diabetes & carbohydrates
People with diabetes are often told to avoid carbs at all cost, and while this may work for some, it is not the answer for diabetes management.
Your body reacts differently than anyone else's.
Without a doubt, while controlling and counting the carbohydrates that you consume is very effective in managing blood glucose levels, it is also important to understand that carbohydrates are not the enemy for diabetics (or anyone). The true enemy is not knowing how many or what type of carbohydrates you are consuming.
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When I was diagnosed with diabetes, countless low carb recipes were shoved in my face. I was told to sub zucchini and squash for pasta, use lettuce instead of bread and black beans for the flour in brownies. For years, I believed carbs were the enemy and that I could not eat a delicious baguette with out feeling like total shit.
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Carbohydrates are the bodies main source of energy. The brain, liver and muscles prefer glucose as their primary source of energy over fats and proteins.
The human body converts any type of carbohydrate into glucose, which is stored and used for energy. Your body will not survive with out energy, aka calories, aka carbohydrates. The misunderstanding here comes from the fact that glucose levels need to be kept in control for diabetics to remain healthy. Carbohydrates (when not consumed mindfully) cause a rapid increase in blood glucose levels and so, carbohydrates are seen as the problem and labeled as bad.
Another misconception is that carbs cause weight gain, and this is highly believable because carbs retain water so cutting them out results in a drop in water weight. not fat. also, foods composed of simple carbs are very east to overeat. think candies, donuts, and white breads. overeating means caloric surplus which means weigh gain. but it is not the carbs fault!!! so let’s stop blaming her, please
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Personally, my body responds better when it's carbohydrates are coming primarily from complex carbohydrates. And yours most likely will too.
Complex carbohydrates provide an array of benefits to the human body, but most notably for diabetics they slow down to absorption of glucose into the bloodstream.
Complex carbs are digested more slowly by the body, as they are chemically more complex than simple sugars, so it will take the body longer to break them down into glucose. This allows for insulin to have more time to start working in the body to prevent a spike in blood glucose levels.
The consumption of fats and proteins alongside carbohydrates also help to slow the absorption of glucose into the body, preventing spikes in blood glucose levels. This explains why it is so important to consume all three macronutrients as a part of a meal.
good sources of complex carbs include oats, whole wheat products, beans, sweet potato and more.
