Ask Well: Eating With Diabetes (ADA Crap)

Q
What can I eat if I've been diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes?
I've just been diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes. I'm flabbergasted to say the least. Now what? Do I ever get to eat a decent meal again? I'm in deep despair.

A
When people receive a diabetes diagnosis, they’re often told to eliminate sugar-sweetened soda and desserts from their diet. But people can work with a diabetes educator to develop an eating plan that includes these and other favorite foods, albeit in limited amounts, said Maggie Powers president-elect of health care and education for the American Diabetes Association.

“It’s a matter of give-and-take,” Dr. Powers said. “If somebody wants [sugar-sweetened] soda, we don’t encourage that, because a little bit gives you a lot of carbohydrates.” But, she said, “If you say that you have to have a brownie every Sunday before you go to bed, I’d say, ‘You typically have a snack of 30 grams of carbohydrates, such as a large apple or banana; you can have a brownie instead.’ ”

The concern is that too many carbohydrate-laden snacks will displace nutritious carbohydrates like fruits, vegetables, cereals and whole grains, and dried beans such as chickpeas, kidney beans or lentils. A can of Mountain Dew, which has 46 grams of carbohydrates, would displace two pieces of bread (26 grams) and a small apple (21 grams).

Dr. Powers, a clinician and scientist with the International Diabetes Center at Park Nicollet in Minneapolis, teaches a carbohydrate management method that distributes carbs throughout the day, taking food intake, exercise, diabetes medications and insulin production into account. The food plan is adjusted based on glucose test results.

Carbohydrate goals will vary, but many women aim for 35 to 40 grams of carbohydrates per meal, whereas men may aim for 45 to 60 grams per meal. “What we’re trying to do is manage the amount of sugar in your blood throughout the day,” Dr. Powers said.

If you need help creating a food plan that works for you, she suggested, ask your physician for a referral to a diabetes education program.

http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2016/01/06/ask-well-eating-with-diabetes/?_r=0