Buckwheat | Honey | Dark bread | Apples | Sugar exclusion | Carbohydrates limitation | Weight gain | Blood glucose determination
It just so happens that a number of misconceptions have become entrenched with regard to proper nutrition in diabetes. They are popular not only among patients but also among doctors. But unfortunately, they do not become true from this.
“Buckwheat does not raise blood sugar”
This product has a moderate sugar-increasing effect — the same as any other porridge (rice, millet, etc.). It has no fundamental advantages.
“50% of honey is fructose, which means it is a sweetener”
Honey consists of fructose and glucose in roughly equal proportions. The food sugar (sucrose) molecule also consists of a fructose residue and a glucose residue. The sugar-increasing effect of honey is the same as that of sugar.
“Dark bread raises blood sugar less than white bread”
Their sugar-increasing effect is the same. But butter bread raises blood sugar more, and bread with bran or whole what — less than regular bread. The sugar-enhancing effect depends on the amount of bread: it is clear that 1 loaf of brown bread will increase sugar more than 1 piece of white bread.
“Unsweetened (green) apples are acceptable, sweet apples are not.”
The apple flavor depends on the organic acid content, while the sugar content depends on size and ripeness rather than color.
“It is impossible to exclude sugar from the diet, because glucose is needed for the brain”
The brain does consume glucose, but that which is in the blood. If its level is increased with diabetes, it makes no sense to take it additionally.
“Diabetes diet should limit carbohydrates as much as possible”
The diet of a person with type 1 diabetes mellitus who is able to control their disease is practically the same as that of any other person.
The diet of a person with T2DM includes rather serious restrictions — it is recommended to exclude / maximum limit “fast” carbohydrates — i.e. sugar and sugar-containing products; with overweight, a very important condition is to limit the calorie content of food — mainly due to fats, primarily animal fats. Moreover, “complex” carbohydrates (cereals, bread, pasta, potatoes) account for 50-60% of the total calorie content of food.
“I can’t lose weight because I’m getting fat from pills / insulin.”
Extra pounds don’t come without a reason. Excess body weight is the result of the fact that we consume more calories. than we spend. Weight loss is a long and difficult process, and you need to work on this task constantly — by limiting calorie intake, increasing the volume of physical activity, sometimes with the help of medications and surgical methods.
“Blood glucose should always be determined strictly on an empty stomach.”
In order to avoid complications of diabetes, it is important to maintain close to normal blood sugar values throughout the day. Therefore, the values of blood glucose both on an empty stomach and during the day (and sometimes “night” numbers) are important to us.