No matter if you are a type 1 or type 2 Diabetic, or if you have Gestational Diabetes, Insulin is the miracle cure.  Sure there are many different types of pills that you can take to manage your Diabetes, but none matter if there is no Insulin present.

When I was originally diagnosed with sugar readings over 4 times normal, I knew nothing about Insulin and all the different treatment options available.  My Dr. put me on Insulin and right away my blood glucose readings were under control within a week.  It was amazing and today I am grateful that in 1921 scientists at the University of Toronto discovered insulin.

In 1923 when insulin production began the lives of millions of people were changed.  We finally had a treatment which enabled us to live longer and improved the quality of our lives.  The life expectancy of a person with diabetes increased from 1 year to years.  I think that many of us take for granted the scientific research and investments made that have impacted the lives of people with diabetes.

Frankly, I’m glad we can take it for granted but we need to remember that since 20% of our population is either diabetic or at risk this is a problem we must face head on!

The key difference between a good or bad carbohydrate is the speed in which it converts to sugar in your blood!

Good carbs convert slowly. They make your body work harder to be digested and they have a measured sugar conversion that does not cause a sugar or insulin spike. These are often considered complex carbs. Some examples of complex carbs are Oats, Wheat, Whole Grains, Beans, Potato, Rice among others.

Complex carbs do not always convert slowly. They ARE NOT always good carbs. The following are a list of complex carbs I MUST NOT eat: Flour (any kind, don’t be fooled because it’s from a complex carb), Whole Wheat Pasta, Potato (Mashed and Baked are the worst), Rice (even brown).

Think about it, when you hydrate or soften a food it breaks down in your body faster. I’ve tested my sugar with all of these items and when your meter says 300 you know you are doing damage. There are many great choices that you can make today. Complex carbs are better than simple carbs if you are eating them in their most natural state. That would be unprocessed! Processing the food usually makes it easier to digest and so they turn to sugar in your blood much more quickly.

Bottom line - TEST YOUR BLOOD SUGAR!

Every time I talk to someone about foods that are Low Glycemic there is confusion. Lately I’ve started looking at moving to focused Low Glycemic diet and have been evaluating several. The main theme I have found is a focus on protein and away from sugar and carbs.

While I agree that this will certainly support a Low Glycemic diet, I also have found much confusion about the Glycemic Index and how foods impact your blood sugar. This topic requires a diabetic that tests their blood sugar in order to truly determine what food is or is not having a Low Glycemic Impact.

I define Low Glycemic Impact as the actual impact that food has on YOUR body. Different foods impact people differently. Since diabetics test their blood sugar monthly it is common for us to actually see the Glycemic Impact. As a diabetic looking to have a sugar reading of 100 as a target we know that when we eat something and the reading goes to 200 that is bad.

People often come up to me at the Market and ask about the carb count in our granola bars. Some say how can these be Low Glycemic when they have 22 grams of Carbohydrates? A great question and one that requires a great answer, fortunately I have one.

When you combine all the ingredients your body has to digest them all at the same time. Our ingredients are very low on the Glycemic Index, but we do things with our recipe that help make the bars even lower. A great example of this is how we treat the oats we use differently than you do with oatmeal. Oatmeal is hydrated when it is cooked. This makes it easier to break down in your body. Our oats are not hydrated, in fact we remove as much of the moisture as possible. This makes your body work harder to digest it.

We also replace the sugar with Agave which is super low on the Glycemic Index and Honey which is much lower than sugar on the index as well.

The point is that when you look into Glycemic Index you need to look deeper than just at the carb or sugar count. Look a the product and test your blood sugar. I recommend when you test your sugar you take a fasting reading and then eat the food item. Test every 30 minutes for 2 hours and you will know what the Glycemic Impact is for YOU!

My family is addicted to bagels. They would all have a bagel for breakfast everyday if they were in the house. As a diabetic this is clearly not a good choice for me, but I’ve learned how to cut a sliver off the bagel (careful it’s not so easy) and enjoy a quarter of one every once in a while.

Bagels today have over 50 carbs each and I know you can’t just take half, can you? It’s tough to do and the fact is that if you are going to eat a whole bagel, you may as well have a donut or two. Why? Simple, because as a person with diabetes you are going to be spiking your blood sugar in the next 30 minutes and if you are going to do it with a bagel, you may as well aim for a diabetic coma and really enjoy your sin

OK, maybe that’s a little over the edge. After all most of us won’t slip into a diabetic coma after a bagel or donut, but your sugar will become uncontrollable and you will pay for it. If you really want to cheat ask yourself if you are prepared to deal with the consequences of high blood sugar.

If you become sleepy when your sugar spikes, make sure you have your night cap on.

We deceive others every day, but in doing so we know that the truth is always right there on our blood glucose meter. I always have in the back of my mind that if I take enough insulin or take a walk I’ll be keep my sugar from rising uncontrollably.

I’m a real carboholic and sometimes find that there are no good choices around that “I WANT”. It’s not that I don’t want to be good and eat the right foods. Over 90% of the time I do. The problem I have is that I eat too much of the right food, or I decide (10% of the time) to purposely eat the wrong food. I know I’m not alone. I talk to diabetics all the time and we cheat!

Two recent incidents I’ll share. We went to the movies as a family. Everyone loves the treats there. Popcorn, Candy, etc… I broke the rules and brought granola bars. Yes, I’m confessing but I would not have to if AMC sold some kind of healthy treat that I could eat. I started out snacking on my granola bars, but degraded when the kids brought popcorn back to the seats. This was not awful, I did limit myself to a few handfuls which satisfied me and did not throw my blood sugar as off track as it would have if I hadn’t eaten granola bars.

A second digression; Every Thursday we sell our granola bars at the Newhall Farmers Market. There are always temptations there. I am usually pretty good at avoiding them. This week was an exception. It actually didn’t happen there. My kids traded granola bars for baklava and lots of it! I love baklava. I saw it when we got home. I avoided it on Thursday. Friday night came and there was plenty left and so I took one. Oh, it was so good…so…I took another! An hour later my mouth was dry so I tested my sugar, 216 OUCH! But, it was so good. I usually satisfy my cravings with granola bars but sometimes it’s worth the pain. I took extra insulin, got back under control and keep this as a reminder not to overdo the treats when I do go off the sugar wagon.

One of every 14 people has Diabetes. One in every 5 has Pre-Diabetes. With numbers like this it is likely that Diabetes impacts you or someone you know. As a diabetic for the past 15 years I have been thought the ups and downs of managing this problem.

Two things impact my blood sugar–Diet and Exercise. Funny you hear people talk about D&E for weight loss and physical fitness too. Today, let’s look at how similar D&E issues are for both diabetics and the people that love them J

Diabetics need to walk. Moving helps your metabolism operate more efficiently…
Healthy people need to walk. Moving helps maintain a strong heart and overall fitness…funny, that’s also important for diabetics.

Diabetics need to cut back on sugar and foods that convert to sugar quickly in the body. Pasta and bread are no no’s for diabetics; cake and candy are off the list as well.

Healthy people are cutting back on sugar, pastas and bread too. Insulin levels rise with these foods causing them to convert to fat faster than other foods. Who needs the love handles anyway?

Diabetics need love. Keeps the stress down and reduces glucose control problems.

Who doesn’t need love? Seems like we are all looking for love there must be some benefit for healthy people too.

Conclusion, healthy people or those that aspire to be healthy need to eat and exercise just like diabetics do. It’s not that Diet and Exercise is a unique issue for health and especially for diabetics, it’s that most people just aren’t focusing on these issues enough. The tide is turning, more and more of us are focusing on Diet and Exercise, are you one of us?

One of every 14 people has Diabetes. One in every 5 has Pre-Diabetes. With numbers like this it is likely that Diabetes impacts you or someone you know. As a diabetic for the past 15 years I have been thought the ups and downs of managing this problem.Two things impact my blood sugar – Diet and Exercise. Funny you hear people talk about D&E for weight loss and physical fitness too. Today, let’s look at how similar D&E issues are for both diabetics and the people that love them J

Diabetics need to walk. Moving helps your metabolism operate more efficiently…
Healthy people need to walk. Moving helps maintain a strong heart and overall fitness…funny, that’s also important for diabetics.

Diabetics need to cut back on sugar and foods that convert to sugar quickly in the body. Pasta and bread are no no’s for diabetics; cake and candy are off the list as well.
Healthy people are cutting back on sugar, pastas and bread too. Insulin levels rise with these foods causing them to convert to fat faster than other foods. Who needs the love handles anyway?

Diabetics need love. Keeps the stress down and reduces glucose control problems.
Who doesn’t need love? Seems like we are all looking for love there must be some benefit for healthy people too.

Conclusion, healthy people or those that aspire to be healthy need to eat and exercise just like diabetics do. It’s not that Diet and Exercise is a unique issue for health and especially for diabetics, it’s that most people just aren’t focusing on these issues enough. The tide is turning, more and more of us are focusing on Diet and Exercise, are you one of us?