How To Control Diabetes With A Balanced Diet And Nuts
When I wrote the article, “Wrong Dietary Advice For Diabetics ‘May Have Killed Millions'”, one of our readers, Patrick Harris left the following comment: ‘Has no-one researched the ‘when’ of diet as well as the ‘what’? Daily production of insulin peaks at about 07:00am, drops to a trough and then rises to a moderate high at about 12:00pm, then drops away, rising to a third and lowest peak at about 17:00pm, then drops away again until rising to the next day’s first peak. Whatever the diet base, the old saw, ‘Breakfast like a king, lunch like a duke and sup like a pauper.’ could perhaps hold true as far as Type II Diabetics are concerned.’
It turns out that Patrick was right on the money. Last week, saw the publication of a study, The Second-Meal Phenomenon in Type 2 Diabetes, in the journal Diabetes Care. The study suggests that having breakfast appeared to reduce rises in blood sugar levels.
Diabetes: Second meal effect
To optimise blood sugar control, the kind of food a diabetic eats is very important but the same can be said about when food is eaten too. A ‘little and often’ approach therefore seems to be a good solution. Meaning breakfast, lunch and dinner should be taken with one or two healthy snacks between meals.
For most diabetics regular meals can help control the appetite and naturally prevent over-eating during actual meal times. For any given type of meal, smaller quantities will be less disruptive to blood sugar levels than larger meals. Plus, when the appetite has been controlled, healthier food choices are usually easier to make and avoiding sugar-disruptive foods like bread, potatoes, rice and pasta is much easier.
With the latest study, UK researchers from Newcastle University tested what is known as the ‘second meal effect’. The ‘second meal effect’ is the effect a meal has on the blood sugar control after it has been eaten.
The researchers tested the blood sugar response to a set lunch eaten in two settings on different days. On one day, breakfast and lunch were eaten. On another day, no breakfast was given and the same set meal was given as lunch.
The results of this study showed that having breakfast appeared to reduce rises in blood sugar levels after lunch-time by 95 per cent.
So, in short to avoid blood sugar rises after lunch, have a good solid breakfast and a balanced light lunch. A solid breakfast will include a cereal or muesli with berries, fruit or nuts or low fat yoghurt with nuts and fruit. Fruit contains natural fibre, vitamins, enzymes and other essential nutrients that diabetics need to maintain a normal lifestyle. Fruit can also satisfy diabetics’ cravings for processed sweets such as doughnuts and cakes. A cupful of grapes or a medium size apple between meals can help diabetics maintain their blood sugar levels without creating sudden ‘spikes’ that can overwhelm an already overworked insulin-producing pancreas.
Diabetes: Snack on some nuts
I came across a study which looked at the health benefits that nuts might have in type 2 diabetes. Nuts, including peanuts, are now recognized as having the potential to improve the blood lipid profile and, in cohort studies, nut consumption has been associated with a reduced risk of coronary heart disease (CHD). More recently, interest has grown in the potential value of including nuts in the diets of individuals with diabetes. The study reviewed data from the Nurses Health Study, and found that frequent nut consumption is associated with a reduced risk of developing diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Randomised controlled trials of patients with type 2 diabetes have confirmed the beneficial effects of nuts on blood lipids also seen in non-diabetic subjects.
The researchers of the review-study also point to research which found that eating nuts is associated with reduced “oxidative stress†(free radical damage) after meals. This is expected to help reduce the risk of chronic disease.
Nuts have a good nutritional profile, being high in monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA) and PUFA. Nuts are also good sources of vegetable protein. Adding nuts to your diet may therefore improve the overall nutritional quality of the diet.
The researchers conclude that adding nuts to the diet of diabetics can be justified because of their potential to reduce CHD risk, even though their ability to influence overall glycaemic control remains to be established.
Related Reading:
Diabetes: The Link Between Diet and Diabetes
Wrong Dietary Advice For Diabetics ‘May Have Killed Millions’
Sources:
‘The Second-Meal Phenomenon in Type 2 Diabetes’, by Jovanovic A, et al, published by Diabetes Care, 2009;32:1199-1201
‘Possible benefit of nuts in type 2 diabetes’, by Jenkins DJ, et al., published by Journal of Nutrition, 2008;138(9):1752S-1756S
Disclaimer: Bear in mind the material contained in this article is provided for information purposes only. We are not addressing anyone’s personal situation. Please consult with your own physician before acting on any recommendations contained herein.
- Comments (12)
- Facebook Comments (0)
Comments are closed.
I was diagnosed as a T2 Diabetic 18 months ago (Blood Glucose level 27) at age 54 with a family history of both T1 & T2.
Metformin was diagnosed 2550mg/day, but taking chemicals is not for me.
I eat oat porrage for breakfast with cinnemon and an apple, non fat yogurt, all milk is low fat. Lunch/dinner is sensible – no fish/chips/piza’s/junk food. I eat skinned chicken, more vegetables NO TINNED food, all meats de marbled, oat bread, peanut butter, etc. During the day I eat all and any nuts (Vit. E) I take a single combination ginseng tablet, a chromium tablet, a 15mg zinc tablet, cod liver oil (for the nervous system) and a single Vit.E tablet.
I started to reduce my metformin over time weaning myself off them while ensuring that I walk at least 3 miles/day. I check my blood sugar sometimes several times a day – randomly, not to confuse myself with meal spikes, (but measuring them also in terms of duration and level), I have reduced my blood glucose levels to around the 6 – 9 and is still averaging downwards.
My blood metabolises glucose again but slowler than a normal person and I am on (for now) only one metformin per day my intention is to reduce it to 2 tablets every 3 days untill I’m off them completely.
The zinc, chromium, gensing and Vit. E tablets took about 3 months before I had any real results as I’ve always been at the gym and fairly active even when I was diagnosed so ‘type’ of exercise is important – low weights and lots of repetitions and build muscle tissue as thats where the glucose is absorbed. I am not overweight and quite fit at around 92kg’s at 6’2″.
I just wish the NHS would tell you what to do and not just pump you full of chemicals. They want the results as much as we do.
I was diagnosed with T2 as well as hypertension and high cholesterol some 8 yearsago, although my GP ran the alarm bells of pre-diabetes and above normal cholesterol levels some 15 years ago. But like most mortals, I ignored these warnings and carried on regardless. 6 years ago I developed a rare form of cancer and after radiotherapy, chemomotherapy plus two surgical operations the tumor was removed and getting to the end of my remission period. But all of these combined have turned me into a rather physically weak person. Now I am trying to cope with all of my symptoms of constant physical and mental energy “drainage” I must take a nap several times a day and none of my consultants or GP have neither taken the time to tell me the reason of this condition, nor adviced me of the best diet and what do I have to do to minimise theese disabling effects on my life and I am finding myself increasing unable to cope with. I am 63 years of age, but I feel worse off as of 93!
Any advice?
Love the site, some very useful information & tips. Just what I have been looking for.
Hi,
My Daughter has been diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes and she is 8 years old. I have tried keeping a hand on her eating habits. I would like some tips on health foods and snacks that will nourish her blood cells. Right now she is insulin dependant and has to be injected with most of her meals. I wish that she didn’t have to be injected so much. Is there anyway I can avoid too much insulin and just give her foods that maybe assist with reducing blood sugar levels? I will keep on believing that there is a better way and a cure for this type. I need all the information I can use in order for my daughter to be healthier. With thanks and much appreciated for this platform. Kind regards
Tefflon is a killer there are many court cases which are kept quiet from public about this. So is fluoride in our water in UK. But fruit and veg is killing us also it has less nutrients than 40 years ago so we have malnutrition because there are no vitimines or minerals in them anymore just calories, its full of pesticide and herbicide and animals are pumped with anti-biotics. In the UK, we are being mass medicated by the health department /water companys with ‘toxic waste’ and sodium fluoride.
I have found that eating food in its natural form helps regulate my sugar levels. I have been a vegetarian for more than 15 years, but I still developed diabetes 2. I discovered that my “vegetarian diet ” was killing me slowly, because it consisted of processed foods. Now, I am a vegan, but I eat food in its natural state, that is, food as it is grown, except for foods like oats.
2 very good posts
I have found that snacking on nuts has helped to control my appetite. I have also dicovered that drinking fruit teas with cinnamon has helped to reduce my blood sugar levels. I started to do this after reading of some research in America and it certainly seems to help!
I was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes 1 year ago after collapsing, I was brought to hospital as a result. On leaving I was given soo much medicine that it was ridiculas, I even had to take insulin shots which I found completely against my grain. So, I’ve researched type 2 diabetes and diabetes in general.
Firstly their is no such thing as Diabetes 2 it is a myth, secondly I got rid of all medication completely. I am healthy and active. This is my daily regime: Breakfast – Oatenmeal Porridge with raisins, Flax seed,Cinnamon, and one tablespoon of pure Coconut Oil which I purchase from an outlet in Manchester. I got rid of all Spreads ie margarine etc which are deadly and one of the biggest causes of what we suffer from. Cooking Oils which are replaced with real Coconut Oil. I stopped taking all sugar, all cakes,all fizzy Drinks. I do not drink Tea, Coffe which I consumed by the cupfull, or any beverages period, the only drink I now consume is Water. Another one of the culprits in everything is Asparteme which is in everything and is also in our drinking water.
I also use certain cookware to cook my food as these modern non stick teflon, aluminium, stainless steel etc are dangerous because of the leeching effect, only eat and prepair your own food and keep it basic, do not use any type of flavouring unless it is from a natural source, and do not use any prepared meals, or a microwave oven
I do hope this is of help to someone out there.
Is potatoes & wholemeal bread good for diabetics or not as some people say yes other people say no?
AP Byrne, greetings. I am with you in most of what you say, and agree that taking responsibility for type 2 diabetes can do a lot for managing it; likewise skeptical of being reliant upon medicine. However, I do think Type 2 diabetes is very real. For all I try to mange it, it is a significant constraint upon my life.
I think the nuts and small-meal-argument put forward in these posts is bang on the money. Eating larger meals of high GL with bigger intervals between expects a lot of the bodies metabolic functions to cope. It does not seem to difficult to reason that reducing that load is kinder to the body.
Eating less but more frequently seems a good way to be kinder, so does relying less upon the refined high GL carbohydrate staples, inclusion of plant fiber, and balancing of protein and carbohydrate within each meal also seems sense.
Nuts fit these criteria exceptionally well. they are not high GL, they contain protein and carb in broad balance, they are high in fiber, and additionally can be good sources of good oils. They can be fairly reliable for trace elements where non-organically farmed produce may be less so for chromium, magnesium etc.
Is potatoes & wholemeal bread good for diabetics or not as some people say yes other people say no?