Carbohydrates and Diabetes
You need your energy. Your body needs fuel to create that energy.
Carbohydrate is the fuel your body runs on, the nutrient that
converts to energy. If you were a car, you might not need to
be refueled every day. Since you are only human, it is important
to eat foods every day that supply carbohydrate, especially
if you have diabetes.
Carbohydrates are either simple or complex. Simple carbohydrates
are sugars which are made of only one or two units or molecules.
Words that end in "ose" are sugars. Examples of
sugars include:
• Sucrose or table sugar
• Fructose, the sugar naturally occurring in fruit and
honey
• Lactose, the sugar found in milk
Complex carbohydrates, also known as starch, are very long
chains of glucose molecules. Both types of carbohydrate, simple
and complex, have a similar effect on blood sugar levels.
Except fructose (a simple carbohydrate) which causes a smaller
rise in blood sugar compared to equal amounts of other sugars
or most complex carbohydrates.
The Food Pyramid for Diabetes is a useful tool for identifying
specific foods to include in your diet and as a guide to ensure
that you include carbohydrate-containing foods with each meal.
Carbohydrates in Your Diet
Grains/Beans/Starchy Vegetables
At the base of the pyramid are all foods that provide complex
carbohydrates.
Vegetables
Vegetables, found in the next level of the pyramid, provide
both simple and complex carbohydrates.
Fruits/Milk
Fruits and milk provide simple carbohydrates or sugars.
Sweets
At the very tip of the pyramid are sweets, which, according
to the American Diabetes Association, may be included in the
diet.
Diabetes and Fiber
Fiber in breads, cereals and other grains may cut the risk
of diabetes, say two new studies -- one that tracked roughly
25,000 men and women for about a decade and a meta-analysis
that combined the results of nine other large studies. Researchers
found about a 30 percent lower risk of diabetes in people
who reported eating the most fiber from grains, compared to
those who ate the least. Fiber from fruits and vegetables
wasn't linked to diabetes.
The lower the risk of diabetes was roughly 20 percent lower
in people who reported eating the most magnesium (375mg a
day) than in those who ate the least (225mg a day), according
to the meta-analysis.
So, what can you do? You can eat more whole-grain breads,
cereals, and other grains to cut your risk of diabetes. You
can get more magnesium from leafy greens, nuts, fish, and
beans. |
