Can I Eat Pasta If I Have Diabetes
Having diabetes does NOT mean that if you like or love pasta, you will now have to give it up…nope, it does not. It DOES however mean that you should be choosier about the types of pasta you eat, your portion size and maybe how often you include pasta with your meals. We all need carbohydrates in our diet—it provides our bodies with the necessary fuel to keep us going. The critical question is how much and what kind of carbohydrate. Whole Grain Pasta versus Regular Pasta Whole grain pasta in general has lower calories, more fiber and more nutrients than regular pasta made from refined flour. Refining strips fiber, vitamins and minerals from the grain (usually wheat grain) and in return, you get a softer, smoother texture. 1 serving (1 cup) of whole grain pasta contains 174 calories, 37 grams of carbohydrate and 6.3 grams of fiber as compared to a serving of regular pasta with 221 calories, 43 grams of carbohydrate and 3 grams of fiber. That extra fiber in whole grain pasta (with fewer carbohydrates) can slow down the absorption of sugars from your digestive tract and this can mean that your blood sugars will not spike as much as they might with regular pasta. In addition, whole wheat pasta has a glycemic load of 15 while regular pasta has a glycemic load of 23. In both whole wheat pasta and regular pasta, about 80% of the calories are derived from carbohydrates.[1], [2] Put all this together and serving for serving, whole grain pasta gives you more fiber, more nutrients, fewer calories and fewer carbohydrates than regular pasta, making whole grain pasta a better choice, overall. Also, you can always opt for non-wheat based pasta such as corn, quinoa or rice-based pastas. I advise you to read the following diet tips for diabetes: Portion Size All the numbers given ab Continue reading >>
How To Cook With Shirataki Noodles (zero Carb, Diabetic Friendly)
Before we get started you need to know where I’m coming from when I tell you that I am in mad, passionate, love with these noodles. I haven’t had pasta, rice, bread, or anything made with flour in 8 weeks. Okay I did judge the cornbread festival in April but that was one day and I took the smallest bites I could. Other that that, no bread. no pasta, no rice. This may sound severe, I know it would have sounded impossible to me if you had of told me two months ago, but I can honestly say that I don’t miss bread. After the first couple of days avoiding it, I quit having cravings of any kind, quit feeling actual hunger, and started having an energy level that didn’t dip at all during the day. I am also publishing a post with more information about how I have been eating and some of my favorite recipes today. Click here to read that. But there is one thing I started missing recently and that is pasta. You see, I LOVE Spaghetti. I LOVE stir fry noodles. I LOVE a big old pasta meal. So I went on a search for low carb pasta, which is pretty much an oxymoron. However, I got lucky at my local Kroger. Okay, I first got “lucky” at Wal Mart but these noodles (different brand) were $5 a package there so I declined the opportunity to bring them home and then went to Kroger where I found them for $1.99 a package and made them mine. At my Kroger, they were in the cooler case (where the milk, yogurt, and such is) over in the health foods section of the store. Check out the nutritionals on these things! The entire package is 20 calories. The carbs, if you are counting net, are actually negative. When making a BIG plate of spaghetti I use a package for me and a package for Ricky. When making stir fry I just use one package. Now, how to prepare them…that is the trick that keep Continue reading >>
5 Diabetes Pasta Alternatives You Will Want To Try
Lucky for us, great alternatives to traditional pasta are all the rage these days. We’d like to share some pasta ideas that may work better for you and your blood sugar levels. 5 Diabetes Pasta Alternatives: Shirataki “Miracle Noodles” A serving of these has zero grams of carbohydrate and zero calories! These noodles are sold in ready-to-eat packages and can be purchased online and in health food stores. These translucent Japanese noodles are made from a kind of fiber that comes from the konjac plant and don’t have a lot of flavor. These are amazing as a noodle replacement in chicken noodle soup and stir-fry recipes. Shirataki noodles are super healthy, acting as a prebiotic in your gut due to the type of fiber they contain which also delays stomach emptying and keeps you feeling full for longer. Zucchini Linguini You can make this simply by using a julienne peeler or spiralizer to get thin strips of zucchini that resemble noodles. Then toss them raw with vegetables and olive oil. Or you could sauté, boil, or microwave the noodles and top with chicken and pesto. Zucchini has such a mild flavor, the possibilities are endless and with 2 grams of carbs per every 2 oz, you may be able to have a nice, hearty serving. Spaghetti Squash Pasta To make spaghetti squash pasta that tastes heavenly with meatballs and marinara you just slice a spaghetti squash in half and spoon out the seeds. Then, brush with olive oil and top with salt and pepper. place in a pan covered in parchment paper with the cut side facing up and roast for about 45 minutes. Finally, you’ll just use a fork to pull out all the “noodles”, which only contain about 3-4 grams of carbs per 2 oz serving. Eggplant Lasagna Do you miss eating lasagna? Try replacing the flat pasta noodles with strips of fi Continue reading >>
I Have Type 2 Diabetes .. Is Ramen Noodles Okay To Eat Without The Seasoning Packet?
Ramen noodles have a really high glycemic index, so they're usually not recommended for type 2 diabetics. Have you seen a nutritionist? You might want to get your physician to refer you to one. The American Diabetes Association also publishes guidelines. Check out this link: I live by myself and it is so convenient to use the ramen noodles instead of spaghetti. I forgot to mention that I also have high blood pressure, so I have two whammys against me. It is so difficult to find things to eat which don't cost an arm and a leg and need intense preparation and or have a list ofs ingredient an arm long that you don't normally stock. What about buying whole grains from bulk bins? They're affordable, easy to cook, and healthy. The whole grain pasta is definitely a good idea, I'm sure you can find some not-so-pricey options. This is a low-maintenance healthy recipe. I've had it without the cheese and it's still great. There are some healtheir Ramen products now on the market - noodles are not fried and broth is low sodium - but that probably won't help withh the glycemic rating. What about those packages of instant brown rice? they don't think they taste like slow cooked brown rice but with low sodium broth and some thin slices of peppers or other veggies, it could be a quick and more nutritious snack. There are also some whole wheat noodles out now that actually taste great - not like sand. The Bionaturae brand has gotten high marks - I've tried it but haven't done a lot of comparison. With a little olive oil, a little pepper, and some grated Parmesan, it can be delicious and quick. And you won't be hungry again in 90 minutes. Voted the Best Answer! Have you tried soba noodles? They're made with buckwheat flour as well as regular flour, so their glycemic value Continue reading >>
Study: Eating Ramen Noodles Regularly Can Lead To Higher Risk Of Heart Disease, Diabetes
Ramen noodles can be a lifesaver for college students on a budget, however, a recent study published in the Journal of Nutrition, found that ramen noodles might be more trouble than they are worth. The study linked the consumption of instant noodles — often referred to as ramen — to heart disease and other health issues, particularly in woman. The researchers analyzed a group of 10,711 South Korean adults, ages 19-64. Of the sample group, 54.5 percent were women. In its conclusion, the study found that women who consumed ramen at least twice a week were 68 percent more likely to have metabolic syndrome than women who had a healthier diet. Metabolic syndrome is “a cluster of cardiovascular risk factors,” said Dr. Martha Gulati, section director of Preventative Cardiology and Women’s Cardiovascular Health at the Ohio State Wexner Medical Center. Those risk factors include high blood pressure, larger waist circumference, higher blood glucose levels, high triglyceride levels and low high-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels. “If you have any three of those five risk factors, you have the metabolic syndrome,” Gulati said. “Which means that there are higher risks of heart disease and diabetes in the future.” According to the National Blood, Lung and Heart Institute, a person who has metabolic syndrome is typically “twice as likely to develop heart disease and five times as likely to develop diabetes” compared to a person who does not have metabolic syndrome. Gulati advised against a diet heavy on noodles, despite how cost-efficient and easy they might be. “They’re cheap, and they’re easy,” Gulati said. “But you can’t look at that food and think that it’s nutritionally complete or that it’s healthy for anyone to consume, particularly on Continue reading >>
Type 2 Diabetes Diet Food List
Now some of the diabetes diet information presented below may be slightly different to what you are used to seeing. That’s because there are quite a few flaws in the common diet prescription for type 2 diabetes. In our work with clients we’ve discovered that a ‘real food’ approach to eating has helped control type 2 diabetes the most. That’s because there is more to managing diabetes than just counting cabrs! So we’ve put together this type 2 diabetes diet food list that will give you a great place to start. FREE DOWNLOAD Like a Take Home Copy Of This List? Includes Snack Ideas and Food Tips! Type 2 Diabetes Diet Food List PROTEINS Every meal should contain a source of protein for energy production and to fuel the creation of new cells. Below is a list of good protein sources to choose from. Protein also helps to satisfy the appetite, keeping you fuller longer. Lean Meats Lean beef; veal, flank steak, extra lean mince, sirloin steak, chuck steak, lamb. Pork Lean cuts of pork; pork chops or loin. Poultry Chicken, turkey, duck, quail, goose. Fish Tuna, salmon, cod, trout, bass, flatfish, whitehead, mackerel, herring, eel, haddock, red snapper, trout, drum, walleye, sardines and so forth. Seafood Crab, lobster, prawns, shrimp, oysters, mussels, clams, scallops, abalone, crayfish. Game Meats Venison, wild boar, kangaroo, deer, pheasant, moose, wild turkey, alligator, emu, ostrich, elk, bison, turtle. Many people don’t eat these types of meats but you can eat them if you like them. Organ Meats Beef, pork, lamb, chicken livers. Beef, pork, lamb, chicken tongues, hearts, brains. Beef, pork, lamb, chicken marrow, kidneys. Many people don’t eat these types of meats either but you can eat them if you like them, and they are very good sources of vitamins and minera Continue reading >>
The 16 Best Foods To Control Diabetes
Figuring out the best foods to eat when you have diabetes can be tough. The main goal is to keep blood sugar levels well-controlled. However, it's also important to eat foods that help prevent diabetes complications like heart disease. Here are the 16 best foods for diabetics, both type 1 and type 2. Fatty fish is one of the healthiest foods on the planet. Salmon, sardines, herring, anchovies and mackerel are great sources of the omega-3 fatty acids DHA and EPA, which have major benefits for heart health. Getting enough of these fats on a regular basis is especially important for diabetics, who have an increased risk of heart disease and stroke (1). DHA and EPA protect the cells that line your blood vessels, reduce markers of inflammation and improve the way your arteries function after eating (2, 3, 4, 5). A number of observational studies suggest that people who eat fatty fish regularly have a lower risk of heart failure and are less likely to die from heart disease (6, 7). In studies, older men and women who consumed fatty fish 5–7 days per week for 8 weeks had significant reductions in triglycerides and inflammatory markers (8, 9). Fish is also a great source of high-quality protein, which helps you feel full and increases your metabolic rate (10). Fatty fish contain omega-3 fats that reduce inflammation and other risk factors for heart disease and stroke. Leafy green vegetables are extremely nutritious and low in calories. They're also very low in digestible carbs, which raise your blood sugar levels. Spinach, kale and other leafy greens are good sources of several vitamins and minerals, including vitamin C. In one study, increasing vitamin C intake reduced inflammatory markers and fasting blood sugar levels for people with type 2 diabetes or high blood pressure Continue reading >>
Pasta: To Eat, Or Not To Eat?
One of my favorite foods is pasta. I think I could eat pasta every day and never tire of it. And when I’ve had a rough day, nothing comforts me as much as a plate of pasta with butter (or trans-fat-free margarine), Parmesan cheese, and freshly ground black pepper. Yet pasta is much maligned in the diabetes world. I’ve noticed that people who have diabetes become very passionate when discussing this food. There’s the camp that is indignant at the idea that pasta even exists — it spikes up blood glucose, causes weight gain, and may just be responsible for global warming (OK, that’s an exaggeration). There’s another camp who still eats pasta, but feels horribly guilty for doing so, and will swear with their right hand in the air that, “I really only ate a half a cup” (and 99% of the time, it’s just not the case). I don’t mean to trivialize the subject. Pasta can be tricky to fit into one’s diabetes eating plan. But not because it sends blood glucose levels to the moon. My belief (and you’re welcome to disagree with me) is that most of us struggle with portion control. It’s been engrained in us that pasta is a main dish: that it should be piled high on the plate and smothered in red sauce, with a crusty, buttery slice of garlic bread resting on the side. This is where the problems come in. Here’s what I mean. Take a look at the calories and carbs in the pasta meal that I just mentioned: 3 cups of pasta: 135 grams of carbohydrate, 663 calories 1 cup of sauce: 30 grams of carbohydrate, 185 calories 1 slice of garlic bread: 24 grams of carbohydrate, 170 calories Total: 189 grams of carbohydrate, 1,018 calories If you dine in an Italian restaurant and manage to clean your plate, you’ll consume even more carbohydrate and calories. When you look at p Continue reading >>
Japanese Food And Beverages For Diabetics And Low-carb Eaters
Since I was diagnosed with pre-diabetes, I've been doing a lot of research into what is recommended for diabetics in Japan to eat. There are several issues to keep in mind when eating or making Japanese style dishes, so I thought I'd share these here. Whether you're planning to travel to Japan or are just a fan of Japanese restaurants, I hope you'll find this useful. (Note: I'm going to throw around terms like blood glucose level, glycemic index (GI) and glycemic load (GL) here. If you have diabetes or pre-diabetes, or otherwise have to watch your blood glucose levels, you probably already know what I mean. If not, I highly recommend perusing the information available at David Mendosa's site. It explains these things in clear layman's terms, with very little of the axe-grinding that plagues similar sites about diabetes.) I should mention here that, for the moment anyway, I have decided to take a low-GI index or low-carb approach to keeping my blood glucose levels down. I know there are other theories out there for how to achieve this, but please keep this in mind when you read the following. (I did say low-carb. I haven't entirely eliminated carbs from my diet. I have cut out most sugar though. So far it seems to be working fairly well, since my blood sugar levels have gone down slightly in the month or so since leaving the hospital, and I've lost weight too.) Japanese people get diabetes? But aren't they all skinny? Even though obesity rates are quite low in Japan, plenty of Japanese people do suffer from diabetes, both the Type 1 and Type 2 kinds. One study I read estimates that 4,000 people die of diabetes-related complications every year in Japan. Obesity may not be the only cause of diabetes anyway, though that's another issue. In any case, Type 2 diabetes is known Continue reading >>
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 >>
8 Diabetes-friendly Pasta Recipes
Pass the pasta If you have type 2 diabetes, you may have assumed that your pasta-eating days were over. Depending on your situation, that's not necessarily true. For some, bread and pasta can still be a part of a diabetes-friendly diet if you limit portions, follow the right recipes, and work them into the recommendations set by your dietitian. Talk to your doctor or dietitian about how your blood sugar may react after a pasta meal—the effect can be highly individual, so it's not a bad idea to test your blood sugar after eating to see how you react. Linguine With Pepper Sauce The star of this dish is the sauce: Red bell peppers, olive oil, fresh garlic, basil, and balsamic vinegar are sautéed and then put into the blender together to create a sauce that's packed with vitamin C and fiber. Yum! Ingredients: Olive oil, cooking spay, red bell pepper, garlic, fresh basil, balsamic vinegar, salt, black pepper, uncooked linguine Calories: 117 Try this recipe: Linguine with Red Pepper Sauce Cheesy Chicken Spaghetti Your whole family will love this one-pan meal. (And if you're eating alone, it works great as leftovers.) Spaghetti is baked with a mixture of onions, garlic, tomatoes, and seasoning, and is topped with reduced-fat cheddar cheese. Chicken breast adds lean protein. Swap in whole-wheat spaghetti for an even healthier meal. Ingredients: Uncooked spaghetti, cooking spray, onion, garlic, stewed tomatoes, low-sodium Worcestershire sauce, Italian seasoning, salt, reduced-fat cheddar cheese, frozen cooked chicken Calories: 395 Try this recipe: Cheesy Chicken Spaghetti Basil Scallops with Spinach Fettuccine A 3-ounce serving of scallops sets you back just 95 calories and less than a gram of fat—and pumps you up with an impressive 17 grams of protein. Scallops are also a Continue reading >>
Are Beans Good For Managing Diabetes?
Sing along if you're familiar with this childhood tune: “Beans, beans, the magical fruit, the more you eat, the more you....” To fill in the above childish couplet, instead of completing it with the vulgar refrain, try instead concluding it with benefits of this superfood, which technically, according to botanists, is considered a fruit (but in its culinary makeup, considered a legume or vegetable). Some of the benefits of eating beans includes: --lowering your cholesterol levels --increasing your daily fiber intake --managing blood sugar --boosting bone-strengthening calcium in the diet --reducing risk of high blood pressure and stroke Beans are one of the healthiest--and most abundant--foods we can eat, especially beneficial for those monitoring their blood sugar and improving their diabetes. But aren't beans starches? Yes. Beans and lentils, which come from a different type of seed than beans, but also are a legume, are starches but they won’t spike your blood sugar level like other rapidly-burning starches, especially those that contain flour, especially white flour. (Keep in mind that even many whole grain flours can rapidly turn into sugar.) It’s the the high fiber content in beans that prevents the starchy component of beans from being quickly digested and elevating blood sugar levels. On average (depending on the bean), there are 15 grams of fiber in one cup. In addition to helping you stay regular, fiber, don’t forget, helps you feel satisfied and full for a longer time than high-carb foods with little fiber. This helps eliminate cravings. Beans are actually quite starchy, but the molecular structure of the starch in beans breaks down slower than refined starches. Despite their starchy nature, few nutritionists would advocate limiting beans as part of Continue reading >>
Is Rice Ok To Eat If You Have Diabetes?
If you randomly surveyed 100 people and asked them, “Which do you think is healthier: white or brown rice?” there’s a good chance that at least 90 will respond “white.” Have you ever been to an Asian restaurant that offers both white and brown rice? Which do you usually order? Do you mostly choose brown, thinking that it’s the much healthier option? There’s good reason to believe the hype that brown rice is much healthier than white. Marketers of brown rice brands have succeeded in spreading the propaganda that brown rice is far superior, nutritionally to white. And to be fair, brown rice is healthier than white rice. The processing of brown rice only removes the hull of the kernel, leaving most of the nutrition profile intact; when white rice is milled--and polished--a vast amount of nutrition is lost in the processing. White rice, which, before processing, is brown, contains approximately 60 percent less iron than brown, as well as half the phosphorous, manganese and dietary fiber. Almost all the Vitamin B6 is lost in the processing from brown to white. It’s easy to see why, then, nutritionists highly urge those trying to lose weight and control their blood sugar levels to replace white rice with brown. Improving your diabetes? Rice is rice (unless it’s Miracle Rice) Because of brown rice’s superior nutrition profile, it’s no wonder many health gurus offer what they believe is immutable advice: to reduce your chance of developing Type 2 diabetes--or to improve your diabetes if you already have it--switch from white rice to brown. But on the glycemic index (GI) scale, the measure by which a specific food raises blood sugar levels once it’s digested (and within two to three hours after), how much difference is there between the two? One would thi Continue reading >>
Diabetes Diet Success
I was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes 4 years ago when I was 36. I noticed I'd get up to go to the bathroom a couple of times a night, something I'd never done before, and that was the trigger that something was wrong. My doctor ordered lab work, and then I knew. My grandmother had type 2 diabetes, my uncle has it, and now I do. I'm Italian, and I grew up eating rich Italian foods such as ravioli and other homemade pastas. For someone who loves to eat, finding out I had diabetes felt like a cruel trick. But after I was diagnosed, I completely changed my diet and lifestyle. I went to the American Diabetes Association web site, looked up what foods I could eat, and started eating only low-carb foods. I counted carbs: 15 carbs for every snack and 45 for meals. I gave up bread, pasta, even most cheeses. And though I'm not a big exerciser, I got on the treadmill for 30 minutes every night. I lost 50 pounds in about 4 months. The weight just fell off of me. My A1c [a test that shows blood sugar control] went down, and I felt great. But then after 6 months, I got burned out. I missed the big homemade Italian meals my mother and grandmother used to make. So I started cheating on the weekends. Monday morning I'd be back to counting carbs and eating lots of vegetables and protein. But I'd gain a few pounds over the weekend, and lose them during the week. This yo-yoing wasn't healthy. Eventually I just went back to eating whatever food I wanted, like pizza, cheeseburgers, and fries. My A1c shot up to 10. I started getting neuropathy in my feet -- it feels like you have a blister on the inside rather than the outside of your foot. I even had pains in the upper part of my stomach, and I knew I needed to do something. Now I'm trying to eat healthier and lose the weight I gained back. Continue reading >>
13 Best And Worst Foods For People With Diabetes
If you have diabetes, watching what you eat is one of the most important things you can do to stay healthy. "The basic goal of nutrition for people with diabetes is to avoid blood sugar spikes," said Dr. Gerald Bernstein, director of the diabetes management program at Friedman Diabetes Institute, Beth Israel Medical Center in New York. Candy and soda can be dangerous for diabetics because the body absorbs these simple sugars almost instantly. But all types of carbs need to be watched, and foods high in fat—particularly unhealthy fats—are problematic as well because people with diabetes are at very high risk of heart disease, said Sandy Andrews, RD, director of education for the William Sansum Diabetes Center in Santa Barbara, Calif. Worst: White rice The more white rice you eat, the greater your risk of type 2 diabetes, according to a 2012 review. In a study of more than 350,000 people, those who ate the most white rice were at greatest risk for type 2 diabetes, and the risk increased 11 percent for each additional daily serving of rice. "Basically anything highly processed, fried, and made with white flour should be avoided," Andrews said. White rice and pasta can cause blood sugar spikes similar to that of sugar. Have this instead: Brown rice or wild rice. These whole grains don't cause the same blood sugar spikes thanks to fiber, which helps slow the rush of glucose into the bloodstream, Andrews said. What's more, a Harvard School of Public Health study found that two or more weekly servings of brown rice was linked to a lower diabetes risk. Worst: Blended coffees Blended coffees that are laced with syrup, sugar, whipped cream, and other toppings can have as many calories and fat grams as a milkshake, making them a poor choice for those with diabetes. A 16-ounce Continue reading >>
