Snacking may seem like a sensible way to keep your energy levels up, but all-day grazing can put you at increased risk for type II diabetes, stroke and heart disease, say researchers from the Hannah Research Institute in Ayr, Scotland, in a study published in the Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences. The increased risk is the result of insulin spikes created by eating foods that have a high glycaemic index (GI), a measure of how high a particular food raises blood sugar. The solution is to eat snacks that have a low GI, like cashews and grapefruit. For a detailed list of low glycaemic foods, visit the GI website created by the University of Sydney at www.glycemicindex.com. For good health, pick snacks with a GI less than 50.
