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When you started the Get a Grip plan, you may have found the Starch Curfew, which effectively limits carbohydrate intake, a surprising strategy. After all, we’ve been told for years that carbohydrate is the nutrient of choice when it comes to health and weight control. But think about it: if the low-fat, high-carbohydrate diet was the solution, obesity levels would surely have fallen, not risen, over the last couple of decades. The problem is, we’ve come to believe that as long as we don’t eat fat, we won’t get fat – and that simply isn’t the case. Too much of the wrong type of carbohydrate plays havoc with metabolism and blood sugar levels, which consequently affects satiety. Dr Walter Willett, chair of the department of nutrition at the Harvard School of Public Health, points out that we shouldn’t be thinking of cutting out carbohydrates but simply being more choosy about the type of carbohydrate we eat. Initially, this can feel like a difficult strategy to take on. After all, most of us are accustomed to eating pasta, potatoes, or rice with our evening meal. But if you’re anything like our volunteers, you probably found that not only did you get used to starch-free dinners but you also lost weight, gained energy, and didn’t feel hungry. To understand how Starch Curfew works, you need to know a little about what happens when you eat carbohydrates. When we eat, carbohydrates are broken down to small useable units of glucose. First, glucose is released into the bloodstream, signaling the pancreas to produce the hormone insulin. Insulin takes some of the glucose to cells to give them immediate energy. It changes the rest of the glucose into a substance called glycogen, which is transported to the liver and muscles for short-term storage and then converted to fat if it is not needed.

This process works well when blood sugar is released slowly into the bloodstream, but if you eat the kind of carbohydrates that quickly convert to glucose, a high concentration of insulin is released. This causes blood sugar to drop suddenly, causing fatigue and cravings for more carbohydrates. The speed with which a carbohydrate causes a rise in blood sugar is measured by the Glycemic Index. The Glycemic Index ranks foods between 1 and 100 dependent upon their effect on raising blood sugar levels. The higher a food’s GI rating, the faster blood sugar levels are raised and released into the bloodstream. Low GI foods, such as legumes, release sugar slowly into the bloodstream, keeping you satisfied for longer and preventing energy highs and lows. All of which helps you to stop craving sweet sugary snacks and keep hunger pangs at bay. The slower digestion and the more gradual rise and fall in blood sugar levels resulting from eating low glycemic index foods make them a healthier choice. A study from Harvard University’s School of Public Health found that low-GI diets are associated with a lower risk of Type II diabetes and heart disease, while Australian scientists are so convinced of the importance of the glycemic index that they have persuaded the government to include it on food labels. A healthy diet doesn’t mean only eating low-GI foods, as many other factors (such as the amount of the food you eat, the amount of protein and fat you eat with it and the presence of fiber) also influence your overall blood sugar response. But try to include more low-GI foods in your diet and fewer high-GI foods and you’ll soon see and feel a big difference in your energy levels. And by operating Starch Curfew, you’ll see and feel a big difference in how your clothes fit. Use the chart opposite to help you get the right balance.

Low GI 50 or under	Moderate GI 50–70	High GI 70 and over
Yogurt	Brown rice	White rice
Lentils	Banana	Pasta (all types)
Apples	Corn	Cornflakes
Kelloggs All-Bran	Cous Cous	White bread
		Shredded wheat
Oatmeal	Honey	and Weetabix
Butter beans,	Sweet potato	Bagel
kidney beans		Parsnips, carrots,
Chick peas	Stoneground	baked potato
	wholewheat bread Sports drinks
Milk	Crackers	French Fries
Dried apricots	Raisins	Watermelon

Most people know that the disease diabetes involves too much sugar in the blood and either not enough insulin to deal with it, or a failure in the insulin’s ability to remove it. But did you know that, as we get older, insulin sensitivity decreases even in people who don’t have diabetes? There is some evidence that suggests that if you eat a lot of high glycemic index carbohydrate foods, you become insensitive (or “resistant”) to insulin and your body has to keep pumping out insulin, which, instead of converting the glucose into energy, turns it into fat. The various effects of this insulin resistance – ”below-the-belt” fat accumulation, high concentration of blood fats, high blood pressure, and an increased risk of heart disease – have been termed Syndrome X. Developing the starch curfew habit helps you control your insulin levels, which in turn helps you stabilize your energy levels and reduce the risk of potential health problems.

You may be wondering if, with all the pitfalls of eating the wrong types of carbohydrate, it might be better just to stick with protein. The answer is no! High protein and very low carbohydrate diets aim to put the body in a state of ketosis. Ketosis means the body burns protein instead of carbohydrate for fuel. This approach is not supported by mainstream medical and nutritional establishment – in fact, the American Heart Association has actually put out a position statement condemning a high intake of protein as it increases blood cholesterol associated with heart disease and kidney disease. Starch Curfew allows you to apply a moderate approach to your eating, getting the balance right to fuel your energy and help you lose weight.

Following Starch Curfew has three benefits:

1. It cuts down calories without the calorie counting

By cutting out bread, pasta, rice, potatoes, and cereal after 5 p.m. you will naturally be cutting down your calories. But since you’ll be filling up on more fruit and vegetables, lean meat, fish and slow-releasing energy-providing legumes, you won’t feel hungry.