My son currently 11 years old was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes at the age of 2. With three more kids at home, I felt like my life was broken in little pieces. I was on the process of potty training when I started to get worried for the amount of water he was drinking, therefore using more nap-pies and so forth. It was the moment when i realized that I have to change the food habits for every single member of the family for the rest of my life. I kind of felt a little relief because my education was around food and nutrition but you wont never accept when is someone as close as your son and your family involved. I know how many parents with small kids, teenagers, young adults , adults have to go through as Diabetics, this condition affects the rest their life and the family as well.
I took this as an opportunity to prepare healthier meals for the kids and family, to throw in the bin the amount of cookies and unhealthy process food that kids loved, to buy instead of a normal ice-cream, the one with less sugars, I learned to read labels , it is a lifestyle of consciousness which I believe we all should have.
There is no secret that carbs affect our blood sugars but the more we think about sugars, the more we eat.
We can find sugar in these ingredients, fiber, starch and sugar. When we buy a package of food and read the label, the TOTAL CHOS refers to the combination of these three ingredients. But how much is the right amount?
All food is made up with 3 main nutrients : protein, fat and carbohydrates we need the three of them to be healthy. The key to be healthy is to choose the complex carbohydrates, because the are digested slower therefore they don’t cause spike in blood sugars.
Example:
If you would like to start having healthy, complex carbohydrates you need to choose whole and minimal processed.(quarter of your plate) in your breakfast , lunch and dinner . Here are examples of healthy, complex carbohydrates Starchy vegetables corn, winter squash, potatoes- Legumes and pulses like lentils, kidney beans, pinto beans, peas black eye peas. Wholemeal Grains; including foods like pasta, bread and crackers , rice and others. Whole grains examples are: Oats, quinoa, barley, bulgur, brown rice, amaranth.
💟 TIP: When reading labels make sure the FIRST ingredient is “whole grain” or whole wheat as the first ingredient as opposed to enriched .
Comes from plant based foods, including fruits, vegetables, and whole intact grains. It acts like a brush that clean all your digestive system , keep us feeling full and helps lower cholesterol , improve your digestion, help to reduce your sugar levels.People with prediabetes or any other kind of diabetes is recommended to have a minimum 14grms of fiber per 1000 calories.
💟BE CAREFUL not to add so much fiber in your diet otherwise it would have an opposite effect like gas, or constipation. Important to have plenty of water as well as it helps to clean and brush your inner organs.
1. good sources of fiber: Lentils, beans, peas, white beans, chickpeas,
2. fruit and vegetables especially with edible skin and seeds like berries.
3. nuts pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, pistachios, peanuts,
4. whole grains like : quinoa, barley, bulgur, oats, brown rice
5. whole wheat pasta, whole grain cereals
💟Foods that are naturally high in fiber have at least 2.5 grams “good source”
💟more than 5 grms are called “ excellent source”
Natural sugars like milk and fruit
Added sugars added in the process. Regular soda drinks, sweets , honey, syrups, coconut sugar, brown sugar and baked food.
When we consumed sugars with solids fats and excess energy results in overweight , obesity, type 2 diabetes, prediabetes, inflammation, and other illnesses that we don’t want.
There are so many products in the market called Sugar substitutes no nutritive but replace the taste of sugar. Some examples are : Saccharine, Aspartame, Stevia, etc. most of these are broken down in the body so they don’t have any nutritional value they are effective alternative if you miss the taste of sugar.
💟If you are looking to reduce your intake of sugar , start slowly, for example start replacing one soda or juice with water or non calorie drink.
Water is always the best choice. If you feel bored with water you can add some drops of lime, lemon, or strawberry , even apple cider vinegar.
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