Glycemic Index Help
"The Glycemic Index Diet" by Rick Gallop. Is this a good diet for diabetes type 2?
http://www.gidiet.com/
Public Comments
- I would think so, but when it comes to a disease that serious you really need to check with your doctor. Diabetes is no province for the amateur. My grandmother lost both legs to it, and my cousins husband just recently barely survived a diabetic coma. Just do whatever your doctor says, and if you smoke, then stop. That's how my mom controlled hers.
- The book is a major waste of funding if you don't need to do it. You can find the Glycemic Index on http://www.mendosa.com and then choose foods from the lower numbers. Losing weight is necessary in type 2 diabetes for control of glucose numbers. Best way to do this is to eat very small portions of foods frequently during the day. Nutritionists, Dietitians and Physicians do NOT have the expertise of looking at your glucometer daily and determining if you should eat a certain food or not. Eat NO high GI carb foods. Eat NO grains or cereals. Eat NO soft sweet fruits. DO eat 3 to 4 ounce serving of meat. DO eat 1/2 cup serving of any cooked vegetable. DO eat 1 cup serving of any raw Vegetable. Tart Apples make good snacks. Blackberries, Raspberries, and Blueberries make good snacks.
- I think you should avoid any gimmicks if you can't afford to have it (money and time both). That is what my doc suggested my mom and she is doing fine (with a sedentary lifestyle). He just advised a low cereal smaller meals many times a day. This keeps the diabetes level below the hyper level (both fasting and PP - post prandial or feeding). My mother with a sedentary lifestyle is able to consume a whole mango in a day without any rise in her levels. One more thing, if you can, try Yogic exercises (specially Kapaal Bhati Pranayaam). This is known to control the sugar levels in the system as it activates the pencreas (which is responsible for sending signals to the brain to release insulin from the islets of langerhans). Do inform me how much helpful it proved for you as this will help me in my judgement for the other people. Good luck to you!!
- I don't think you should go by a book. A doctor and dietition would tell you about diet, exercise and medication if you have diabetes. It is a balancing act. There may be too many variables in a person's overall health status to use a book that concerns itself with only one aspect of health.
- It would be far better to ask your Diabetes doctor than to ask here. Another possibility would be to send your question to Diabetes Forecast by email at http://www.mailcall@diabetes.org. 44 years of Type 1
- skip the book and ask your doctor for a referral to nutritional counseling.
- I am type 2, diagnosed in 2004 but probably diabetic for at least 5 years before that. Those are my Doctor’s words not mine. I have all the advanced problems that won’t kill you. Dry skin on the extremities, neuropathy, circulation problems and so forth. I was diagnosed as a result of swollen feet, legs and the pain of neuropathy. That’s my pedigree so you know who is talking. I have some books with the G.I. type of information in them. I don't use them. I didn't see any significant difference while using the system. I find that limiting myself to 45 total grams of carbohydrates per meal, eating 2 or 3 10 grams or less snacks, and staying away for potatoes and white bread will work just fine and I don't have to do any special shopping. I found out very quickly that I couldn't eat any "Goodies" and I do miss my sweets but I have found a few substitutes that may interest you. Mrs. Butterworth makes sugar free pancake and waffle syrup that is 98% as good as their original. In fact I can't tell the difference and my whole family is now eating it instead of the sugar stuff. Sugar free Jello is good and you can eat about as much as you like any time you like. Diet sodas are Zero carbohydrate drinks as is unsweetened tea or coffee. Jello sugar free instant pudding is great. It has about 13 grams of carbohydrates per half cup. If you have a low carb meal, i.e. lots of protein, the pudding can be used as part of the carb allowance. I usually eat a full cup when I do that. As a follow-up to the above paragraph I should warn you. Not all Sugar Free products are OK. I have seen sugar free candies with more carbohydrates than the sugar variety. And I am careful to compare apples to apple and not to fire hydrants. I compare equal quantities of the two products. Also when foods are packaged the nutrition label is very handy but don’t forget to check the serving size. For example: I saw some sugar free cookies (well known brand) with 25 grams of total carbs. The sugar version of the same cookie had 33 grams of carbs. If I had stopped there it would have been fine but I looked at the serving size the 25 grams in the sugar free was for 2 cookies while the 33 grams in the sugared ones was for 3 cookies. I am not a math whiz but with a fancy calculator and half a dozen sheets of paper I was able to figure out that the sugared variety was 11 grams per cookie while the sugar free version was 12.5 grams per cookie. That is not an isolated case; I have seen things like this on several occasions. OK, back to the subject. If you want to try the diet, it won't hurt. Just keep track of your sugar levels and make the necessary adjustments. I have been doing this intently since my diagnosis and even my Doctor considers me very knowledgeable and that is high praise from him. I have no problem sharing my experiences with those just getting started. To that end I will tell you I do accept email at my profile and I invite you to contact me if you feel a need. Like the Las Vegas Casinos, I never close.
- A better one is the South Beach Diet. Many nutritionists recommend it for diabetics. It is easy to follow, and also safe. It will not cause ketones to rise like the Atkins diet can . It will teach you about good and bad carbs, and even gives you lists of what to eat and what not to eat. It does not count carbs or calories and is not an exchange diet. You can get a copy at any book store or usually Walmart in paper back for about $12.
- As a diabetic educator, I often recommend the South Beach Diet to my classes. Just remember to start with Phase 2 instead of Phase 1.
- The glycemic index (GI) is a numerical system of measuring how much of a rise in circulating blood sugar a carbohydrate triggers—the higher the number, the greater the blood sugar response. So a low GI food will cause a small rise, while a high GI food will trigger a dramatic spike. A list of carbohydrates with their glycemic values is shown below. A GI is 70 or more is high, a GI of 56 to 69 inclusive is medium, and a GI of 55 or less is low. The glycemic load (GL) is a relatively new way to assess the impact of carbohydrate consumption that takes the glycemic index into account, but gives a fuller picture than does glycemic index alone. A GI value tells you only how rapidly a particular carbohydrate turns into sugar. It doesn't tell you how much of that carbohydrate is in a serving of a particular food. You need to know both things to understand a food's effect on blood sugar. That is where glycemic load comes in. The carbohydrate in watermelon, for example, has a high GI. But there isn't a lot of it, so watermelon's glycemic load is relatively low. A GL of 20 or more is high, a GL of 11 to 19 inclusive is medium, and a GL of 10 or less is low. Foods that have a low GL almost always have a low GI. Foods with an intermediate or high GL range from very low to very high GI. Why buy the book when this ids free. The best on the web..... http://www.mendosa.com/gilists.htm
- Avoid sugar and high amounts of carbohydrates. Eat balanced meals with whole grains at regular times. Losing weight helps control diabetes.
- Good question, Truth Seeker: I'm a R.N., and have been following the GI diet although I'm not diabetic. However, this world is in a "world of hurt" because of refined food--basically too much fat and processed foods. Although we had some fajitas in white tortillas tonight, it is a rarity; and sugar may be used on Saturday mornings. Having said that (we're not fanatical about the GI diet), our world needs adopt the GI diet--that is very close to the Mediterranean Diet, and they are the longest lived people in the world. So, there are many benefits besides avoiding spikes in your blood sugar--and that is what causes insulin to peak as well as weight gain. I've read all the answers above, and feel you should read any good book on the Glycemic Index; in addition, use no transfattyacids, little animal fats, and limit your use of vegetable oils, showing preference to liquid safflower oil. This may help you control your weight and avoid insulin resistance. Also, I wrote a page identifying foods that kill tissue and accelerates aging. It was written after much researth, a clean angiography; and my wife, with siblings dying, her health is remarkable as confirmed by carotid artery ultrasound. http://revelado.org/clever-diet.htm Blessings, Ben Yeshua
