When I was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes, I felt shell-shocked.
I remember going into the exam room and sitting there nervously waiting. The doctor eventually came in and said, "You are diabetic." I wasn't ready for that because all I had was a swollen left foot, and feelings of lethargy and laziness I just could not shake. Maybe I should have seen it coming?
The doctor adequately explained how diabetes works. I was then scheduled for a diabetes education class at the doctor's office on a later date. The class was not as helpful as I had hoped (it didn't cure me) but I got sound verbal and written information that put me on the path to at least trying to get a grip on things.
Over time, I went from being scared to eat a small piece of candy to not eating healthfully at all. Even though I knew better.
And all these years later, I am still a work in progress.
One of the biggest problems Type 2 diabetics have can be the body's reaction to carbohydrates, especially processed carbs. Carbohydrates are one of the three macronutrients in our diet. Macronutrient is a general term for essential dietary components -- protein, essential fats and carbohydrates -- which are consumed in large amounts. Carbohydrates include sugars, starches and fiber. They exist in many forms and are found in vegetables, fruits, grains and dairy.
Processed carbohydrates are everywhere in foods such as bread, pasta and rice, in fruit and fruit juices, and sugar-sweetened drinks.
Carbohydrates represent an important source of energy for the body and are vital for a balanced diet. But what does "balance" look like for a Type 2 diabetic? How many grams should I consume every day?
I decided to start with the website of the American Diabetes Association (diabetes.org and, specifically, bit.ly/1nbldlu), which is where I usually go anyway because of the solid information I find there.
The ADA recommends starting at 45 to 60 grams of carbohydrate per meal. It says finding the right amount of carbohydrates is different for everybody. We have to consider things like our activity level and the medications we take. The more active we are, the more carbohydrates we can eat. And eating fewer can help keep blood glucose in check.
Then I went to the website of the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (bit.ly/1U7szc5). It has a Diabetes (Endocrine) Clinic. It also recommends starting with 45 to 60 grams of carbohydrate at each meal, and 15 to 30 grams at each snack, shooting for the lesser end of the range if weight loss is our goal.
We do not have to eat "special" foods either. The foods that are good for everyone are good for diabetics. The main thing is a balance among the food we eat, physical activity and the insulin our bodies make. It suggests eating about the same amount of carbohydrates around the same time each day, spreading meals out and not skipping them.
Lastly I went to the Mayo Clinic's website (mayocl.in/1NKALJn), to see what it says about a low-carb diet.
Keep in mind that the Mayo Clinic advice is aimed at healthy people trying to lose weight. The article states that a typical low-carbohydrate diet aims for 60 to 130 grams per day. In contrast, the Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommends that if people eat, say, 2,000 calories per day, they would eat between 225 to 325 grams of carbohydrates. Mayo Clinic urged caution.
Despite reading all that, I was still confused. So in my next column I'm going to review the book What Do I Eat Now? A Step-by-Step Guide to Eating Right With Type 2 Diabetes. It's written by registered dietitians Tami A. Ross and Patti B. Geil, and is available on diabetes.org.
Email me at:
rboggs@arkansasonline.com
ActiveStyle on 04/25/2016