Marci’s DIY Diabetes Nutrition Guidelines

By Marci Sloane|2018-07-09T13:22:40-04:00Updated: October 10th, 2014|Diabetes Management, DIY Diabetes Articles|0 Comments

The most important nutrition message to take away from this material is to consume wholesome, slow-digesting, high fiber carbohydrates in combination with healthy choices of protein and fat.

My Do-It-Yourself diabetes nutrition guidelines will assist you in avoiding fluctuations in blood sugar and the highs and lows that are dangerous to you and result in low energy levels.

“Carbs”

Carbs, short for Carbohydrates, are starch (including vegetables), fruit, milk and sweets that turn 100% into sugar within 1 to 2 hours (except for the fiber part). They have the greatest impact on your blood sugar.

“Blasters”

Blasters are quick-digesting or high glycemic carbohydrates that BLAST sugar into your bloodstream. Blasters make your blood sugar spike. Blasters make your insulin work harder to bring the sugar from the bloodstream into the body’s cells like the brain, muscles, organs and tissues so the body can have energy to live and function.

“Tricklers”

Tricklers are slow-digesting foods or low glycemic carbohydrates that TRICKLE sugar into your bloodstream. Tricklers make your blood sugar level out. Tricklers make your insulin work much easier to bring the sugar (energy) from the bloodstream into the body’s cells.

Blasters vs Tricklers
Blasters Tricklers
Quick-Digesting Foods: Slow-Digesting Foods:
Starches: Bread, Cereal, Crackers Starches with High Fiber: Beans, Sweet Potatoes, High Fiber Bread, High Fiber Cereal.
Starchy Vegetables: Potatoes, Corn, Peas Non-Starchy Vegetables: Broccoli, Zucchini, Green Beans, Cabbage
Fruits: Oranges, Pineapple, Grapefruit, Watermelon (especially juicier fruits) Protein: Fish, Shellfish, Meat, Poultry, Eggs, Cheese
Milk: Yogurt, Milk Fat: Nuts, Nut Butters, Oils, Avocados
Sweets: Cookies, Candy, Sugar or Sucrose Sugar Free or NO Sugar Added Carbohydrates with Sugar Alcohols: Sorbitol, Xylitol, Mannitol, etc.

Here is my equation for controlling your blood sugar. It will also help with weight loss and reduced hunger!

High Fiber Carbs + Lean Protein + Unsaturated Fats = Controlled Blood Sugar

Protein contains little or no carbohydrates, however due to the processing, 50% turns into sugar within several hours. Therefore, the impact on your blood glucose is minimal. In fact, the slow digestion of protein (like eggs, cheese, poultry, meat, fish, shellfish), when combined with carbohydrates, will help to level out your blood sugar, thus, reducing fluctuations.

Fat contains no carbohydrates, however, 10% turns into sugar within several hours. Therefore, fat (like protein) has minimal effect on blood glucose and will help to slow digestion of the carbohydrates it is mixed with.

About the Author: Marci Sloane

Marci SloaneMarci Sloane, MS, RD, LD/N, CDE, is a registered and licensed dietitian/nutritionist and certified diabetes educator. She grew up in NYC where she graduated with a degree in Nutrition and Physiology from Teachers College at Columbia University. For over a decade, Marci managed a Diabetes and Nutrition Education Center at a multi-bed hospital in South Florida and has been counseling people on healthy eating, weight loss, and managing diseases and conditions such as: diabetes, pre-diabetes, healthy eating, heart disease, weight loss, high cholesterol, high triglycerides, hypertension, hypoglycemia and a host of other nutrition-related diseases. Marci is an American Diabetes Association Valor Award recipient and lectures frequently to the public and healthcare professionals. Marci was a featured panelist for the Sun-Sentinel's "Let's Take It Off" weight loss program, was highlighted in the Palm Beach Post: Meet Your Neighbor, "Woman's book on healthy eating uses humor as a key ingredient" and was a participant in their Diabetes Series in 2007. Marci Sloane is a member of the American Diabetes Association’s Health Professional Committee.

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