Carbohydrates, carbs, I love you
Carbohydrates, also known as “carb” – that dirty four-letter word – are starch (including vegetables), fruit and milk that turn 100% into sugar within about one to two hours (except for the non-digestible fiber part). Since they digest so quickly – you are left feeling hungry. They also tend to make your sugar spike, especially if they are processed and have little or no fiber.
“Blasters” vs. “Tricklers”
Blasters are the quickest digesting or high glycemic carbs that BLAST sugar (which is energy) into your bloodstream. FOOD TURNS INTO SUGAR and SUGAR IS ENERGY. When your sugar (glucose level) rises and then falls – you get hungry because you are losing energy and you need to replenish. Examples are white bread, white flour, low-fiber cereal or even high fiber cereal with 5 grams + of sugar, white rice, white pasta, white potatoes, fruit juices, sweets, sugar, honey, dried fruit, etc. Even the brown breads, rice and pasta digest relatively quickly and are high in calories so you still need to be MODERATE.
What is moderation? One cup of cooked pasta is 200 calories (three cups is 600 calories). One cup is the size of a baseball while three cups of cooked broccoli is 150 calories…..need I say more? Except…..mix 1 cup of each together and you will have a lot of food on your plate that is lower in carbs, calories and highest in nutritional value and fiber. Instead of 600 calories you will now have 350 calories that will prolong your energy level, help you to avoid the spikes and dips in glucose levels and give you more value. Remember, you’re still eating a lot of food and you can even mix the vegetables with whatever sauce you planned to use on your pasta to increase the flavor. It’s a win-win situation. This is one way how people with diabetes better control their blood sugar and a major way that thin people stay thin without depriving themselves of foods they enjoy.
I call it REORGANIZING your plate. Read more…..in Reality Diabetes ~type 2
