GI DIET

[glenmar13]

Has anyone used the GI diet and is it safe with type 2.
Glen

 

[zand]

I prefer LCHF (low carb high fat) myself, but others here like the GI diet @douglas99 is one.

 

[pavlosn]

Your glucose meter can answer that better than anyone of us and what is more it will tell you whether it works in your particular case.

So try it, test before and after each meal and see if you can keep your after counts within 2mmol of your counts before.

You may like to consider the glycemic load (GL) approach as well, which ranks food items according to a combination of their GI value (a measure of how quickly the food will turn to glucose) and the foods carb content. GL is considered a refinement of GI.

@douglas99 should be able to give you his personal experience. My understanding is that he used GI with strict and severe calorie control combined with a lot of physical exercise and his approach worked very well for him.

Pavlos

 

[Daibell]

Hi. I'm not really sure what a 'GI diet' is? As Diabetics we need to take account of the amount of carbs and by keeping the GI low you slow the absorption which minimises spikes. As pavlosn says the GL is quite useful as it takes account of the GI and the amount of carbs in specific food portions. So a diet that keeps GL down and incorporates low-GI carbs is good.

 

[nancyb]

I have found the advice in Patrick Holford's GL diet useful, although I haven't stuck to it rigidly. I have lost weight easily and my b.g. is gradually stabilising. The main change that I have made is in the proportions of food on my plate - fill half the plate with veg or salad, then a quarter each of protein and carbs. Seems to work for me.

 

[catherinecherub]

Has anyone used the GI diet and is it safe with type 2.
Glen

The G.I. diet has plenty of advocates but what you have to remember is that your response to carbohydrates may not be the same as another person so it is essential to test.
It does not mean that because a particular carbohydrate is a low G.I. that you can eat it on it's own and not get a spike. (You will also have to test to see what size portion will suit you.) An example would be eating a slice of bread/toast with nothing on it or no other accompanying it.

If you had a meal consisting of a few new potatoes, some greens, and protein and then had a dessert with a high G.I. fruit then the overall meal would be low G.I. because if you add up the G.I. values and then divide by 4 you will still be under what is considered a medium G.I.

This site will explain the G.I. principle
http://www.montignac.com/en/the-glycemic-index-concept/

http://www.montignac.com/en/warnings-on-the-misinterpretation-of-the-glycemic-index-concept/
http://www.montignac.com/en/the-glycemic-index-concept/

If you need any advice then please ask.

 

[douglas99]

Has anyone used the GI diet and is it safe with type 2.
Glen

Yes, and yes, providing you find which foods are low GI for yourself.
As with any diet, you have to eat to your meter, then compile a range of foods, and quantities that lets you keep your BG in a range you are comfortable in.
I found smaller amounts, regularly, worked better for me.

My initial thread about my diet was here
http://www.diabetes.co.uk/forum/threads/lowered-my-hba1c-in-4-months.47256/
http://www.diabetes.co.uk/forum/threads/more-on-diets.48547/

I have settled into this diet, I eat carbs, not a lot of fat, and normal protein.
The carbs are low GI/GL normally, and portion controlled.

One of the main things to help my diabetes I think was losing weight, I lost 4 1/2 stone or so, and found I am much better with regard to insulin resistance.
Exercise and building muscles also helped.

One of the other things I was keen to keep was my tolerance to carbs, as sometimes I'm out, and can't really choose what I eat, I noticed if I maintain carbs in my diet, I can cope with the odd higher GI meal better. I did lchf for a brief period, but found a higher rise in BG if I ate the same higher GI food, so went back to low GI/GL.

I count calories, quite aggressively at first, to achieve the weight loss. Now I don't particularly, but I do have a good idea of what to estimate in a day's food.
I also weight myself still. An over indulgence one day, and I cut back the next.
I'm also quite active.

I'm currently trying the Newcastle diet, not specifically to lose any more weight, more because I want to see the effect on the diabetes long term.