specific carbohydrate (food containing sugar). High GI foods release glucose quickly and cause a rapid rise in blood glucose. Foods with a low glycemic index release glucose slowly into the blood. A glycemic index score over 70 is considered high by the Glycemic Index Foundation. A medium grade is between 56 and 69, and a low score is under 55.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Save

    Share this article

Latest from New Zealand

Premium
New ZealandUpdated

'A sad loss': Why this prostate cancer treatment is 'disappearing' in NZ

10 Jul 06:24 PM
New ZealandUpdated

'Give Paea a chance': Wife's tearful plea for Tongan overstayer

10 Jul 06:23 PM
live
New Zealand

Fresh flood threat as thunderstorms, gales lash north; south braces for another deluge

10 Jul 06:22 PM

From early mornings to easy living

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from New Zealand

Premium
'A sad loss': Why this prostate cancer treatment is 'disappearing' in NZ

'A sad loss': Why this prostate cancer treatment is 'disappearing' in NZ

10 Jul 06:24 PM

'It’s not the treatment that’s the problem,' a urologist says.

'Give Paea a chance': Wife's tearful plea for Tongan overstayer

'Give Paea a chance': Wife's tearful plea for Tongan overstayer

10 Jul 06:23 PM
Fresh flood threat as thunderstorms, gales lash north; south braces for another deluge
live

Fresh flood threat as thunderstorms, gales lash north; south braces for another deluge

10 Jul 06:22 PM
Premium
Wellington mayoral candidate Ray Chung spread sex, drugs gossip about Tory Whanau

Wellington mayoral candidate Ray Chung spread sex, drugs gossip about Tory Whanau

10 Jul 06:07 PM
Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky
sponsored

Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • NZ Herald e-editions
  • Daily puzzles & quizzes
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Subscribe to the NZ Herald newspaper
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP