ADA diet or low carb?

[savarnarose]

I just started back on the ADA diet that I was given by the dietitian several years ago. It has 11 total carb exchanges, which works out to approximately 165 grams of carbs per day. This is for a 1500 calorie a day diet. I just started back on it, so I can't say if it works or not.

This seems like a whole lot of carbs compared to what people talk about here.

Is anyone here on the ADA exchange diet?

I love my carbs and can't imagine giving them up!

Bright Blessings,

[RobiJo]

You will get many varied responses, and perhaps some heated opinions.

This is my opinion: ADA diet.
Pro: Its a balanced diet, and I still believe its the best choice over any fad diet or low carb/no carb diet. "Balanced is Best"
Con: Carbs raise bg. You may need to adjust the total number of carb exchanges to best suit your needs. Also you need to watch the type of carb choices you make.
Get back with your dietitian to see if any changes should be made since it's been awhile since your plan was created.

Diet is part of the puzzle when it comes to treatment options/plans. It's how you put it all together for optimum control that matter.

[Scrabblechick]

Savarna, you have to do what works for you. Keep a check on your BG (blood glucose) and see if it is spiking throughout the day.

In general, most Type 2s find that lowering their carb intake results in better control, which leads to fewer complications down the road.

Personally, I shoot for 100 carbs per day or less. Don't always make that mark, and it doesn't mean you can't ever have your favorite foods again. It just means you have to be more careful. I love my carbs, too, but I had to come to the difficult realization that too many of them would kill me slowly and unpleasantly.

Some people advocate and have good results with Dr. Bernstein's extremely low-carb diet, which includes only 30 carbs per day. That's too restrictive for me, although, as I have said before, I admire anyone who has the discipline to stick with it.

My diabetes educator told me to aim for BG levels below 140 two hours after meals. Normally, I am well under that level. My fasting levels aren't always under 100, but I'm getting there.

It may be that you have to cut down gradually on your carbs. I had to do it cold turkey. Get all the garbage out of the house and out of my sight. White bread, pasta, junk, etc.

Right now, try to focus on getting exercise, even if it's just walking 15 minutes a day, and eating lots of veggies and supplementing with lean meats. There are a lot of recipes on the forum, here, and lots of good ideas about how to reduce your carb intake without completely taking all the fun out of eating.

Good luck as you start this lifestyle change and please keep us updated on your progress. We really are interested! :)

[jacobsam622]

Neither or maybe in between. If you consume the amount of carbs the ADA recommends you will never get your weight or bg down to the level you need them to be to live a long and healthy life. If you go as low as the Atkins diet you can end up with other problems gall stones and gall bladder problems to name a couple.

I follow a modified sugar busters diet Its what my doctor recommended. I was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes back in 2004 while my wife was pregnant with twins. I can't say it was the worse year of my life but it was the longest. After three days in the hospital and many insulin injections I was sent on my way. I had great A1C for about 3 years then 2007 rolls around and my father-in-law dies my mothers brother dies of kidney cancer the Saturday before thanksgiving and bg readings just go into the toilet 200 -300 2 hours after meals. I go to the doctors and of course my a1c is in the 8s so he says go out and buy this book called sugar busters I read the book and change my diet 100% my bgs reading are back below 120. I cant say I bought into the book completely but it gave me a starting point. I no longer eat refined sugar or white starches.
I eat all different kinds of Meat, Nuts, veggies, brown rice, whole grain penne pasta, whole wheat - low carb bread, eggs, low carb ice-cream or no sugar added ice cream sugar free jello, no sugar added peanut butter, low sugar jelly.

The foods I eat now either don't have carbs or are complex carbs. Where I don't go along with many of these diets sugar buster included is whether or not to eat fruit. I don't eat much fruit. A lot of people have this silly notion that the human body can tell the difference between sugar from fruit and table sugar, wrong.

I get the same reaction on my bgs with fruit as i do with candy in the 200 range 2 hours after eating. :eek:
My stomach cant handle a lot of sugar and sugar from fruit is the worse. My blood sugar was so high back in 2003 and 2004 that I developed Acid reflux it went away after the bgs went back to normal. Well The Acid reflux is back along with the high bg only this time Its not gotten better as my bg started going down. So Yes you should eat a balanced diet that includes all the right foods. just remember brown, brown, brown.
brown rice, brown bread, and brown pasta

[HelenM]

will get many varied responses, and perhaps some heated opinions
You're right this is controversial, personally I am all in favour of a balanced diet. I am not type 2 but I follow a diet very similar to this one which is a low glycaemic diet designed for type 2. It is also very close to the national guidelines (which my dietician tells me to follow for in France) so should be good for everyone.

Use poly and/or monounsaturated margarines and spreads instead of butter and butter blends.
Use olive and/or canola oils in cooking and for salads.
Don’t drink more than 1–2 standard alcoholic drinks a day.
Eat more than 3 cups (300 g) of vegetables every day (this includes soups).
Eat more than 2 pieces (200 g) of fruit every day.
Include legumes (canned or dried peas, beans or lentils) in your diet at least twice a week.
Eat fish (100 g or more) at least twice a week.
Include low fat dairy products (or calcium-enriched alternatives) in your diet daily and generally avoid full cream types.
Eat wholegrain and high fibre cereals, breads and grains daily – look for the low GI ones.
Eat lean red meat (all visible fat trimmed) or poultry (skin removed) in moderately sized (less than 150 g/5½ oz) portions.
Drink 6–8 glasses of water, or other low kilojoule beverages, every day. Drinking more water won’t lower your blood glucose levels, but high blood glucose means you should drink more water to avoid dehydration fom GI News (http://ginews.blogspot.com/2007/07/feedbackyour-faqs-answered.html)

I would add to this exercise for the equivalent of 30 minutes fast walking every day.

Fruits do vary in their GI , their is a good explanation on the link above.
Notice this diet does not specify the number of carbs per day/meal.That will depend on weight, total calories needed etc and is very individual. Portion control is important (brown rice by the plateful will not help anyone :) ) but by lowering the GI index of each meal BS control should be easier. As another poster recomends do check BS 2 hours after eating.

[xMenace]

My current feeling is that a low carb diet can help you achieve a desired weight level the quickest. But all "professionals" I discuss this with are adamant that it cannot be maintained for the long term. We need and desire carbs. All low carbers will eventually find a higher carb balance.

In my own life I am focussing more on food quality rather than the components.

There are no simple answers.

[jacobsam622]

Its the kind of carbs that matter not the number at lease where diabtes is concerned.

simple carbs = bad
complex carbs = good

[princesslinda]

The best advice I can give you is to test your blood sugar 2 hrs after your first bite of food, so you can find which foods work best for you and be able to make smart/informed food choices.

If you eat something and 2 hrs later you're over 140, you'll know thats something to have only occasionally.

I have done VERY low carb (around 30 gms/day) for a couple of months and while my blood sugars were never better, I couldn't keep on it for very long.

Find what works for you, what gives you your goal numbers and the food you need, and stick with it.

[Lloyd]

My current feeling is that a low carb diet can help you achieve a desired weight level the quickest. But all "professionals" I discuss this with are adamant that it cannot be maintained for the long term. We need and desire carbs. All low carbers will eventually find a higher carb balance.



I've been eating 75 to 80 carbs a day for a year now, have lost 40 lbs (29 to go) and have great control, great lipids, and great BP.

I have no plans to make any changes until I reach my target weight, then I will eat something like 100 carbs a day.

-Lloyd