Whole grains NOT good for type 2 diabetics....

Today's Post: Thursday, 5-27-2010

Dr. Al Sears wrote in the email from Total Health Breakthroughs last Tuesday, 5-25-2010 that,

"The American Diabetes Association’s (ADA’s) recommended diet is like pouring gas on a wild fire. It’s ironic how it sets out to help people with blood sugar issues, yet it just ends up hurting them."

He notes that the ADA recommends high fiber foods but does NOT caution about....whole grains. "You might be surprised to know that whole grains spike your blood sugar more than sugary foods."

He says that studies show "that low fat and high carb diets like the one recommended by the ADA just don’t work."

"For example, in a recent study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, 210 patients with blood sugar concerns followed either a low carb/low glycemic diet or a high cereal/high fiber diet. Those on the low glycemic/low carb diet saw a larger reduction in blood glucose levels and even cholesterol levels compared to those who were on the high cereal/high carb diet."

He also says that, "Fat and protein are not the bad guys. The key is to eat the right kinds of fat and the right kinds of protein.

The last thing you want to do is follow the diet advice of the ADA for a low fat diet full of whole grains, or you’ll surely suffer with diabetes for the rest of your life.

The best thing you can do is to eat the right fats and proteins and kick out the starchy carbs. Here are some tips to help you make the right choices.

Don’t be afraid of fat. Avoid trans fats (partially or fully hydrogenated oils) which are found in processed foods. Get healthy fat from lean proteins (grass-fed beef), wild fish, olives/oil, ….avocados, and nuts.

Avoid starches like grains including corn, potatoes, and rice.

Choose good quality protein – it’s “guilt-free” food. It won’t raise your blood sugar and helps handle insulin better, build muscle and repair tissue – all essential for staying lean and preventing diabetes. Grass-fed beef, free-range poultry, cage-free eggs, and wild salmon are all good choices.

Choose vegetables that don’t spike your blood sugar (low glycemic). Those that grow above ground are good choices – cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, asparagus, mushrooms, green beans, leafy green vegetables, and tomatoes.

Eat fruits such as berries and those you can eat with the skin on. ....

Avoid processed foods. They are loaded with bad fats and carbs, artificial sweeteners, and preservatives.

Avoid high fructose corn syrup. It contributes to insulin resistance. Fructose is converted to fat more than other sweeteners. In fact, HFCS has been linked to obesity. And limit natural sweeteners like sugar and honey."

For more information on and from Dr. Sears visit http://www.alsearsmd.com .

I don’t agree with everything he says. But those things he says that I agree with, he often states very well and cites research or studies that prove his point.

Here are some other key points to consider that either add to his points or make important points he leaves out.

1. The ADA DOES have some science in its suggestion to limit fats and protein.

BUT, the research ONLY supports that for the bad fats and oils and the protein foods that contain them.

Omega 6 oils like corn, soy, and saffola, partially hydrogenated oils of this kind that also have trans fats, and excessive saturated fats from animal sources often from the meat of animals fed grain and purposely penned up to make them fatter --increase inflammation and/or small particle LDL both of which cause heart disease and make the health harm of type 2 diabetes on your blood vessels and heart far worse. The omega 6 oils also lower your protective HDL

So avoiding close to ALL that kind of fat and those oils IS a good idea period for everyone and is essential for type 2 diabetics.

Dr Sears is correct however, that moderate amounts of extra virgin olive oil, nuts, and avocados ARE good for you.

And, since most fast food meals have some or all of the above BAD fats and oils, limiting your consumption or stopping it for fast food hamburgers and fries is a great idea. Protein from those sources has the fats and oils you are wise to avoid.

Similarly, so is NOT drinking any of their soft drinks at all.

(Note that this is much less true at Subway. IF you pass on the refined grain bread and the soft drinks and the sugary and refined grain loaded treats and eat an Atkin’s style “sandwich” you can add several kinds of veggies to one of their meat choices to have a pretty health OK lunch.)

Similarly, protein from wild caught fish high in omega 3 oils like salmon and sardines beans, and lentils, and the other health OK choices Dr Sears lists are good choices and NOT harmful for people with type 2 diabetes.

2. In addition to strictly limiting sugar and whole grains, it is ESSENTIAL for everyone who values good health AND even more critical for type 2 diabetics to avoid ALL refined grain foods and both regular and diet soft drinks.

White rice, white refined grain bread, and treats and snacks made from refined grain flour are very high glycemic foods. Try your very best to avoid ALL of them! (If you have a blood sugar testing kit, you can see this for yourself after you eat these foods. Do yourself a favor and don’t keep eating them!)

Regular soft drinks also spike your blood sugar, add calories that make you fat AND both do not turn down hunger but DO cause rebound hunger when the sugar crash stops! Too many people think they are safe to consume and normal to have often. As a result, they are fat and much more likely to get type 2 diabetes.

Unfortunately, diet soft drinks have very similar effects in most people despite not have the sugars. They make you considerably hungrier for sweets and make your body stop counting calories from real sugar as food. Plus people tend to consume them with the same fast food, treats, and snacks that cause these problems.

3. Regular and vigorous exercise even in sessions as short as one or two minutes lower high blood sugar and tend to turn off insulin resistance. Doing such exercises nearly every day each week is critical for type 2 diabetics to do.

Vigorous calisthenics, strength training, and interval cardio all work great and have been shown to lower HBA1C and glucose levels immediately after doing them. (If you have a blood sugar testing kit, you can see this for yourself.)

4. If you feel you must have foods like potatoes or brown rice or whole grain foods, NEVER eat them by themselves. Only eat them with much lower glycemic foods such as extra virgin olive oil, or nuts or nonstarchy vegetables or a health OK protein good. Doing that will cause the overall meal to not be so horribly high glycemic.

For example, combine brown rice, pecans, and wild rice with some extra virgin olive oil instead of eating plain brown rice. Or, instead of doing hash browns cooked in canola oil and its high omega 6 content, try a potato pancake cooked gently in extra virgin olive oil that contains eggs and chopped onion in addition to the potato.