What's The Best Bread For People With Diabetes?
By Brandon May Bread is perhaps one of the most widely used types of food on the planet. It can also be a food that poses a health risk for people with diabetes. Despite the risk, bread can be one of the hardest foods to give up. Fortunately, there are breads on the market that don't raise blood sugar to extreme levels. Whole-grain breads with high-fiber ingredients, like oats and bran, may be the best option for people with diabetes. Making bread at home with specific, diabetes-friendly ingredients may also help reduce the impact bread has on blood sugar levels. The role of nutrition in controlling diabetes Diabetes has two main types: type 1 and type 2. People with type 1 diabetes have difficulty producing insulin, which is a hormone that "captures" blood sugar (or glucose) and transfers it into cells. Glucose is the preferred energy source for cells. Type 2 diabetes is the most common form of diabetes. This type of diabetes is also the easier form to prevent and manage with lifestyle changes and medication. According to the World Health Organization, over 422 million people have type 2 diabetes worldwide. In the earlier phase of type 2 diabetes, the pancreas can produce insulin, but cells have become insensitive to its effects. This is sometimes due to poor diet, genetics, and lifestyle habits. Because of this, cells can't access blood sugar following a meal. Nutrition plays a crucial role in diabetes control. It's only through putting proper dietary planning into practice that good blood sugar management can be accomplished. A good diet must also be combined with lifestyle changes and medication. A carbohydrate is one of the three major nutrients essential to human health. However, carbohydrates also raise blood sugar and can reduce effective diabetes control. This Continue reading >>
7 Easy Breakfast Ideas For Type 2 Diabetes
Cooking with less fat by using nonstick pans and cooking sprays and avoiding fat- and sugar-laden coffee drinks will help ensure that you're eating a healthy breakfast. For many people, breakfast is the most neglected meal of the day. But if you have type 2 diabetes, breakfast is a must, and it can have real benefits. “The body really needs the nutrients that breakfast provides to literally ‘break the fast’ that results during sleeping hours,” says Kelly Kennedy, MS, RD, an Everyday Health dietitian. “Having a source of healthy carbohydrates along with protein and fiber is the perfect way to start the morning.” Eating foods at breakfast that have a low glycemic index may help prevent a spike in blood sugar all morning long — and even after lunch. Eating peanut butter or almond butter at breakfast, for example, will keep you feeling full, thanks to the combination of protein and fat, according to the American Diabetes Association. And a good breakfast helps kick-start your morning metabolism and keeps your energy up throughout the day. Pressed for time? You don't have to create an elaborate spread. Here are seven diabetes-friendly breakfast ideas to help you stay healthy and get on with your day. 1. Breakfast Shake For a meal in a minute, blend one cup of fat-free milk or plain nonfat yogurt with one-half cup of fruit, such as strawberries, bananas, or blueberries. Add one teaspoon of wheat germ, a teaspoon of nuts, and ice and blend for a tasty, filling, and healthy breakfast. Time saver: Measure everything out the night before. 2. Muffin Parfait Halve a whole grain or other high-fiber muffin (aim for one with 30 grams of carbohydrates and at least 3 grams of fiber), cover with berries, and top with a dollop of low- or nonfat yogurt for a fast and easy bre Continue reading >>
Diabetes Power Foods: Whole Grains And Fiber
Imagine this food: It's low in calories. It makes you feel full. And you can eat as much of it as you want. Too good to be true? It's fiber and it is real. You can find it in fruits, vegetables, legumes, nuts, and whole grains. Most everyone should eat more fiber -- especially if you have diabetes. Even though fiber is a carbohydrate, your body can’t break it down. This means you don’t digest fiber, and it doesn't raise your blood sugar. And as fiber moves through your body, it helps with digestion, makes you feel full, and may help control your cholesterol and blood sugar levels. How Much Fiber? Think you eat enough fiber? Chances are you could stand to eat more. Men over age 50 should get at least 30 grams of fiber each day and women over 50 at least 21 grams daily. Most of us get less than recommended. There are lots of delicious ways to add fiber to your diet, but the key is to do it slowly. This will help prevent gas and bloating. Drinking more water can help, too. Eat Your Whole Grains Whole grains are loaded with fiber. Look for breads, cereals, tortillas, and crackers that have whole wheat flour, whole-grain cornmeal, whole oats, whole rye, or buckwheat flour on the ingredients list. Here are some tasty ways to add more whole grains to your diet: Start the day with a half-cup of high-fiber bran cereal topped with banana slices or berries (12 grams of fiber) or a whole wheat English muffin (4.4 grams). Choose whole wheat pasta (3 grams) over white. Serve it with your favorite vegetables for even more fiber. Make a sandwich on whole-grain bread. (Chose bread with 2 or 3 grams of fiber a slice.) Try recipes that use other types of whole grains, such as barley or bulgur (3 to 4 grams). Have brown rice or wild rice (3.5 grams) instead of white. Sprinkle with fres Continue reading >>
Should You Worry About Wheat?
Should You Worry About Wheat? by Berkeley Wellness | August 01, 2012 Wheat has long been a dietary pariah for the millions of people who have jumped on the low-carb-diet bandwagon or who think they’re allergic (or at least sensitive) to the grain. Now even more people are hesitating about eating wheat after reading the claims made by William Davis, M.D., a cardiologist and author of the bestseller Wheat Belly, which is subtitled “Lose the Wheat, Lose the Weight, and Find Your Path Back to Health.” Not only does wheat make us fat, Dr. Davis says, it is addictive and causes everything from heart disease, diabetes and obesity to arthritis, osteoporosis, cognitive problems and cataracts. In fact, he claims, it has caused “more harm than any foreign terrorist can inflict on us.” Wouldn’t it be great if there was a single villain behind the chronic health problems plaguing us, and if all it took to reverse them was to stop eating wheat? It's true that those with celiac disease, which causes symptoms such as diarrhea, bloating, cramps, weight loss, fatigue and more, do have good reason to avoid wheat (see "Celiac Disease" box, below). But for the rest of us, there doesn't appear to be one sole dietary scoundrel. Key points—and counterpoints Claim: Most grains are bad, but modern wheat is the worst because it has been altered over the years via selective breeding and is now a virtual “Frankengrain.” It is loaded with amylopectin A (a starch unique to wheat), which is “worse than table sugar,” Dr. Davis says, boosting blood sugar dramatically and stimulating appetite. Modern wheat also contains other components with adverse effects, and its gluten, a protein, is more likely to trigger reactions than that in older wheat. Fact: For well over a century, food s Continue reading >>
Diabetes: “cured By Wheat Belly”
Take a look at Mary’s story posted on the Wheat Belly Blog: I used to be diabetic. Now I am not. Cured by Wheat Belly. Fasting blood sugar less then 87 mg/dl consistently. Postprandial [after-meal] readings at one hour at 100 mg/dl or less. HbA1c 5.5. No dietician can tell me any lies about wheat or proper carb intake. I struggled for 10+ years following ADA [American Diabetes Association] diet guidelines. I gained 15+ pounds. I walked 15 miles a week at training heart rate. I stopped all that nonsense because it only produced higher and higher blood sugar numbers, even on metformin and with exercise. Something was obviously wrong and I knew it wasn’t my laziness or overindulgence. It was the horrendous advice that was killing me! Now I avoid carbs with the same dilgence that I avoid dieticians and doctors/nurses who give ADA advice. It doesn’t work and it never will. More people are diagnosed with diabetes and/or obesity every year. And with so many dieticians with such rock-solid advice? Hmm . . . Maybe it’s the dieticians who are propelling people to diabetes and obesity. That was certainly the case for me. Thanks, Mary. Isn’t that wonderful? And, by saying goodbye to wheat, she has done more than “just” lose the diabetes, of course. Let’s be clear on this: Grains and sugars CAUSE type 2 diabetes. Wheat is the worst of all grains and therefore wheat causes diabetes. (Wheat also causes type 1 diabetes, by the way, an entirely different, though VERY disturbing, conversation.) Let us count the ways: 1) The amylopectin A “complex” carbohydrate of wheat, given its unusual susceptibility to digestion by the salivary and stomach enzyme, amylase, raises blood sugar to sky-high levels. You know my line: Two slices of whole wheat bread raise blood sugar hig Continue reading >>
Whole Grain Bread Vs. Whole Wheat Bread For Diabetes
Just walk down the bread aisle of your local supermarket and you will be bombarded with health claims -- some of which are true and some are misleading. It can be difficult to muddle through all of the jargon on food labels, especially if you are a diabetic. One of the most confusing topics may be the difference between whole grain and whole wheat, especially when it comes to bread. But, with a little knowledge, you can identify the best bread choices for you. Video of the Day The Food and Drug Administration describes a whole grain food as one that contains grain that is whole, ground or flaked, but still contains the main anatomy of the endosperm, germ and bran. By this definition, whole wheat bread can also be considered a whole grain food. However, for it to qualify, whole wheat bread must be made with a whole wheat flour that is made from whole grains. A Carbohydrate is a Carbohydrate? To understand how carbohydrates affect your body, look at how your body digests them. Any carbohydrate you eat is broken down into its smallest possible molecules by your body. Most of this is glucose, which is why carbohydrates directly affect your blood glucose. However, the makeup of a carbohydrate, including how it is processed and what it is eaten with, can also affect your blood glucose. While both whole wheat and whole grain breads are less processed than their white bread counterparts, a whole grain bread may be the best for you. This is where the glycemic index comes into play. The Glycemic Index and Diabetes The glycemic index rates the effect a food -- more specifically, a carbohydrate within a food -- has on your blood glucose. This system takes into consideration the processing of the food as well as the other nutrients that accompany it. For example, a less-processed gr Continue reading >>
Preventing Pre-diabetes
Pre-diabetes is a serious medical condition that puts you at a higher risk for developing type 2 diabetes. Pre-diabetes is also very treatable, and if you have it, there is a good chance you can prevent or delay type 2 diabetes by making changes in your diet and increasing your level of physical activity. Type 2 Diabetes Type 2 diabetes occurs when your body does not produce or use enough insulin to be able to turn glucose into energy. Glucose is the sugar and starch that comes from the food you eat, which fuels your body. Insulin is a hormone that carries glucose from your blood into your cells. Without enough insulin, sugar builds up in your blood and can cause serious health problems. Pre-Diabetes Pre-diabetes is when your fasting blood glucose (blood sugar) level is above normal. To test for pre-diabetes, your doctor will take a sample of your blood after you have fasted overnight: Normal fasting glucose: 60 to 99 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dl) Pre-diabetes (impaired fasting glucose): 100 to 125 mg/dl Diabetes: 126 mg/dl or higher on 2 occasions Healthy Tips for Preventing Type 2 Diabetes If you have pre-diabetes, you should talk to your doctor about developing a lifestyle plan to reduce your risk of type 2 diabetes. The American Diabetes Association recommends increased physical activity and, if you are overweight, losing 5-10 percent of your body weight. Your doctor may also want you to take medication if you have a family history of diabetes, you are obese, or have other cardiovascular risk factors (high blood pressure, high cholesterol levels, or a history of heart disease). Below are tips to help you keep pre-diabetes from progressing to Type 2 diabetes: Exercise Every Day Since muscles use glucose for energy, activities like walking, bicycling, and gardening Continue reading >>
Is Whole Wheat Bread Really Bad For Diabetics?
Is WHOLE WHEAT bread REALLY bad for diabetics? Russell is correct. And it also helps to know that the amount of carbs in leafy green vegetables is so low that it's not an issue, the same goes for yogurt (lactose is eaten by the good bacteria) and some nuts. It's only processed foods that usually have carbs, even Atkins bars have quite a few. Carbohydrates are not in unprocessed meats, OR pure fats. Chicken, beef, turkey, duck, venison, ham, lamb, rabbit, pork, fish You can add cheeses, vegetables, legumes, fruits to these base foods, and limit carb intake to a level that allows you to have steady blood sugars, and lose weight. You don't need any wheat, or sugar. Please remember that Carbohydrates are found in EVERYTHING, sugar and wheat included " Type II diabetics many times produce way to much Insulin. The body just doesn't use it properly to control blood sugars. Diabetes is a carbohydrate induced disease. " Russell, thanks for pointing this out. It is crucial for understanding type 2 diabetes. The result of insulin resistance of our cells is the body producing too much of it and it still not being enough. The only way to reverse that is to cut the carbs very low and reduce the amount of insulin that the body needs. Over time, in most cases our cells insulin sensitivity will improve. For some this will take longer than for others. My H A1c is currently just out of the pre-diabetic range at 5.7, but I'm working on getting it closer to 5. Personally, I think any bread is bad for diabetics, but some people have problems with wheat on top of being diabetic. A few things on this thread are wrong. Type II diabetics many times produce way to much Insulin. The body just doesn't use it properly to control blood sugars. Diabetes is a carbohydrate induced disease. While I don' Continue reading >>
Wheat For Diabetes
All over the world, wheat is one of the most important crops that is both cultivated and consumed. In America, wheat is included in a number of recipes ranging from bread to pasta, cakes to cookies, and pies to pizzas. The best way to maximize the benefits of this wholesome grain is to have it unrefined. When wheat is refined, it is basically stripped of all its major nutrients. Wheat thus consumed, just adds calories without any of its natural goodness. The health benefits of wheat are many. Whole wheat is rich in vitamins B1, B2, and B3 along with zinc, iron, calcium, magnesium, folic acid, phosphorus and fiber. Whole wheat products retain all these nutrients and help keep a host of health problems in check. A lot of research has been conducted on wheat for diabetes. The magnesium content in wheat is believed to be responsible for activating enzymes in the body that balance out insulin production and glucose levels. When the body fails to produce enough insulin to break down the sugar in the food you eat, high blood sugar and diabetes can develop. Eating a diet rich in wheat is very beneficial for diabetics. If you choose whole wheat products such as wheat bread, wheat flour and broken wheat for diabetics, you are essentially providing the body with the means to control cholesterol and reduce fat. This in turn can prevent diabetes from developing. Recent studies show that eating a diet rich in whole grains can lower your risk of diabetes significantly. Complex carbohydrates provided by whole wheat products help burn more calories and lose weight over time by keeping you fuller for longer. Carbohydrates are also necessary for the proper functioning of the digestive system and the elimination of waste. Every time you choose a wheat product, make sure you choose items th Continue reading >>
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Diabetes And Gluten: What You Need To Know
You’ve probably noticed a lot of food packages on grocery store shelves with gluten-free labels. If you have diabetes, you may be wondering if gluten is something you should avoid. Gluten is a type of protein found in certain grains. These include wheat, barley, and rye. Gluten can cause inflammation of the small intestine in people with celiac disease. This can result in symptoms that include: It’s necessary to follow a gluten-free diet for the rest of your life if you have celiac disease. Some symptoms of celiac disease are experienced by people with a condition known as non-celiac gluten sensitivity (NCGS). These people don’t experience the same kind of injury and irritation to the small intestine as those with celiac disease, but gluten intolerance can still cause physical and mental problems. Intolerance to other components of gluten-containing foods — such as FODMAPs, a group of fermentable carbohydrates — may cause physical or mental problems. NCGS can sometimes lead to fuzzy thinking and depression. About 1 in 100 people have celiac disease, but about 10 percent of people with type 1 diabetes also have celiac disease, according to the American Diabetes Association (ADA). Research suggests that there may be a genetic link between celiac disease and type 1 diabetes. Certain biomarkers in your blood that make you more likely to have celiac disease may increase your risk of developing type 1 diabetes. Both conditions have an inflammatory component, which causes the immune system to attack the body’s tissues or organs, such as the intestines or pancreas. There doesn’t appear to be a connection between celiac disease and type 2 diabetes. Gluten is found in many high-carb foods because they are often grain-based. High-carb foods can raise your blood sugar Continue reading >>
Diabetes Breakfast Mistakes To Avoid
Mom is still right: Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, especially when you have type 2 diabetes. Your diabetes diet needs to give you a healthy supply of energy to jumpstart your body in the morning. "Remember that first thing in the morning, you’ve gone many hours without eating and your body needs fuel," says Kelly O'Connor, RD, director of diabetes education at the endocrinology center at Mercy Medical Center in Baltimore. "If you’re not giving it any, it will create its own in the form of stored blood sugar that gets released into your bloodstream — which often results in blood sugar that’s too high." Healthy breakfast food is also a must when it comes to diabetes control and weight management. “Remember that when your body is fasting, you’re not giving it any energy, so it slows down to conserve what it has left, which is counterproductive," O'Connor says. The trick is to keep your metabolism going all day long at a steady rate. "The simple solution to both of these issues is to eat a good breakfast," she says. Avoiding Breakfast Mistakes Breakfast blunders can happen during the week when you wake up late and try eating breakfast while running out the door, or on the weekend when you go out for a big breakfast. However, the biggest mistake to avoid is skipping breakfast altogether. When you go too long without eating, your body goes into starvation mode. And when you finally give in to hunger later in the day (and probably overeat), your body will grab all the fat from your meal and store it. That's bad for anyone, especially for someone with type 2 diabetes. Here are some other breakfast mistakes to avoid: Don’t fly on a sugar high. If you don't have a lot of time in the morning for healthy breakfast foods, you may be tempted to wolf do Continue reading >>
The 15 Best Superfoods For Diabetics
beats1/Shutterstock Chocolate is rich in flavonoids, and research shows that these nutrients reduce insulin resistance, improve insulin sensitivity, drop insulin levels and fasting blood glucose, and blunt cravings. But not all chocolate is created equal. In a 2008 study from the University of Copenhagen, people who ate dark chocolate reported that they felt less like eating sweet, salty, or fatty foods compared to volunteers given milk chocolate, with its lower levels of beneficial flavonoids (and, often, more sugar and fat, too). Dark chocolate also cut the amount of pizza that volunteers consumed later in the same day, by 15 percent. The flavonoids in chocolate have also been shown to lower stroke risk, calm blood pressure, and reduce your risk for a heart attack by 2 percent over five years. (Want more delicious, healthy, seasonal foods? Click here.) Jiri Vaclavek/Shutterstock Broccoli is an anti-diabetes superhero. As with other cruciferous veggies, like kale and cauliflower, it contains a compound called sulforaphane, which triggers several anti-inflammatory processes that improve blood sugar control and protect blood vessels from the cardiovascular damage that’s often a consequence of diabetes. (Heart disease is the leading cause of death for people with diabetes, so this protection could be a lifesaver.) Sulforaphane also helps flip on the body’s natural detox mechanisms, coaxing enzymes to turn dangerous cancer-causing chemicals into more innocent forms that the body can easily release. Blueberries funnyangel/Shutterstock Blueberries really stand out: They contain both insoluble fiber (which “flushes” fat out of your system) and soluble fiber (which slows down the emptying of your stomach, and improves blood sugar control). In a study by the USDA, peopl Continue reading >>
Best And Worst Foods For Diabetes
Your food choices matter a lot when you've got diabetes. Some are better than others. Nothing is completely off limits. Even items that you might think of as “the worst" could be occasional treats -- in tiny amounts. But they won’t help you nutrition-wise, and it’s easiest to manage your diabetes if you mainly stick to the “best” options. Starches Your body needs carbs. But you want to choose wisely. Use this list as a guide. Best Choices Whole grains, such as brown rice, oatmeal, quinoa, millet, or amaranth Baked sweet potato Items made with whole grains and no (or very little) added sugar Worst Choices Processed grains, such as white rice or white flour Cereals with little whole grains and lots of sugar White bread French fries Fried white-flour tortillas Vegetables Load up! You’ll get fiber and very little fat or salt (unless you add them). Remember, potatoes and corn count as carbs. Best Choices Fresh veggies, eaten raw or lightly steamed, roasted, or grilled Plain frozen vegetables, lightly steamed Greens such as kale, spinach, and arugula. Iceberg lettuce is not as great, because it’s low in nutrients. Low sodium or unsalted canned vegetables Go for a variety of colors: dark greens, red or orange (think of carrots or red peppers), whites (onions) and even purple (eggplants). The 2015 U.S. guidelines recommend 2.5 cups of veggies per day. Worst Choices Canned vegetables with lots of added sodium Veggies cooked with lots of added butter, cheese, or sauce Pickles, if you need to limit sodium -- otherwise, pickles are okay. Sauerkraut, for the same reason as pickles -- so, limit them if you have high blood pressure Fruits They give you carbohydrates, vitamins, minerals, and fiber. Most are naturally low in fat and sodium. But they tend to have more carbs Continue reading >>
Top 10 Worst Foods For Diabetes
These foods can can cause blood sugar spikes or increase your risk of diabetes complications. White Bread Refined starches — white bread, white rice, white pasta, and anything made with white flour — act a lot like sugar once the body starts to digest them. Therefore, just like sugar, refined starches interfere with glucose control and should be avoided by those with diabetes. Whole grains are a better choice because they’re richer in fiber and generally cause a slower, steadier rise in blood sugar. Instead of white bread or a bagel for breakfast, opt for a toasted whole grain English Muffin (topped with a slice of reduced-fat cheese or scrambled egg for protein). At lunch and dinner, replace white carbs with healthier whole grain options such as brown or wild rice, barley, quinoa, and whole-wheat bread to minimize the impact on your blood sugar. Even high-quality, whole grain starches elevate blood glucose to some degree, so it’s still important to limit portions — stick with ½ to ¾ cup cooked grains or just 1 slice of bread at meals. Continue reading >>
Five Common Grain Myths
There’s a good chance that, at one point or another, you’ve wondered about eating certain foods. If you have diabetes, foods that contain carbohydrate (also known as carb) come to mind. And one type of carb food that never fails to spark debate is grains. There’s the camp that disparages most grains, in general, proclaiming that they’re bad for diabetes because they’ll send your blood sugars sky-high. On the more moderate side of things, the argument is that refined grains are to be avoided, but whole grains are OK (in limited amounts). And then there’s the rest of the folks who feel thoroughly confused. Is it OK to eat pasta? What the heck is farro, anyway? Read on to learn more. Whole grains defined According to the Oldways Whole Grains Council, a whole grain has “all three parts of the original grain — the starchy endosperm, the fiber-rich bran, and the germ.” The bran is the outer layer of the grain; the germ is the “embryo,” which contains B vitamins, vitamin E, phytonutrients, antioxidants, and fat, and the endosperm is the germ’s food source that contains carbohydrate, protein, and some vitamins and minerals. Once a food manufacturer starts stripping away any part of a whole grain, it’s no longer, well, whole. Now it’s refined. And that’s when the grain starts to lose many of its healthy attributes. Whole-grain myths People who have diabetes should avoid all grains and grain foods. This particular fallacy stems from the fact that grains contain carbohydrate. Carbohydrate (in many people’s minds) is bad. They raise your blood sugar, right? So, stay away from them. But, it’s not that simple, at least when it comes to grains. As we just learned, whole grains are packed with nutrition — carb, yes, but also some protein, fat, vitami Continue reading >>
