Low fat or low
carb? Small
regular meals
or fasting?
When did
healthy eating
become so
hard? DL
dietitian and
diabetes
educator Dr
Kate Marsh
tells all
If you’re unsure about what to eat, you are certainly not alone.
There’s plenty of confusing and conflicting information out there
when it comes to good nutrition, particularly when you have diabetes.
Fortunately, healthy eating doesn’t need to be hard. We cut through
the jargon and got the straight talk on how to eat well.YOU WANTED
FOOD
Should I go low carb
if I have diabetes?
There’s certainly some evidence
to show low-carb diets can help
with improving blood glucose
levels and blood fats, and
reducing medication needs in
people with type 2 diabetes.
But other diets, including
Mediterranean and low-fat
vegetarian diets, have shown
similar benefits. And we don’t
know the long-term effect of
a very low-carb diet. Those
in favour of low-carb diets for
diabetes say cutting carbs is the
answer because these are the
foods that directly affect
our blood glucose levels.But if you have type 2 diabetes,
the reason you don’t deal with
carbs in the same way as
someone without diabetes is
because of underlying insulin
resistance. So the aim of any
dietary or lifestyle changes
should be to improve how
insulin works in your body.
And there is evidence low-fat,
high-fibre, plant-based diets
improve insulin resistance
while high intakes of saturated
fat and red meat can worsen
insulin resistance. So, while
a very low-carb diet may work
in the short-term, it may not
be the best way to manage
diabetes in the longer term.TO KNOW ABOUT
EVERYTHING
(but were too afraid to ask)