IMHO diabetic diet exists, or at least this is the way it feels. Ever since diagnosed, I had to change my eating habits drastically. No longer could I skip a breakfast or a lunch or a snack. Now I have 3 meals and snacks in between every day. I'm using a quarter cup as a measure to count my carbs; now this has become a habit. I've cut down on the sweets although I do consume small amounts occasionally. I was told I can have a candy so I have a tootsie roll once a day but not every day. I'm using a one-liter drinking bottle for my daily constitutional water intake of 64 fl oz aka half a gallon that is a requirement for us women. I am constantly aware which carbs I'm eating and how much. If this isn't a diet, then what is?
Dictionary.com states that a diet is a particular selection of food, especially as designed or prescribed to prevent or treat a disease. IMO this definition fits diabetes diet like a glove.
CARBS
This is an abbreviation for the carbohydrates. Most words are abbreviated nowadays. I think there should be a carb smiley, perhaps different colors for a good carb and a bad carb. Bad carbs otherwise known as simple carbs, are molecularly smaller and get digested quickly which results in a rapid increase of blood sugar. Examples include table sugar, brown sugar, maple syrup or any other syrup for this matter, fruit, honey, 100% juice, and any dessert containing sugar or cane. Did you know that milk contains simple sugar otherwise known as lactose? Oh yes, a serving size of 8 fl oz or 240 mL of a fat-free Dairymen milk contains 12g of sugar. A lactose-free milk made for those who can't digest milk sugar, still contains simple sugars, one of which is glucose.
Complex carbs aka good carbs are molecularly larger and get digested slower. They are rich in fiber that aids in blood glucose control. Examples include whole wheat bread, whole grain pasta, beans, oats, buckwheat, whole rye, whole-grain barley or whole-grain corn. Soluble fiber (oatmeal) helps control blood glucose levels, while insoluble (whole wheat bran) keeps your digestive tract working well. Another benefit of fiber is that it adds bulk to help make you feel full.
Sugar-free?
If a certain food is conveniently labeled as sugar-free, beware that it actually might not. When doing shopping, I always take my time to read the Nutrition Facts, while the other shoppers quietly wonder what I'm doing. I haven't seen anyone else doing this. I've learned the hard way, after having purchased a sugar-free pancake syrup, only to discover later on that it does in fact contain Sorbitol. Anything that ends with -ol is a sugar alcohol that by the way doesn't contain alcohol. It however contains, you guessed it, a simple sugar that will raise your blood sugar level, and you know this the next time you use your meter. You hear this from the horse's mouth. Needless to say, said bottle went to the trash and the contents down the sewer. Ditto for the Diet Pop you purchase in the places like Aldi or Save-a-Lot. Traditionally diet pop of a brand name, such as 7Up or Coke, doesn't contain carbs. However Aldi's or Save-a-Lot brand skips on caffeine but it does contain sugar. This once again, was learned the hard way, by checking my blood sugar afterwards, and then reading the label. I've finally learned to reverse my habits and read the labels first. You live and learn.
EXPIRATION DATES
I have a habit of checking them on most everything, particularly on milk and dairy products. I make sure that the milk I'm buying is good for at least 2 weeks. Most other people that I observed, don't do this. They are in a great hurry, grab a gallon of milk and are on their merry way. Their milk however might go bad in as little as 2 days. Some grocery stores, I've noticed, have a habit of placing the gallons of milk with a short expiration date right out front; this tactic doesn't work with me.
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