The Diabetic Diet
Over the years there have been a number of different strategies for diabetic diets. For a long time diabetics were taught to use exchange lists, but a lot of people found it complicated and hard to use. More recently the training has focused on counting carbohydrates at each meal or snack. For diabetics who take insulin (Type 1 diabetics), carefully regulating when and what they eat is key and counting carbs in this way works well for them.
Most diabetics, however, have Type 2 diabetes and don’t take insulin. For these people simply following a healthy diet is the best choice. A study published recently says that a Mediterranean style diet is the best diet for helping control Type 2 diabetes. [More research here!]
Researchers in Naples, Italy randomized 215 Type 2 diabetics to either a low fat diet similar to the one now recommended by the American Diabetic Association, or a Mediterranean style diet providing about 50% of calories from carbohydrates and 30% from fat. These were patients who had just been diagnosed with diabetes.
The study looked at the number of diabetics who needed to be put on blood sugar medication after following the assigned diet for a certain amount of time. The results are pretty amazing. You would think that those who followed the American Diabetic Association diet would be able to manage their diabetes using only the diet, but this was not the case. 56% of those who followed the Mediterranean style diet did not have to go on medication to manage their blood sugars, while 70% of those following the low fat American Diabetic Association style diet ended up taking medications to control their blood sugars. Further, those on the Mediterranean style diet also lost more weight and had a greater improvement in their cholesterol and blood pressure scores.
We now have proof that the Mediterranean style diet is the best diet to control blood sugars for those with Type 2 diabetes. All of the recipes and meal plans are based on Mediterranean Diet principles and are perfect for those with Type 2 diabetes. Learn more about the Mediterranean Diet or get started creating a custom, diabetic diet plan by using the Med Diet Score application.
Research Articles on Diabetes
Even if you already have type 2 diabetes, getting more whole grains, and specifically more bran, in your diet can help you reduce your risk of dying of heart-disease-related causes. Added bran seemed to be key to the improved health risks in this study; adding bran flakes to your morning…
this is yet another reason to make sure that whole grains, beans, nuts, and fruits and vegetables are part of your daily diet. At least take a banana to work for a snack – they’re delicious and may help you avoid type 2 diabetes
There is evidence to show the long-term effects of caffeine intake among women. That study indicated that not only does caffeinated coffee not cause hypertension, drinking more caffeinated coffee (rather than only a cup or two a day) may actually help prevent hypertension. There is good news for those who…
Whole grains are clearly better for you. One of the easiest ways to get more whole grains in your diet is to switch from foods using refined flours, such as white bread or regular pasta, to those using wheat flour, such as whole wheat breads and whole wheat pastas. Use…
Ask Health meets Food
My husband is 5’10” and 150 lbs. and was diagnosed with pre diabetes. We have been trying to find out how many carbs a day he should be eating or how many carbs per meal.
He does not need to lose weight and trying to maintain his current weight without eating a lot of carbs is difficult. He is very active in his job and cannot afford to lose any weight.
It seems everything that I read is for people to lose weight to help control their condition. Please can you give me a guideline of how to control the pre diabetes without losing any weight.
Health meets Food Says....
You are correct that most of our patients who have “pre-diabetes” are overweight. Those that are trim pose a little bit more of a challenge because often those who are overweight can work at losing weight and will have marked improvements in their blood sugar. The same principles apply, however, for your husband who is in the normal weight range. Read the full answer.
