Hello, I am Ty Mason of thediabetescouncil.com, researcher, writer and I have type 2 diabetes.
Today I want to talk debunk some diabetes food myths.
After you watch the video today, I invite you check out the description box for my new
ebook.
This is one of the most comprehensive diabetes meal planning book you can find.
It contains diabetes friendly meals/recipes, recipes for different goals such as 800-1800
calories per day meal plan, diabetes meal planning tips and tricks.
There are also tons of diabetes friendly recipes for everyone!
Scouring the internet for reliable information about a diet for those with diabetes can leave
you confused and misinformed.
There’s no shortage of advice, but it’s often challenging to discern fact from fiction.
Below we debunk 10 common diabetes diet myths.
1.
People with diabetes have to eat different foods from the rest of the family.
People with diabetes can eat the same foods as the rest of their family.
Current nutrition guidelines for diabetes are very flexible and offer many choices,
allowing people with diabetes to fit in favorite or special-occasion foods.
Everyone, whether they have diabetes or not, should eat a healthful diet that consists
of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean protein foods, and heart-healthy fats.
So, if you have diabetes, there's no need to cook separately from your family.
2.
People with diabetes should never give in to food cravings.
Almost everyone has food cravings at some point, and people with diabetes are no exception.
It's not uncommon for people with diabetes to cut out all sweets or even cut way back
on food portions in order to lose weight.
In turn, your body often responds to these drastic changes by creating cravings.
Nine times out of ten, your food choices in these situations tend to be high in fat and/or
sugar, too.
The best way to deal with food cravings is to try to prevent them by following a healthy
eating plan that lets you occasionally fit sweets into your diabetes meal plan.
If a craving does occur, let yourself have a small taste of whatever it is you want.
By doing so, you can enjoy the flavor and avoid overeating later on.
3.
People with diabetes shouldn't eat too many starchy foods, even if they contain fiber,
because starch raises your blood glucose and makes you gain weight.
Starchy foods, such as bread, pasta, rice and cereal, provide carbohydrate, the body's
energy source.
Fruit, milk, yogurt and desserts contain carbohydrate as well.
Everyone needs some carbohydrate in their diet, even people with diabetes.
Weight gain occurs when you take in more calories than you burn off.
So, if you eat too much of any food, you'll end up gaining weight.
The key is knowing how much of all the good food groups to eat to help keep blood glucose
levels in a safe range and keep you at a healthy weight.
Choose starchy foods that are whole grain and high in fiber for overall good nutrition.
4.
Eating sugar causes diabetes According to the American Diabetes Association
(ADA), eating too much sugar alone doesn’t cause diabetes, but it may be a contributing
factor in some cases.
Type 1 diabetes is caused by genetics and possibly an autoimmune response to a trigger.
Type 2 diabetes is caused by genetics and various risk factors, some of which are related
to lifestyle.
Being overweight, having high blood pressure, being over the age of 45, and being sedentary
are just some of the risk factors that can lead to diabetes.
Sugar-sweetened drinks, such as sodas and fruit punches, are high in empty calories,
and recent studies have linked these to a higher risk of diabetes.
To help prevent diabetes, the ADA recommends avoiding them.
However, other sweets by themselves are not a cause of diabetes.
5.
Carbohydrates (carbs) are the enemy Carbs aren’t your enemy.
It is not carbs themselves, but the type of carb and the quantity of carb that you eat
that is important for those with diabetes.
Not all carbs are created equal.
Those that are low on the glycemic index (GI) scale, a measure of how quickly foods with
carbohydrates may impact blood sugar levels, are better choices than those with a high
GI, explains the ADA.
Examples of low-GI carbs include:
rolled or steel-cut oatmeal whole-grain bread
dried beans and legumes low-starch vegetables, such as spinach, broccoli,
and tomatoes It’s also a good idea to choose foods with
a lower glycemic load (GL).
GL is similar to GI, but it incorporates serving size into the calculation.
It’s considered a more accurate estimate of how foods will affect your blood sugar.
Examples of low-GL carbs include:
150 grams of soybeans 80 grams of green peas
80 grams of parsnips 80 grams of carrots
If you eat a high-GI or high-GL food, combining it with a low-GI or low-GL food can help balance
your meal.
Harvard Medical School provides a helpful list of GI and GL values for over 100 foods.
Once you pick healthy carbs, you still need to manage the portion of carbs, as too many
carbs can cause higher blood sugar levels.
Stick to your personal carb target.
If you don’t have one, ask your healthcare team what’s best.
If you use the plate method of portion control, limit your carbs to one-quarter of the plate.
6.
You’ll never eat dessert again Go ahead and enjoy a slice of cake or a cookie
now and then, even if you have diabetes.
The key is moderation and portion control.
According to the National Institutes of Health, restricting yourself too much may eventually
lead to binge eating or overeating.
Beware of the “all or nothing” mentality.
Feel free to indulge in a small serving of your favorite sweet on special occasions.
Just be sure to limit other carbs in your meal to strike a safe balance.
Stick to your personal carb target.
The average person should eat about 45 to 60 grams of carbohydrates per meal, advises
the ADA.
You can find healthier, low-carb versions of many sweet treats by exploring the plethora
of recipes available online.
7.
You can’t unwind with wine Alcohol in moderation is OK if your diabetes
is under control.
The Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend that women drink no more than one alcoholic
beverage per day and that men don’t go over two.
One drink is 5 ounces of wine, 12 ounces of beer, or 1.5 ounces of distilled spirits.
It’s also a good idea to monitor your blood sugar levels for 24 hours after drinking.
Alcohol can potentially cause your blood sugar to drop below normal levels, interfere with
your medications, and prevent your liver from producing glucose.
8.
Fruit is bad There are no forbidden fruits on a diabetes
diet.
While it’s true that some fruits contain more natural sugars than others, you can enjoy
any of them if you stick to the proper portion.
According to the Mayo Clinic, one serving of any type of fruit contains about 15 grams
of carbohydrate.
For example, that’s equal to about:
1/2 medium banana 1/2 cup cubed mango
3/4 cup cubed pineapple 1 1/4 cups strawberries
2 tablespoons dried fruit 9.
Sugar-free products are healthy Walk down almost any grocery store aisle and
you’ll find a selection of sugar-free, processed foods.
But don’t assume that a sugar-free label on a product makes it healthy.
It may still contain a lot of carbs, fat, or calories.
Be sure to check the nutrition label for the total carb content.
10.
While on medication, you can eat what you want
Taking diabetes medication doesn’t give you free reign to eat what you want, as often
as you want.
You need to take your medication as prescribed and follow a healthy diet to keep your diabetes
under control.
A diabetes eating plan is like other healthy eating plans, in that some foods support your
goals while others may sabotage them.
Regularly eating unhealthy foods or oversized portions may prevent your medication from
doing its job.
Don’t forget to get my new ebook and please, subscribe to
our channel for many more videos like this one in the future.
Thanks for watching.
I am Ty Mason.