Saying that diabetes has to do with blood sugars is misleading. It implies that the only thing we have to worry about is having too much sugar.
The truth is that all food turns into sugar into the body. ALL. OF. IT. Even the savory, salty foods.
Food is converted into sugar by the body as it is the form of energy that our cells can easily take in. So your brain cells, kidney cells, muscle cells, and everything in between uses sugar as energy.
The difference between foods has to do with how fast it turns into sugar. For example, healthy fats (olive oil, nuts, avocado), proteins (chicken, fish, tofu) and non-starchy vegetables (cabbage, broccoli, cucumber) take HOURS to turn into sugar in the body.
However, foods that are carbohydrate dominant (rice, pasta, beans) or starchy (potatoes, corn) only take 30-60 minutes.
Why is this important?
Well, picture this… (this is an analogy from Dr. Jason Fung’s book, The Diabetes Code…Highly recommend it) …your cells are trains, the sugar converted from food are passengers, and insulin, a hormone that helps direct the sugar to its appropriate destinations, is the conductor.
When you have diabetes, your conductor (insulin) is usually really tired. Like he hasn’t had a vacation in 10 years and never gets a lunch break. Being so tired, he is disgruntled and doesn’t open the train doors all the way ORRRRRR the trains at the station are so full, he tries to push as many people in, but cannot fit everyone.
Often there are people left on the platform…
So, one solution is to have less people trying to board the train all at once.
Since it takes hours for healthy fats, proteins, and non-starchy vegetables, you avoid a rush hour.
BUT if you decide to eat a big plate of pasta with bread, you cause a rush hour that overwhelms your conductor, and leaves many stuck on the platform. Hence, high blood sugars.
So one important way to manage your blood sugars is to adjust your portion of carbohydrates/starches to just 1/4th of a 9-inch plate.
I know it is small, but it gives your conductor to do his job better and leave less people waiting for a train.
Master this and your blood sugars will start to stabilize. You may lose weight (extra passengers are sent to the liver to be turned into fat), have more energy, and even improve your mood!
All Aboard!!