Low GI vs Carb Counting

[spiketvl]

From reading this brilliant forum it seems most Americans and Canadians do Carb Counting and the English and Australians(like moi) do low GI. For the Yanks and Canadians have you ever been talked to about low GI or is it simply not something thats used or mentioned? Low GI sure seems easier than counting portions. Just a curious question as it interests me.

[Cyborg]

How about low Glycemic Load (http://www.nutritiondata.com/glycemic-index.html) (GL)?

[Mister Q]

Another thread on the same lines here -

http://www.diabetesforums.com/carbohydrate-calories/9939-count-not-count-question.html

[mg_2204]

I am lost when it comes to carb counting! I prefer the GI index.

[darkbrowneyes40]

I have type 2, I need to have about 170 grams of carb's per day. Does everyone know how many should I have for breakfast, lunch and dinner

[labob]

My CDE has briefly raised the concept of the glycemic index, but she hasn't put much emphasis on it. I'm not sure that she really understands that for some of us there's a big difference in our 2-hour post-meal readings between 15g of carbs in wheat bread (which can send my glucose levels quite high) and 15g of of carbs in beans (which don't have quite the same effect on me, even though they're in the same category of grains/starches on the exchange system). I'm not faulting her -- she's very helpful and supportive -- it's just that she is so focused on the exchange system that sometimes I think she loses track of what different foods really do to your glucose levels, even within the same category. I'm not sure that I would have realized this, either, if I hadn't been checking my post-meal glucose levels so religiously. I also recognize that different people react differently to certain foods, so it's probably unrealistic to expect that a health care provider will be able to predict exactly what your precise reaction will be. Firguring out what works best for you is all about experimentation and keeping records, as far as I can tell.

I kinda sorta do a combination of the exchange diet (counting portions of grains/starches, vegetables, fruit, milk, protein, etc. separately) and glycemic indexing (meaning that when I select a "serving" under the exchange system, I try to choose foods that are lower on the glycemic index for that category when possible). I confess that I'm not overly scientific -- except for breakfast, when everything is carefully measured, for most meals I tend to eyeball portions, take my glucose readings after meals, keep a log of what I had if my reading is higher than expected, and adjust accordingly in the future. While for me it's still a bit of a guessing game, I am getting better at it.

[lesley]

as an aussie, I think that much of the diet advice handed out is for the index. however, for me, I find that I need to restrict the carbs. I think that a lot of advice is way behind the times or diabetic's experiences. when my doc wanted me to go to a dietician I said fine, as long as you are not going to send me to someone who is just going to hand me a sheet showing me that useless food pyramid and tell me to eat lots of complex carbs. So far, he hasn't been able to suggest anyone within a hundred kilometres. If necessary I will travel to the "big smoke" but am coping without a dietician although a good one would undoubtedly be of great benefit to me.

[shanda]

I've been advised by a dietician to have 40 or less carbs per meal, and to try to keep it even throughout each meal, this is, not 10 carbs at breakfast and 40 at dinner. I'm trying to follow this and so far it seems to be working, when I test my blood it's always within normal range.

She did also say that I need to eat protein with the carbs, as I used to just eat ceral for breakfast and she said I need to slow down the carbs by adding protein.

Soon I will be enrolled in the Diabetes Clinic at the local hospital and hope to become better educated in food choices. As I mentioned somewhere else on the Forum my first few weeks as a diabetic I thought a glass of orange juice would count as a fruit, and the dietician almost had a fit when she saw this...yikes!

I have a real weakness for potatos so I try to fit that in less often than before, but I don't want to have to give them up completely, so I was happy to find out I can still have them, just in limited amounts. I suppose it's all a matter of figuring out what works for you and what doesn't.