So I read that there are two kinds of carbs, simple and complex. And further that the complex ones are better for me because they have a lower glycemic index.
So like brown rice is better than white rice, and multi grain bread or whole wheat is better than white bread.
But better doesn't mean good for me. It means less bad for me. Complex carbs still counts as carbs, still exchange as carbs and still raise my blood sugar, just more slowly.
So its like my pancreas is a bad shock absorber. It does better with slow and small changes than with fast or sudden, but no change is still best.
Am I close?
Cause if you tell me I can eat whole wheat bagels and english muffins with impunity, or brown rice and beans, I am there! Or is that just wishfull thinking, and I shoud treat complex carbs like the carbs they are.
And you’d be right… We have to control portions of carbs – all carbs – or else they will spike us, regardless of the kind. The only advantage in complex carbs is that they are more filling, so therefore, they will help you not be hungry as quickly, because they burn slowly… but spiking in one hour is just as bad as spiking in 2 or 3 hours; it’s not a license to have a big muffin, or a huge bagel. Every person is different as to what will spike them, or not, so you will have to use your glucose meter to test pre and post meals, for that. Think of carbs in grams, where 15 grams is considered 1 serving, and go from there. Places like www.nutritiondata.com can help you research foods of any kind, even at restaurants, enter your own food items, and even analyze recipes for carb content, and glycemic load content. You can read more on Glycemic Load at Mendosa’s site… http://www.mendosa.com/gilists.htm.
Yeah, good analogy for a type 2, and as a type 1, I don’t have a shock absorber, I guess.
Another thing to consider, though, is that if you are on medication, you can’t just suddenly avoid carbs, but rather be consistent, otherwise you will drop lower. If you are on meds, your doctor has adjusted them based on your insulin production and what you’ve been eating.
You’ve got it right. Better doesn’t mean good & no change, or minimal change, is best. Also, it’s better to count carbs than deal with exchanges.
By testing a lot, you’ll know how certain foods effect you.
I don’t think glycemic index is particularly helpful for diabetics, but it’s the new buzz word. From the research I’ve done, GI was determined using non-diabetic subjects.
Dont forget, too, that protein will raise blood sugar levels very slowly (I think like up to 6 to 8 hours), and caffeine and various prescription drugs will also raise it.
The testing piece is very important. i found that whole grain gave me a quick spike, but then my BG would crash afterward. There may be general effects of certain foods or food types, but we all are a little different. also if you are on orals that increase insulin production, such as glimepiride, going low carb can result in lows so work with your doctor and test frequently.
Jeff, to know for sure you need to test each food to see how you react to it. Strawberries have little impact on me, peaches which are supposed to be close in glycemic index spikes me hard and fast. Same with the sugar alcohols, test each one, most have negligible effect but I react to lactitol as if it were sugar. Each of us has our own higly individualized disease and we each need to learn our own.
And try oatmeal at least once. Rolled oats or old fashioned oats (1/3 c dry oats and 2/3 c rolled oats is approx 15 carbs). Diabetics seem to do pretty well with those, even type 2’s I’ve talked to that haven’t sworn off grains. Don’t cheat and get the quick oats or the instant oatmeal. Sprinkle some cinnamon on it, because it helps keep the oatmeal from raising your sugar, and you can also throw some almond slivers in there for protein, if you like.
They are right. We all react differently and you will have to figure out how each thing affects you.
Do you like gadgets? If so, you should get yourself the eatsmart scale. I love it! It makes weighing your food more fun. If you eat things like boxed cereals, they really go by weight, not by volume, because they settle during shipping. Don’t buy a scale if you are not going to use it, but if you can afford it, it is really nice.
In my view, a carb is a carb. Sure some foods have more or less glylcemic impact, but the only difference between a complex carb and a simple carb is how long it takes to digest. I do think that eating whole foods is better, but there are whole foods that are simple carbs and vice versa.
Traditionally, the “establishment” has emphasized complex carbs as a way of eating for poorly controlled type 2 diabetics. If you are a poorly controlled type 2 diabetic, you will have a weak or nonexistent phase 1 insulin release. They will do better handling glucose loads that are spread over time since their insulin response will mostly be the sluggish phase 2 response.
In my view, it is better for a type 2 to eat low carb and limit the carbs enough that you can restore your phase 1 insulin response. Then you can eat whatever balance of carbs you want and still maintain tight blood sugar control, avoid any peaks and get a good 2 hr postprandial number.
For an insulin dependent diabetic, you also have the added complication that with complex carbs, the extended glucose load needs to be matched with a bolus. All fine and dandy if you have a pump, can predict how the complex carbs and fat will disperse the glucose load and program in an appropriate extended bolus. But if you are just taking a fast acting injection, a simple carb may actually be easier to “cover” properly.
ps. And you would be well served to read through the link that lizmari gave. Should you choose to eat rice or other foods, knowing which versions are best can make a big difference. For instance, some rice is markedly “lower” in carbs and glucose index/load.
Bernstein says that if we use glycemic index, then we should eat 0-10. He considers a carb gram=a carb gram. And that’s the way it works out in the body.
