- Managing diabetes: Looking beyond carbs
- Created on Saturday, 10 May 2014 17:37
- Written by Katherine Zeratsky, R.D., L.D.
Rochester, Minnesota - No, don't eat unlimited amounts of foods just because they're free of carbs (carbohydrates). Carbs aren't your only dietary consideration.
Eating a healthy, portion-controlled diet helps you manage your blood sugar levels and reduces your risk of diabetes-related conditions, such as heart disease and stroke. The best way to do this is to choose a variety of nutritious foods - those rich in vitamins, minerals and fiber - and limit foods that are high in cholesterol, saturated fat and sodium.
Consider the following sample breakfast menus. Although they provide almost the same number of carbs, breakfast No. 2 is a better choice because it's considerably higher in nutrients and lower in calories, fat and cholesterol.
| Carbs (g) | Cholesterol (mg) | Fat (g) | Calories | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 fried eggs | 1 | 370 | 10 | 144 |
| 2 sausage links | 1 | 40 | 13 | 150 |
| 3/4 cup hash browns | 41 | 0 | 14.5 | 310 |
| 1 slice white toast | 15.5 | 0 | 1 | 83 |
| 2 teaspoons butter | 0 | 20 | 8 | 68 |
| 1/2 cup orange juice | 14 | 0 | 0 | 59 |
| 1 cup black coffee | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Totals | 72.5 | 430 | 46.5 | 816 |
| Carbs (g) | Cholesterol (mg) | Fat (g) | Calories | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3/4 cup cornflakes | 18 | 0 | 0 | 75 |
| 1/2 banana | 13.5 | 0 | 0 | 53 |
| 1 cup low-fat milk | 12 | 12 | 2.5 | 102 |
| 1 slice wheat toast | 14.5 | 0 | 1 | 87 |
| 1 tablespoon peanut butter | 3 | 0 | 8 | 95 |
| 1/2 cup orange juice | 14 | 0 | 0 | 59 |
| 1 cup black coffee | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Totals | 75 | 12 | 11.5 | 473 |
Graham
the better breakfast would be item 1&2 of 1, perhaps 1/2 of item 3, the rest are not food.
ReplyDeleteOrange juice with ... Coffee?
ReplyDeleteWhy?
My choice from Breakfast No 1 egg, sausage, butter, coffee WITH CREAM.
ReplyDeleteBreakfast No 2, no thank you.
Kay
ONE cup of coffee? way too little in my humble opinion....
ReplyDeleteIt just goes to show how far removed from reality some dietitians are, as a diabetic I know eating either of the menus would send my BG into orbit.
ReplyDeleteAgree with Kay the sausage and eggs would be the only items I would eat.
Graham
White Toast, not for me. In fact bread, grains not for me.
ReplyDeleteIf I had diabetes, I imagine this would make me pretty angry. I'm a little ashamed to say it was pretty funny on first read.
ReplyDelete@Spittin'chips
ReplyDeleteTBH honest I thought it was a spoof at first.
Graham
I'm not sure which breakfast is worse: the breakfast of sugar or the breakfast of sugar and fat.
ReplyDeleteThe eggs and sausage are all I would have ... well I do love peanut butter so I might have a spoonful if tempted but not on toast. I don't drink coffee.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Anna Down Under, the eggs and sausage are all I'd have plus a bacon slice. What would the dietitian make of that?
ReplyDeleteJames
Breakfast #1 will keep you satisfied for 6 hours, especially if you skip hash-browns, toast and orange juice and add cream to your coffee.
ReplyDelete