Or any other dietary approach for that matter. And if anyone has a meal recipe or two I would like to get a copy. I am still torn between eating or not eating good carbs, especially such as Bavarian whole grain  breads, and I know I probably should not eat so many cookies but I cannot find an alternate snack as a quick substitute with a cup of tea.

A month ago I asked this same question on an e-zine but no suggestions yet, I beg your indulgence as I post it below,  the question above can stand alone without the bothering with the following item.

Questions for Diabetics Like Me

Like so many others in North America, I'm a type-2 diabetic, and have been for a long time, so you would think that by now I would have mastered the ability to control my elevated blood glucose levels, but that is not the case, and I am wondering how many other long-term diabetics have the same problem as I am facing.

The trouble is that although I am very well informed on the disease in general, for instance I have two blogs and a website providing plenty of factual and background information on the disease and I constantly read up on anything related to diabetes, I don't really know how other people cope or how high their blood sugars really go after meals or after fasting, or how long their elevated glucose levels last, and that is something that I believe might be useful for others like me to know. Sure, I'm aware of the optimum levels, what the targets are but I still would like to know how do a bunch of us measure up to those standards and whether others have the same daily frustrations and concerns that I do. There is plenty of medical advice available but I don't think that there is enough heard from the patients who could be expressing their concerns and sharing experiences so that we can get a better idea as individuals where we fit into the mix. Is my problem common to many or is it unusual?

I would also like to know from other diabetics who are having problems in controlling and managing their diabetic condition, what form of dietary intake they follow. There are two main dietary approaches that are a) to follow the American Diabetes Association's suggested 50 to 60 percent carbohydrates, 15 to 20 percent protein, and 25 to 30 percent fat, and b) what I call the anti-ADA dietary approach that recommends low daily carbohydrate consumption.

A prime example of the latter is the well-known diet of Dr. Bernstein, who promotes a very low carbohydrate intake of only 30 to 42 grams a day. That's 6 grams at breakfast, 12 grams at lunch and dinner, and 12 grams for snacks, with a condition that the meals and snacks be 4 hours apart. That's pretty severe, especially compared with my recommended daily 180 + grams of carbohydrates prescribed by my dietitian, 60 at breakfast, 45 at lunch, 45 at dinner and 15 grams for each snack. Currently I'm thinking that is too many carbs, but still mulling over the alternatives and what to do.

But Dr. Bernstein does provide a list of foods that can substitute for the forbidden carbohydrates, and he has survived very well since adopting his diet more than 40 years ago. If I could equal that after my now 20 years as a diabetic I would live to a very ripe old age!

There are, of course, more moderate dietary food plans that can be followed, and there are also vegetarian and vegan dietary approaches that are said to produce some very good results. I may have to adopt such a route.

A main reason for lowering the carbohydrate consumption is because carbohydrates are the major source of the glucose that passes into the bloodstream after eating and digestion has taken place. But unfortunately for us diabetics, the glucose does not get absorbed by the cells that need it due to our impaired glucose delivery system, perhaps as a result of lack of the hormone insulin produced by our pancreas or perhaps because the cell receptors are not responding to the insulin that is present, or perhaps a combination of both of those possibilities.

When far less carbohydrates are consumed, as in the case of a low carbohydrate diet, of which there are many versions in addition to that of Dr. Bernstein's, the body can still produce any additional needed glucose from the proteins in our meals.

Dr. Bernstein was diagnosed as a type-1 diabetic when he was 12 years old and would have injected insulin every day to survive. However, I assume because of his medical training and experience, he developed his own non-American Diabetes Association way of managing his diabetic condition. And his diet applies to both type-1 and type-2 diabetics.

I struggle with the same issue. I have measured my blood sugar after both high and low carb meals and found that my blood sugar after meals was distinctly lower with low carb meal ( eg grilled chicken, sliced tomatoes). Low carb also was better for weight loss. However, I could not stay on a low carb diet for more than two weeks. I'm trying to find a middle ground. But I did find that so-called healthy carbs like apples and oatmeal really pushed my blood sugar up. I'd love some advice.

Just add fiber before you eat carbs, your sugar will steady!

o that doesnot depends on low carb or high carb diet, your blood sugar level will rise with a faster rate when yoo'll eat high glycemic indexed foods! =X
N btw yoo r alrwady taking fiber..oatmealx a grat source of fiber n so r apples

o my goodness you all know so much... I'm so new to this I'm so overwhelmed!!!!!! =(

Diabetes is a disease that affects how the body uses glucose. When you eat, glucose from the food gets into your bloodstream. Then, the pancreas makes a hormone called insulin that helps the glucose in the blood get into the body's cells, where it's used as fuel.
Best Loan Deals

Diabetes is a disease that affects how the body uses glucose. When you eat, glucose from the food gets into your bloodstream. Then, the pancreas makes a hormone called insulin that helps the glucose in the blood get into the body's cells, where it's used as fuel.
Best Loan Deals

High or low carb, tat decision depends on your body, so you have to watch and test yourself to see what works best. As for having too many cookies, hope that is something you're working on. There are plenty of snacks that are good for you and tasty. You can try my trick: I cut pita bread certified for diabetcs (you can get it from Joseph's Bakery online) and bake it until the triangles are nice and crisp. In a small pan I heat up frozen berries and keep stirring until they're soft. I mix the fruit with natural yogurt (no sugar, no flavoring). It's a great dip I have as a snack or dessert.