Fine food the GI way (From Hillingdon Times)

Fine food the GI way

3:40pm Wednesday 7th December 2005

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WITH 18 recipe books behind her many of them bestsellers Lorna Rhodes is familiar with most areas of home cooking. But her latest is particularly close to her heart.

Learn to Cook Low GI, she says, reflects her longstanding interest in healthy eating.

It sounds like a diet book, but Lorna says it's far more. "My personal interest has always been in healthy eating. It really is true that you are what you eat.

"A lot of people compliment me on my skin. I always say it's down to a lifetime of eating healthy food.

"Low GI is very much in vogue at the moment. But it doesn't have to be faddy or prescriptive. The book isn't about a diet, but a way of eating which can be adopted into your lifestyle."

Lorna first began cooking the Low GI way because her husband is a diabetic. "This way of cooking was originally developed for diabetics, because it's about the slow release of energy from the carbohydrates you eat. Our family had been used to eating this kind of food for a long time. Then nutritionists realised that if you stick to it, you can lose weight, so it evolved into a diet plan."

If the brain has a steady supply of glucose, she adds, you avoid the dips and troughs which come from eating sweets and biscuits which only result in your feeling tired and lethargic.

Lorna rejects the idea of following a diet in a faddy way. "I'm not saying a diet can't be a good idea. But there's a more sensible approach wholesome, good ingredients. We should eat more fruit and veg, five's not enough. One should eat nine a day, you get so much of a boost to your immune system, are less likely to be ill, and you increase all the wonderful nutrients which are anti-ageing and give you a wonderful skin."

Lorna's first book in 1986 was on microwave cooking, published by Sainsbury, which was hugely successful. A book for Oxo sold more than a million copies, while a fondue book was popular in many countries. She also develops recipes for food promotion companies, as well as working as a food stylist for recipe photography.

But she's not so experienced that she's out of touch with the concerns of ordinary home cooks. "I know what's it's like to come home and have to put a meal on the table.

"So many young people I work with say they know about healthy eating but don't put it into practice. Either they come home too tired or they don't have the skills. In this book I try to inspire them to cook. It's suitable for a complete beginner, with all they need to know about timing, equipment and meal plans."

The book's 70 step by step recipes include breakfast ideas and snacks as well as main dishes and cooking to impress'.

Learn to Cook Low GI, by Lorna Rhodes (Harper Thorsons £12.99)

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