Diabetes and Carbohydrates

[CRPetersen]

I recently posted a page with a number of recipes I use on a very regular basis. I had diabetes, lost over 115lbs and am now off medication. Have been for over three years.
I noticed from that posting that there seemed to be some misconceptions about carbohydrates.
We often hear that people with diabetes need to avoid carbohydrates, and it an extent this is true; however, not all carbohydrates are the same and almost any nutritionist will acknowledge this.
Simple carbs are bad for anyone. Simple carbs, such as sugar, corn syrup, pastries, etc., can be deadly for some.
On the other hand almost all of us need more carbohydrates in the form of fiber and some of us can use more of the very complex carbohydrates, such as raw vegetables or old-fashioned rolled oats (I like them not cooked but just in a smoothie).
I'm absolutely not telling anyone who has been told to limit carbs to start eating carbs. I would suggest you understand the difference between one carb and another and their glycemic index and the importance of certain kinds of carbs for overall health.
I've posted a number of links to information on carbs here:

http://diabetesanddiabetesprevention.blogspot.com/

My recipes as well as my transformation video are here:

http://quickhealthymealsonabudget.blogspot.com/

 

[ButtterflyLady]

Well done on the weight loss!

I try to recommend people test before a meal and 2 hours after to see if their body can tolerate a certain carb. Carrots spike me a little but not so much that I can't eat them. Any kind of rolled oats would spike me.

 

[CRPetersen]

That is exactly right. We need carbs to be healthy, test them as you try them. One thing that some people are not aware of though is that if they eat a carb with certain foods, it helps mitigate the reaction of the carb. That's the reason I included some of the other links there. Cinnamon is one thing that seems to help me, and seems to help others, but may not help you.

 

[Dillinger]

That is exactly right. We need carbs to be healthy

No you don't - do some googling; carbohydrates are not 'essential' - that means you don't need to eat any at all. That's quite difficult in practice but the point remains; your daily required consumption of carbohydrates is nil. That's the case for non-diabetics. For diabetics, who by definition, have glucose metabolism issues carbohydrates are the last food group you would want to touch.

Have a read of the hundreds of pages of considered thought about this issue on this forum before bowling up with this sort of stuff; especially if it is self-evidently wrong.

Dillinger

 

[Alzebra]

Thanks for sharing your opinion with us. I don't agree that we need more carbs to be healthy, that kind of approach kept me ill for years. There are people on this site who eat extremely low carb and are healthy @NoCrbs4Me being one such example.

 

[ButtterflyLady]

That is exactly right. We need carbs to be healthy, test them as you try them. One thing that some people are not aware of though is that if they eat a carb with certain foods, it helps mitigate the reaction of the carb. That's the reason I included some of the other links there. Cinnamon is one thing that seems to help me, and seems to help others, but may not help you.

Eating carbs with protein and fat only slows the digestion of the carbs; they will still spike your blood sugar eventually.

I have not seen any adequate scientific evidence that cinnamon lowers blood sugar. IMO it appears to be a fad.

 

[Robbity]

The only carbohdrates I eat are mostly those in (mainly) green vegetables and some very low carb fruits (total under 40-50 grams a day maximum). I certainly neither need or want to eat any more than that, and I'm much healthier and mentally alert now than on my previous higher carbohydrate diet. So what are carbohydrates supposed to do for me (apart from raising my glucose levels) that my current more natural diet can't??

Robbity

 

[CRPetersen]

Most people need more fiber, which is a carb.

 

[ButtterflyLady]

Most people need more fiber, which is a carb.

I don't see fibre as a carb. Fibre doesn't get digested; that's how it helps relieve constipation - by helping bulk out the stool so that the nerves in the colon wall are stimulated to propel the stool along. If it was a carb it would be digested.

 

[tim2000s]

Dependent on which part of the world you live in, fiber may be included in carb counts on packaging. Fibre usually isn't. Per se, most Europeans don't consider fibre a carb.

 

[andcol]

I have not seen any adequate scientific evidence that cinnamon lowers blood sugar. IMO it appears to be a fad.

http://care.diabetesjournals.org/content/26/12/3215.full
and read this and follow the links....
http://www.naturalnews.com/043477_Ceylon_cinnamon_blood_sugar_levels_diabetes_treatment.html#

Jury is out if ceylon is better than common cinnamon. I am pretty sure I read somewhere that it is only the ceylon variety that has this effect but can't find that paper atm but it is also somewhat poisonous[/QUOTE]

 

[ButtterflyLady]

http://care.diabetesjournals.org/content/26/12/3215.full
and read this and follow the links....
http://www.naturalnews.com/043477_Ceylon_cinnamon_blood_sugar_levels_diabetes_treatment.html#

Jury is out if ceylon is better than common cinnamon. I am pretty sure I read somewhere that it is only the ceylon variety that has this effect but can't find that paper atm but it is also somewhat poisonous

[/QUOTE]
The first link is to a promising small scale study from 2003. I would be interested to see if it's been replicated since then, as that would strengthen the evidence, as would larger scale trials and systemic/meta reviews. But please don't go to any trouble finding stuff because I'm pretty skeptical about cinnamon and I'm hard to persuade after reading this:
https://www.sciencebasedmedicine.org/cinnamon-for-diabetes-the-consequences-of-natural-alternatives/

The second link is to Natural News, which (no offence but) I don't visit, based on the lack of scientific method used there.

I don't think there's any harm in trying cinnamon to see if it helps with lowering BG, but I'm not going to try it because any effect is likely to be extremely small and my focus is on reducing carbs, which I believe has a much stronger effect.

 

[CRPetersen]

Actually the book I'm offering for free and have been sharing parts of it. My intention, if there is interest is in putting all of it on the forum.

 

[Robbity]

Most people need more fiber, which is a carb.

In the UK, however, fibre is not counted as a carb, but is listed separately on our nutritions labelling, and most diabetics on low carb diets will get their fibre requirements from low carb fruits and vegetables.

So, anything else you feel carbs are actually required for?

Robbity

 

[CRPetersen]

You mention yourself that some carbs are required, and you get yours from low carb fruits and vegetables. Everyone is different. We know someone with ciliac and her diet is very different from mine. It's wonderful when anyone can find personal and workable solutions.

 

[andcol]

The first link is to a promising small scale study from 2003. I would be interested to see if it's been replicated since then, as that would strengthen the evidence, as would larger scale trials and systemic/meta reviews. But please don't go to any trouble finding stuff because I'm pretty skeptical about cinnamon and I'm hard to persuade after reading this:
https://www.sciencebasedmedicine.org/cinnamon-for-diabetes-the-consequences-of-natural-alternatives/

The second link is to Natural News, which (no offence but) I don't visit, based on the lack of scientific method used there.

The purpose of the second link was to give you many further links as I stated follow the links
Anyway here they are
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24019277
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/?term=Davis+Yokoyama+Cinnamon

 

[Munkki]

Hi, I find this discussion very interesting, as I am quite new to this. I have cut down my carbs, some time before the diabetes type 2 diagnosis, then I lost my period and just felt wrong being so super thin (lower third normal weight BMI, but strong and muscular). I ate carbs again and got my period back. Since my diagnosis I have been aiming for 100g a day and my period hasn't been back since.

I have read several articles like this, and some of it in scientific books: http://robbwolf.com/2014/02/20/females-carbohydrates-hormones/ I prioritise my diabetes at this moment, but I feel a bit like I am playing with fire when it comes to the rest of my health, particularly my fertility. What are your opinions about this?

 

[ButtterflyLady]

The purpose of the second link was to give you many further links as I stated follow the links
Anyway here they are
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24019277
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/?term=Davis+Yokoyama+Cinnamon

I'm not convinced the effect is strong enough. According to the article I cited, the effect is 0.09%. Not worth the money, IMHO, although cinnamon is fairly cheap, to be fair.

 

[CRPetersen]

I think you are right to consider overall health. The point I was trying to stress is the importance of carbs...but within your individual needs. It seems like some people have the idea that their goal is no carbs at all and I believe that can be dangerous to your overall health. A few people have recommended trying in small amounts then testing. I believe the combinations I use to make it possible to eat a wider variety of complex carbs and maintain an a1c of 5.0
What works for me may not work for others, but it may work for some.

 

[Totto]

You mention yourself that some carbs are required, and you get yours from low carb fruits and vegetables. Everyone is different. We know someone with ciliac and her diet is very different from mine. It's wonderful when anyone can find personal and workable solutions.

Who mentions what? If you could use the reply function it would be so much easier to understand what you mean.