Diabetes and Diets: What You Should Be Eating

A six month study at the University of Toronto found that people with type 2 diabetes had better luck controlling their blood sugar level if they were on a high fiber diet.

This makes sense to me since food high on the glycemic index scale turn into sugar much faster than foods low on this scale. So when people with type 2 diabetes eat some specific carbohydrates such as white bread their blood sugar level goes up.Food that is better for them to eat would be beans, legumes and nuts.

Those in this study who were on a diet with foods low on the glycemic index even saw their cholesterol numbers get better. Their good cholesterol which is what we think prevents heart attacks and heart disease improved.

Diabetic men are two times likely to have heart disease. Diabetic women are four times likely to have heart disease.

It seems that drugs people take to help them with type 2 diabetes aren't as effective as hoped. The study was published on December 16, 2008 in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

The study included over 200 people with type 2 diabetes. Some were given diets with foods low on the glycemic index scale. Some ate a high cereal/high fiber diet. The people on the latter diet were to each whole grain foods such as brown rice and whole grain bread. The people on the low glycemic diet were to eat food like oatmeal, pasta and lentils.

The people eating in either group were eating a diet lwith few bad fats (saturated and trans). They were not to eat too much food with white flour in it and to eat 8 servings of vegetables and fruit every day. The study was very clear in the results that food on the low glycemic index were better for people with type 2 diabletes.

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Be careful; however. You may need a dietician to help you with this diet. The way food is cooked impacts how they end up on the glycemic index scale!

Sources

JAMA

New York Times