What is a Balanced Diet For a Type 2 Diabetic?

This question came up on one of the forums I am on recently. There were many conflicting responses, often including discussion about various macronutrients (fat, protein, carbohydrates) and micronutrients (minerals, vitamins etc), the evils of sugar, cholesterol and saturated fats, the need for lots of fruit or grains etc etc. A lot of people also went into great detail about maximum and minimum percentages for fats, carbs and protein.

I believe in KISS, so I try to keep it simple with easy to follow rules for my way of eating. As I have to eat this way for the rest of my life I do not want an excessively complicated food selection system.

My definition of a balanced diet for a type 2 diabetic (me) is pretty basic and not in terms of percentages of anything. The basic description is simple, although the personal investigation creating the way of eating I follow today was fairly complex. The links at the foot of this post describe the journey to this point.

The simple version:

• I let my meter show me my carbohydrate limits for the time of day and the meal.
• I let common sense and satiety limit my protein and fat portions.
• I include a reasonably wide variety of vegetables in my menu, favouring fresh and seasonal vegetables where possible.
• I also include fruits but those are limited to minimise blood glucose spikes.

In applying those basic rules for myself I also take these factors into account:

• Variety in choices of meats, fish, seafood, dairy, vegetables and fruits makes the menu interesting and also improves the chances of getting all needed vitamins and micronutrients.
• Excess of any macronutrient is not wise.
• Excessive restriction of any macronutrient is just as unwise.

 These links to past posts expand on those points and others: 

• Food, Farmers and Factories
• Test, Review, Adjust
• Are Carbs Really Necessary?
• Vegetables
• Grazing
• Red, Red Wine
• Yoghurt
• Eggs, Carbs and Cholesterol
• Cinnamon, Spices, Herbs and Similar
• Food and Recipes

Cheers, Alan, T2, Australia.

Everything in Moderation - Except Laughter 
There Is Nothing I Could Eat I like More Than my Eyes

Fat: The New Health Paradigm

I have just read the opening summary of a startling document published by the Credit Suisse Research Institute.

Fat: The New Health Paradigm

I predict that this publication is going to become one of the most hotly debated documents in the fat vs carbs diet wars this year. The conclusions the authors arrive at are summarised very succinctly on the opening pages.

Their conclusions will not surprise many in the on-line diabetes community as most of us have been saying this for years (for example Eggs, Carbs and Cholesterol, Cholesterol, Fats, Carbs, Statins and Exercise) but they will cause consternation in many of the world's respected dietetic and diabetes authorities. This is not a journalist's article or a book by an organisation with an agenda or a diet to sell; it is a very well researched and supported scientific paper.

Below are abbreviated selections from the summary; these statements are well supported in the body of the document which I am still in the process of studying. I decided to post early to alert readers to the document and allow others to read it in full.

••
Triangulating several topics such as anthropology, breast feeding, evolution of primates, height trends in the human population, or energy needs of our various vital organs, we have concluded that natural fat consumption is lower than “ideal” and if anything could increase safely well beyond current levels.
••
Saturated fat has not been a driver of obesity: fat does not make you fat. At current levels of consumption the most likely culprit behind growing obesity level of the world population is carbohydrates.

••
A proper review of the so called “fat paradoxes” (France, Israel and Japan) suggests that saturated fats are actually healthy and omega-6 fats, at current levels of consumption in the developed world, are not necessarily so.
••
The big concern regarding eating cholesterol-rich foods (e.g. eggs) is completely without foundation. There is basically no link between the cholesterol we eat and the level of cholesterol in our blood.

••
Doctors and patients’ focus on “bad” and “good” cholesterol is superficial at best and most likely misleading. The most mentioned factors that doctors use to assess the risk of CVDs—total blood cholesterol (TC) and LDL cholesterol (the “bad” cholesterol)—are poor indicators of CVD risk. In women in particular, TC has zero predictive value if we look at all causes of death. Low blood cholesterol in men could be as bad as very high cholesterol. The best indicators are the size of LDL particles (pattern A or B) and the ratio of TG (triglycerides) to HDL (the “good” cholesterol).

••
Based on medical and our own research we can conclude that the intake of saturated fat (butter, palm and coconut oil and lard) poses no risk to our health and particularly to the heart. 

••
The main factor behind a high level of saturated fats in our blood is actually carbohydrates, not the amount of saturated fat we eat. Clinical trials show that a low carbohydrate diet is much more effective in lowering the level of saturated fat in our blood than a low-fat diet.

Cheers, Alan, T2, Australia.

Everything in Moderation - Except Laughter