Question of the Week: Sugar & Carb Free Diets?

The following question was submitted for discussion on this week's blog post, " I was recently diagnosed with Pre-Diabetes and was wondering how strict my diet really needs to be?  Does every meal and snack need to be completely sugar and carb free?"

First, I want to say that's it is great that you want to make some positive changes to your diet.   Start with small achievable changes and master those as longtime habits are sometimes difficult to break. 

Your meals and snacks should not be carb-free.  Carbohydrates play an important part of everyone's diet no matter who you are.  Carbohydrates are the main source of energy for your body.   The important point that needs to be made is the carbohydrates that you consume should be  those considered "healthy carbohydrates" such as fruits and vegetables, low or nonfat dairy products, and whole grains (i.e. quinoa, brown rice, wheat pasta, multigrain bread).

Unhealthier choices of carbohydrates are those that should be limited or eliminated.  This category consists of items that are usually calorie dense yet lack the proper nutrients.  These "unhealthier" carbohydrates include choices such as baked goods, white rice, white pasta, and white bread.

Healthy carbohydrate choices should consist of approximately 45-65% of your total daily caloric intake.  For example,  if your intake was 1800 kcals for the day, calories from carbohydrate should range from between 810 kcals and 1170 kcals.  Keep an eye on portion sizes to keep your calories in check.

Question of the week: What is low carb and low sugar?

A reader emailed the following question, "I have been diagnosed with pre-diabetes and a friend told me I should eat low carb and no sugar. What is considered to be low carb and low sugar in specific numbers?"

With pre-diabetes it is important to eat a balanced diet that includes carbohydrates, proteins, and fats. Your carbohydrates need to be distributed throughout the day and they should complex in nature and nutrient dense.

Some examples of complex carbohydrates are found in legumes, whole grains, and "starchy" vegetables. Other "good" carbohydrates include whole fruits, low fat/skim milk, and milk products. The "simple" or bad (empty) carbohydrates that should eliminate are the ones containing white sugar (cookies, cake, candies),white flour, white rice, (regular pasta, white bread), syrups, table sugar, soda, and fruit juices.

The Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) for carbohydrates is 130 grams. Your brain uses an average of 130 grams carbohydrate daily at minimum to function. This number doesn't include the rest of the parts of your body that need carbohydrates to function optimally!

In addition to eating a balanced diet with complex carbohydrates, it is important to include regular exercise and weight loss if necessary. Visit the following link for more information and tips to help prevent Diabetes: http://www.diabetes.org/food-and-fitness/food/what-can-i-eat/making-healthy-food-choices.html. I suggest visiting a CDE (Certified Diabetes Educator) and or a Registered Dietitian.

Question of the week: Does the natural sugar in fruit count as carbohydrate?

The following question was asked by one of my readers, "I have pre-diabetes and am trying to learn about carbohydrate and sugar. Does the sugar in fruit count as sugar?"

Yes, sugar in fruit counts as a carbohydrate - however, this does not mean that you should avoid fruit as a pre-diabetic. In fact, fruit should be a part of your diet as they are loaded with vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and fiber.

A small piece of whole fruit or approximately 1/2 cup of frozen fruit has around 15 grams of carbohydrate. One serving of fresh berries or cut melon is around 3/4-1 cup.

I would suggest avoiding fruit juice or canned fruit. Canned fruit is usually sitting in syrup and not a great choice. Dried fruit is high in sugar (although natural sugar) and only 2 tbsp is equivalent to 15 grams of carbohydrates. Fruit juices don't have the fiber content of whole fruit and only 1/3-1/2 cup is equivalent to a serving.

You can get alot more "bang" for your carbohydrate buck by eating fresh or frozen fruit. Fruit is a better choice of carbohydrate as compared to what I refer to as "empty carbohydrates" (i.e. white bread, white sugar, cookies, cake, soda).

Source: American Diabetes Associations

Newly Diagnosed with Diabetes - How many Carbs and how much sugar can I have?

The following question was posed: "I was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes last month. I’m having difficulty understanding how many carbs and sugar I can have each day. I’m finding that nearly everything contains carbs and sugar! Can you help me with this?"

The answer varies from person to person. It isn't necessarily important to know simply how much carb or sugar to eat in a day, but rather what types of carbohydrates and how those carbohydrates are distributed throughout the day.

My first recommendation is for you to attend a diabetes class and speak with your physician or a registered dietitian to learn the specific amount of carbohydrate you should be consuming daily. Information regarding diabetes classes can be found in my previous blog post. They will be able to help you determine the amount of carbs/sugar that works best for you based on individualized factors such as: your height/weight, lab values, type of medication you may be taking, weight goals, the amount of physical activity you partake in daily, et al. The Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) for carbohydrate has been set at 130 grams/day as a frame of reference, however please speak to your diagnosing practitioner/registered dietitian for an individualized plan.

Keep in mind that you should be distributing your carbohydrate intake evenly throughout the day instead of eating them all in large meals. Spreading it throughout the day in small meals will help you keep your blood sugar levels from spiking. Be sure to read your food labels!

Also, the carbohydrates that you are choosing should be of the complex nature and nutrient dense. Whole grains, whole fruits, whole vegetables, and low fat dairy are optimal. Best to eliminate any white foods (white breads, white pasta, anything with white sugar), white rice, and fruit juices as they will cause your blood sugar levels to spike. Cakes and cookies are considered "empty calorie" carbs and should be consumed minimally if not eliminated from your diet.

Fiber intake should be optimal at 25-35 grams daily. Choose foods high in fiber as it will help you delay sugar absorption and help you control your blood sugar levels. If you are not currently eating alot of fiber in your diet - increase your intake 3 - 5 grams/daily to avoid constipation and be sure to drink lots of water.

Portion control is another important factor when it comes to monitoring your carbohydrate intake (see my first blog post for some useful measuring tips). You can achieve optimal blood sugar levels by watching the size of your carbohydrate portions.