Tag: Refined Sugars

Good Gylcemic Foods

The Glycemic Index was discovered in 1981 and is the basis for many recently popular diets, including the South Beach Diet as well as others. The Glycemic Index determines how long certain carbohydrates take to break down and digest in the system. Those with a high rating, take the longest time to break down and do the most damage to the system of someone with diabetes. The good glycemic foods; that is, those with the lower rates, are more desirable not only for diabetics, but for those who are watching their carbohydrate intake through such diets as the South Beach Diet, they should also be aware of what the good glycemic foods are.

Good glycemic foods tend to absorb slowly into the system, allowing the body to break down the refined sugars and starches so that the body can digest them properly. People with Type I and Type II diabetes have a difficult time digesting carbohydrates, particularly those that are high on the glycemic index, and this lack of proper digestion makes it difficult for the diabetic to expel glucose from their blood,. While most diabetics are wise to avoid most, if not all carbohydrates, as these are what are the most difficult to digest and break down, certain carbohydrates are better than others for diabetics to consume.

Good glycemic foods tend to have a low score on the Glycemic Index that was developed in 1981 at the University of Toronto. Good glycemic foods are still carbohydrates, but make it easier for the diabetic to digest and are much healthier and preferable than those glycemic foods with high ratings on the Glycemic Index. Substitutions are available for foods that rate high on the Glycemic Index and are widely available in supermarkets and other food stores.

Some of the foods that rate low on the Glycemic Index include most fruits and vegetables, Although fruits and vegetables contain sugar, the sugars contained in these good glyceic foods digest into the system at a lower rate and also provide valuable nutrients to the diabetic, or just about everyone. The only vegetable that a diabetic should avoid is a potato, as it has a high glycemic index. Other fruits and vegetables, however, are preferable than white rice, white bread, corn flakes and anything made with white refined sugar or flour.

Other good glycemic foods include wholegrain breads and pastas. If you or a loved one has Type I or Type II diabetes, you should switch to whole grain breads and pastas made from wheat flour. This can be tremendously helpful to anyone who wants to manage their glycemia as well as anyone who wants to follow such low carb diets. Basmati rice is also considered one of the good glycemic foods.

Often, it is not a matter of eliminating carbohydrates when one is using diet to control their diabetes, but understanding which carbohydrates rate high on the glycemic index. Diabetes is a disease that can be controlled by proper diet, monitoring one’s blood sugar and following doctor’s orders as far as medication.

Diabetes Diet Menus

If you have diabetes it means that your body cannot use sugar the way it was meant to be used. A normal person’s pancreas makes insulin that helps their body use sugar that they take in when they eat. If you have diabetes then your pancreas either does not make enough insulin or does not make any at all and so you need help to make sure that the sugar in your blood stream does not get to be too much. One way to do that is to follow diabetic diet menus.

Diabetic diet menus will help keep your blood sugars stable along with the medication your doctor has prescribed whether it be an oral antidiabetic agent or insulin shots.

The first thing you need to do is go over everything with your doctor and make sure you understand what you need to do to keep your body in good working order so you can minimize the adverse effects of diabetes. There are many, so do what you can to take care of your self. Working closely with your doctor you should be able to manage your disease without too much trouble.

Diet is very important and your doctor may refer you to a dietitian to help plan out what you should and should not eat. There are foods that will help maintain relatively steady blood sugars and foods that will make your blood sugar spike. Certain carbohydrates are your enemy. A dietitian will help you sort things out and get you on the right track.

Processed foods and refined sugars can actually make your diabetes worse. This is according to the Harvard School of Public Health. The HSPH recommends you choose healthy, low-glycemic index foods like whole grains, oatmeal, brown rice, nuts, beans and legumes and lots of fruits and vegetables like asparagus, spinach and broccoli, tomatoes, cherries and peaches.

Starchy foods like potatoes, bananas and corn are not recommended. Starchy foods are too readily converted to simple sugars in your body and will spike your blood sugars making it more difficult to regulate them.

It is also recommended that you never skip meals and, if possible, eat five small meals a day with the same number of carbohydrates at each meal. If this is not possible then make sure that you have some healthy snacks available to eat between your three main meals each day.

Making a weekly menu will help you plan all the meals out that you will eat each week. This makes your grocery shopping trip so much easier because you have everything planned already so you can just make your shopping list from your menu plans. You will have everything you need to make the meals you want to eat, no more trying to decide what to eat at the last minute.

Each week you will have your diabetes diet menus posted in the kitchen so you can track what you are eating and see, at a glance, if any changes need to be made.