Diabetic Diets
There is no Such Thing as a "Diabetic Diet"
"Despite new nutrition guidelines issued by the American Diabetes Association several years ago, many people with diabetes still believe that there is something called a 'diabetic diet.'
"New guidelines for people with diabetes were issued in the Spring of 1994 by an American Diabetes Association committee on nutrition co-chaired by Joslin Vice President Edward S. Horton, M.D. Those guidelines state that it is okay for people with diabetes to substitute sugar-containing food for other carbohydrates as part of a balanced meal plan. This liberalizes the eating guidelines that people with diabetes had been following for most of the 20th century.
"'Obviously using nutrition as part of an overall diabetes treatment plan is not an entirely do-it-yourself project,' notes Chalmers. 'That's why we can't just send people preprinted diets. You need to work with a dietitian to determine whether carbohydrate counting, fat gram counting, a combination of both, or the older exchange meal planning system will work best for you.'"
Joslin Diabetes Center, Harvard University
Increasing Fiber in your Diet for Diabetics
"If you are diabetic, recent studies show that increasing dietary fiber can improve your reaction to other carbohydrates. Although fiber is listed as a carbohydrate on U.S. food labels, fiber, unlike other carbohydrates is not broken down during digestion, and does not contribute calories or effective carbohydrates to your diet. Fiber – especially soluble fiber - is very important for all diets, but is particularly useful for diabetics.
"The American Diabetes Association (ADA) recommends a daily fiber intake the same as that of people without diabetes - 20 to 35 grams a day (less for children). However, clinical studies have shown that fiber intake up to 50 g/day can improve glycemic control and lowers lipid levels in people with type 2 diabetes."
ExpertFoods
Dietary patterns and metabolic control in diabetic diets
"In a prospective, single blind study, 51 adult diabetic, male outpatients at or below ideal body weight (IBW), all but four of whom were insulin-treated, were randomly assigned to a calorically defined exchange diet (EXCH) or an unmeasured diet avoiding refined sugars (UNMEAS). Fasting chemistries, weights and 48-hr dietary recalls were obtained every 3 months for 3 years."
A. Gallagher, W. Henderson and C. Abraira, Endocrinology-Diabetes Section, Hines VA Hospital
Chowing Down on Diabetic Diets That Don't Work
"For the overweight person with type 2 diabetes, any diet that causes some weight loss helps for a time. But you have to ask yourself the following questions:
"Am I prepared to stay on this diet indefinitely?
"Is it a diet that is healthy if I stay on it?
"Will it combine all the features I need, namely weight loss, reduction of blood glucose, and reduction of blood fat levels with palatability and reasonable cost?
"If you can say yes to all those questions, then the diet will probably work for you. If you walk into a reasonably large bookstore, you will be overwhelmed by the number of titles of diet books.... The books — and their respective subjects — can be broken down into a few categories:
"Diets that promote a lot of protein with little carbohydrate;
"Diets that promote little or no fat;
"Very low calorie diets."
Diabetes For Dummies
"Diabetes and diet go hand in hand because each day a person with diabetes is affected by the foods they eat - good or bad." "The Personal Diet Plan follows the recommendations from the American Diabetes Association and American Heart Association for healthy diets to prevent and control risk factors for diabetes and heart disease."
Carolyn Classick-Kohn,MS,RD,CFT
