Posted 4/5/2010 7:48 PM (GMT 0)
If you or someone you love has diabetes then this forum may be of help to you. We try to offer education, encouragement, experience and empathy. We don't know everything but we know what works for us and may work for you.
As you travel this bumpy road and learn to avoid the pitfalls ahead of you please use your common sense and beware of the "Food Police". These are well meaning folks who want to tell you what to eat, how to eat it and which products or books will make it all better. They almost NEVER have diabetes, they just KNOW what should work because they went to this health food store, or read this book or saw this infomercial, or found this great source online...
The ONLY WAY that you can find out how foods affect YOUR BLOOD GLUCOSE is to eat a measured amount of a food and then test two hours later. You need to also record what you ate with that food. A slice of toast-dry- will actually spike your sugar faster than a slice of toast with a bit of butter or non-trans fat margerine on it. The fats will slow down the absorption of the starches in the gut. You will eventually absorb all of the calories but the spike will be toned down a bit with the fats present. So it can become complicated.
If you have a chance to take a nutrition class thru your local hospital or clinic please do so. This will give you a firm grounding in what foods are what and which ones can spike your sugars. If you don't have insurance or classes are not covered in your plan then call your local health department and ask about diabetes classes or pamphlets. The American Diabetes Association and the Canadian counterpart are usually very helpful for general knowledge but the final choices about what to eat and how it affects YOU are up to YOU. Read and learn, think and plan. Ask questions either of your doctor or your local clinic.
We will help you all we can and hopefully you will be a pro before long. One meal at a time.