Glycemic Index Help - I have tooo many questions.....?

I have tooo many questions.....?

I'll make it simple. 1.) How do you figure the glycemic index of a food? 2.) How many carbs should one have per meal/day? 3.) Is the old diabetic food pyramid still in use, if so, for which diagnosis? 4.) For diabetes with hypoglycemia, do you think Doc will put me on medication (I know, it's just your opinion) 5.) My bg is running 140-150 3 hours after a meal,,,.. then it drops to a number usually in the 60's. Like a bomb. Fast. 6.) I am NOT overweight, 5' tall, 110 lbs. 53 yrs old. I have heart disease which is complicating the veggie thing. I take blood thinners, so dark green leafies have been OUT for me for years. Exercise is limited. Sheesh....... Any answers? Any suggestions?? My nerves are gonna get the best of me. Monday I go to Doc, but I have a feeling he is gonna send me to an endocrinologist. More delay. WHAT do I do NOW?? Thank you all so very much

Public Comments

yes they will get you into see a endrocrinologist and they will most likely get you on a diet that will work for you including carbs. 60 isn't normal for A BLOOD SUGAR if it's that low you need to eat something. email me if u need to chat or any questions.shackletonciny@yahoo.com
1) http://www.glycemicindex.com/ 2) http://www.diabetes.ca/about-diabetes/nutrition/ 3) No, definitely not 4) No. HypOglycemia means you don't have enough sugar(s) in your system, and need something to eat right away. HypERglycemia means too much sugar and not enough insulin, therefor needing meds. 5) 60 is low. 90-120 is normal, with the outside range 130-190 after meals 6) Being overweight doesn't always have anything to do with it. Especially if you are talking about Type 1, which can be obtained at any age. I sincerely hope you are diagnosed non-Diabetic, but here is a site with some great info. I have set the page to go directly to signs/symptoms, so you could put your mind at ease. But check some of the other links, you may find them useful. Cheers and best of health
After a while, you'll get a "feel" for it. Meantime, download Mendosa's Excel spreadsheet: http://www.mendosa.com/gi.htm One rule of thumb I use is, if Mother Nature made it, it's probably good for me. Eating a wide variety of raw fruits, nuts, and vegetables has brought me back to good health. Avoiding a lot of man made products has been instrumental in my ability to get off of Metformin. Another resource I use is nutritiondata.com where I can see the breakdown of carbs in a given food product. They also have a glycemic load chart that helps. Since I exercise a lot, I can take in around 200 Calories from carbs (50 carbs) and get away with it. Your intake depends a lot on your size and activity level. Don't go by anything old. Either get Dr. Fuhrman's book, "Eat To Live", or Patrick Quillin's "The Diabetes Improvement Program". I understand Neal Barnard's program is good also. Subscribe to John McDougall's website. He's always getting people healthy. You probably won't need medication as long as you adhere to a low carb, low glycemic diet with lots of nutrition from raw fruits and veggies plus adequate daily exercise. It doesn't have to be a lot, just consistent. Those numbers simply indicate that you're taking in too many carbs. How, on earth, can having a heart condition have anything to do with veggie consumption? What sort of blood thinner prevents you from eating what God created for you? Sounds like your doctor wants to keep you coming back for good. Veggies cure people of many chronic conditions. Did you visit the Dr. McDougall site and read the testimonials? What do you do now? Calm down, for one. Getting anxious about this is only going to cause more blood sugar fluctuations. Your numbers aren't that bad. You don't need an endo if you learn all you can about this stuff. It isn't hard, and it doesn't take that long. You just have to make up your mind to do it. Listen, people in your condition are getting healthy all the time. And it's not by listening to the doc that overwhelms their systems with toxic medications that won't allow them to eat what God created for them. Read McDougall's claims and his patient's testimonials. And think about it. You deserve to be healthy.