How should we eat?

By Gretchen Becker, Health Guide Thursday, June 07, 2012

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Most of us are familiar with Michael Pollan’s advice to “Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants.” That’s fine if you don’t have diabetes. But when you do, eating mostly plants may not be the best choice unless you have ethical qualms about eating meat. We need to...

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David Mendosa, Health Guide

6/ 8/12 5:59pm

Dear Gretchen,

The best advise ever! Michael Pollan has now been dethroned, at least in my book. You have said as succinctly as possible the keys to the way all of us can eat in the most healthy way.

Namaste,

David

Gretchen Becker, Health Guide

6/ 8/12 6:29pm

Thanks, David. And thanks again for your input.

Bionic Diabetic

6/10/12 4:07pm

Gretchen: would you or David be willing to offer, again, some practical advice about cutting back slowly on carbs from grains? I read about what David eats (or doesn't eat!) every day and think: "I could never live like that." I love the idea of a very low carb diet, but can't imagine that I could ever follow his dietary guidelines completely without a lengthy transition to that sort of diet.

I'm in good shape, not overweight, with an A1C of 6.2 after 43 years with Type 1. I still feel guilty every time I eat a gram of carb...

Thanks!

Gretchen Becker, Health Guide

6/10/12 5:36pm

Bionic, I'm not sure what to advise you, as I started out without a lot of carbs. If you're doing well on your current regimen after 43 years, maybe you should stick with it.

Never feel guilty! You didn't ask to have type 1, and you're human. If you eat a piece of bread and you're fluent enough with insulin dosing so your BG doesn't go sky high, then there's not a big problem.

If you're not overweight, then injecting a little extra bolus to cover that bread shouldn't be a problem.

But if you really want to transition to LC, try one LC meal a week or a day and then two, and then three, and so forth, until they're all LC with occasional lapses when it's just very difficult to do LC, like when you're invited out.

Bionic Diabetic

6/10/12 5:54pm

Thank you, Gretchen! That makes perfect sense. Wednesday I'm having knee replacement surgery, so for the next few days I'm going to concentrate on keeping good control the way I know how, and worry about transitioning to a lower carb diet after that. Beth

How should we eat?

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