If you've recently been diagnosed with diabetes, you probably have dozens of questions about what types of changes you'll have to make with your life--especially your diet. According to the American Diabetes Association, an estimated 23.6 million children and adults have Type 1 or 2 diabetes, a serious metabolic disease that can affect your kidneys, nerves, eyesight and feet. Diabetes is typically treated through a combination of diet, exercise and medication. Learning how to modify your menus can make a significant difference in how well you manage your blood glucose levels.
Breakfast Carbohydrates
The key to learning what type of carbohydrates you can eat to safely manage your diabetes lies in understanding the glycemic index (GI) of carbohydrates. The glycemic index of carbohydrates is a simple system that rates how quickly the carbohydrates you eat cause your blood glucose to spike. All carbs are rated as low (below 55), medium (55 to 70) and high (above 70). The goal is to try to eat a majority of low-rated carbs for your meals. For instance, instead of eating a bowl of Corn Chex that is rated at 83, choose old-fashioned oatmeal (48) or half of a grapefruit (25). The glycemic index is not affected by the quantity of the carbohydrates you eat but the quality of the carb itself.
Lunch Carbohydrates
Many traditional lunches begin with high GI baked breads, such as white bread (70) or a French baguette (95). Instead of these poor choices, choose breads such as pumpernickel (49), oat and raisin bread (54) or sourdough (54). Although some of these are not low GI carbs, you can help to offset their glycemic index by adding fat and protein to them such as lean, sliced turkey. The important concept is not the specific GI rating of the carb itself but how it averages out with the rest of your meals by the end of the day.
Dinner Carbohydrates
Dinner probably provides the most flexibility with the glycemic index because you can mix a variety of different fats, proteins and low GI vegetables along with higher GI carbs. For instance, although you may choose six or eight saltine crackers (74), you can balance their GI effect with a bowl of tomato soup (38). Many types of beans such as black beans (30), boiled butter beans (33) and navy beans (38) can help to offset other carbs like sweet corn (56), parsnips (97) and boiled white potatoes (63). If you find yourself in a situation where you're not in charge of the menu, ask the hostess or waiter if you can add a small portion of some type of protein or fat. Both will slow the digestive process of carbohydrates and slow how fast the carbs make your blood glucose levels peak.
