If you have diabetes, you need to watch your diet to keep your blood glucose levels from getting too high. You can use a number of different diets to do this. Two popular examples are the consistent carbohydrate diet, or carbohydrate counting, and the glycemic index diet. Both can be helpful in managing your blood glucose levels.
Consistent Carbohydrate Diet
For the consistent carbohydrate diet, you and your doctor or dietitian decide on a number of carbohydrate servings per day and divide them among the meals and snacks that you consume at evenly spaced intervals throughout the day. Each carbohydrate serving consists of 15 g of carbohydrates. When first starting on this diet, you test your blood glucose levels frequently to verify that they are not getting too high with the carbohydrate level you have set.
Gycemic Index
The glycemic index measures how quickly and how much a particular food containing carbohydrates raises blood sugar in comparison to either white bread or glucose. If you want to use the glycemic index to plan a diabetes diet, you should consume mainly foods that are low or medium on the glycemic index, such as whole grains, non-starchy vegetables, most fruits and dried beans. However, many factors affect the glycemic index of foods, including how long the food is cooked, how it is processed, how ripe it is and how much fat and fiber the food contains.
Effectiveness
The amount of carbohydrates affects blood sugar levels more than the type of carbohydrate, according to the American Diabetes Association. Therefore, for many people, carbohydrate counting may be more effective than using the glycemic index. This doesn't mean people with diabetes can't use the glycemic index to effectively control their blood glucose levels. Children with type 1 diabetes given dietary advice on using the food pyramid and choosing low-glycemic index foods controlled their blood sugar levels at least as well as children in the carbohydrate counting group, while having more flexibility in their diet, according to a study published in the journal "Diabetes Care" in 2001. Using the glycemic index in conjunction with carbohydrate counting can help you to control your blood glucose levels even better.
Considerations
Whichever diabetic diet you choose to follow, choose high-quality carbohydrates. Focus on whole grains, fruits and vegetables rather than choosing processed foods, refined grains and sweets, recommends the Harvard School of Public Health. High-quality carbohydrates will provide you with the most nutrition and health benefits, and are often less likely to raise your blood sugar than refined grains and processed foods.
References
- "Clinical Diabetes"; Carbohydrate Counting: The Basics; July 2005
- American Diabetes Association: Glycemic Index and Diabetes
- "Diabetes Care"; The Effect of Flexible Low Glycemic Index Dietary Advice Versus Measured Carbohydrate Exchange Diets on Glycemic Control in Children With Type 1 Diabetes; Heather R. Gilbertson, GDD, et al.; July 2001
- Harvard School of Public Health: Carbohydrates: Good Carbs Guide the Way
