Different approaches to establishing food plans
The objective of a dietary plan or diabetic food list for the diabetic person is primarily to aid in the control the amounts of glucose in the bloodstream and to keep the glucose levels within as narrow a range as possible so that they do not exceed acceptable levels by too great an amount.
There will be spikes in blood glucose levels after eating a meal or snack that will vary based on the type of food eaten and its carbohydrate content and the speed in which the resulting glucose is produced when digestion of the food takes place. That is why it is good to know, when compiling a diabetes food list, which foods are the source of the highest carbohydrate content and are the speediest broken down to glucose, so that they can be eliminated or at least limited in quantity. Those can be identified by reference to the Glycemic Index and Glycemic Load index avail able elsewhere on this site.
To maintain glucose levels as evenly as possible throughout the day it is often suggested that meals should be of about the same size and interspersed with snacks, rather than any one meal being much larger than the others.
The essential nutrients needed by the body for its energy and maintenance are obtained from the carbohydrates, proteins, and fats in the foods consumed each day. Those foods are broken down to their nutritional chemical components in the digestion process and released through the walls of the intestine to be carried in the bloodstream to the many organs of the body where they are then selectively taken up as required into the body’s millions of cells.
When present, the carbohydrate fraction of the foods is the main source of glucose in the bloodstream and so it is the carbohydrate content of foods that is the major factor around which diabetic food plans are constructed. The more carbohydrates there are, the more glucose will end up in the blood stream. After a meal or snack, when glucose is produced, the impaired body mechanisms of the diabetic person in the production of insulin, needed to conduct the glucose into the cells that require it, and the desensitized sensors on the outer membranes of those cells, results in the unhealthy levels of the glucose remaining in the blood.
From that statement the question could be asked:
“Then why not reduce the amounts of carbohydrate to a minimum so that less glucose is produced to overload the bloodstream?”
That is a good question that would seem to require an answer in the affirmative. But the diabetic associations of most countries do not seem to concur.
The High Carbohydrate approach
The ADA (American Diabetes Association) and others recommend what can be considered a high carbohydrate diet of 50 to 60 percent Carbohydrates, 15 to 20 percent proteins, and 25 to 30 percent fats based on total calories consumed. A calorie is the unit applied to the measurement of energy provided by components of food.
The Low Carbohydrate approach
Although in the minority, many physicians advocate an “Anti-ADA” approach that, conversely, recommends a low carbohydrate content in meals to minimize the amount of glucose that can enter the bloodstream.
A number of books have been published by doctors providing details on diets that have successfully brought their patients to a reversal or near reversal of their diabetic condition or at least a very good control of their glucose levels. The carbohydrate content of those diets is low, from about 20 to 35 percent. There are many different versions, you’ve probably heard of the Dr.Atkins and South Beach Diets, but there are others, some less extreme than those.
The American Academy of Family Physicians defines low carbohydrate diets as:
“Low-carbohydrate diets restrict caloric intake by reducing the consumption of carbohydrates to 20 to 60 g per day (typically less than 20 percent of the daily caloric intake). The consumption of protein and fat is increased to compensate for part of the calories that formerly came from carbohydrates.”
It should also be noted that the American Diabetes Association, after carrying out their own clinical studies with patients on a low carbohydrate diet, agreed that the low carbohydrate was successful in achieving lower blood glucose levels. However, their stated opinion was that such a diet was not likely to be adhered to for a sufficiently long period of time and they therefore keep to their current recommendations regarding carbohydrates. For additional information on lower carbohydrate foods, see our companion site: Diabetic Menu Guide and the reference to low carbohydrate effectiveness can be found in our post : Low Carbohydrate Approach.
There are other health concerns voiced by members of the medical and health care profession in which reservations are expressed regarding the adoption of a low calorie diet.
Caution:
All matters of diet, exercise, weight-loss, and especially any changes being contemplated, should be discussed with your doctor who will provide guidance on your treatment and should refer you to other health care professionals for more complete answers if necessary.
One other factor regarding carbohydrates is that they exist in several different forms that are usually classified as either “simple” or “complex”. The difference being in their chemical structure that results in a speedier breakdown to glucose for the simple form and a longer time for the complex forms. This makes the complex forms generally more favorable to include in a diabetic menu plan and a special index, known as the Glycemic Index, has been devised to rate the varying speeds of conversion of carbohydrates to glucose.
Vegetarian, Vegan, and Others
There are other dietary approaches that are effective in the management and control of blood glucose and that do not so much emphasize the carbohydrate content of foods. Among these are the Vegetarian and Vegan life styles that have many virtues from a viewpoint of nutrition. They concentrate on vegetables and fruits that are automatically low on the Glycemic Index, the speed in which their carbohydrate content is converted to glucose.
However, in North America, only a small percentage of the population follow a vegetarian or vegan regime, we are a meat-eating and fat-rich food consuming nation.
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