Never Eat a Carbohydrate Alone

One of the useful things that I learned in my first Diabetes Education Class (yes, I did say that there were a few useful things I learned) was the mantra “Never eat a carbohydrate alone!” Jane (or Jill) actually said to us, at the end of our second day of class, “If you don’t remember anything else from this class, remember this: Never eat a carbohydrate alone!” And guess what? I actually did remember it.

“Never Eat a Carbohydrate Alone” is something that should be taught in grade school when kids start learning what the heck a carbohydrate is. We have a diabetes epidemic? Well, this is one of those small things that could actually make a big difference. Everything we eat (that contains calories) is a carbohydrate, a fat, or a protein. Of the 3, only carbohydrates cause blood sugar to rise with any rapidity. It is true that protein and fat can be converted into glucose as well, but it takes longer and more steps in the body, so it does not have much of an impact on blood sugar (Article on the basics of metabolism). Carbohydrates have a much bigger impact on blood sugar, and the amount of impact varies from carb to carb. For example, a bowl of white rice, a roll dripping with honey, a bowl of sugary cereal, a nice big slab of chocolate cake slathered with fudgy icing… mmmmmm…chocolatecakewithfudgyicing…

...Oops! Where was I? Oh yes, these are all examples of carbs that will send your blood sugar soaring into the stratosphere. And when you repeatedly soar your blood sugar, year after year, you can develop insulin resistance, and what does insulin resistance cause? Diabetes. Other carbs, like whole grain bread, raw spinach, fibrous fruits, etc. will have a less spectacular impact on your blood sugar. The amount of impact a carb has on your blood sugar is also referred to as its Glycemic Index. Google that term, if you haven’t ever done so. You can actually download a list of Glycemic Indices, which will be very helpful if you are afflicted with Diabetes, or want to avoid being afflicted with it, or have anyone in your life who is in that boat. Heck, everyone needs to download it, so here is a link to one: Glycemic Index. And here is a link to a searchable online database: http://www.glycemicindex.com. And be sure to read what Mendosa explains about Glycemic Load. (Come on, now, stop whining, this is your health we are talking about – educate yourself a little!)

The miraculous thing about Glycemic Load is that it is divisible, not additive. In English that means that if you eat a piece of chocolate cake with a chopped steak, your blood sugar will not go as high as it would if you ate the chocolate cake by itself. Let’s say the chopped steak has a glycemic index of 1, and the chocolate cake has a glycemic index of 40, but if you eat them at the same meal, the impact on your blood sugar will be 20, not 41! Disclaimer: I am not an endocrinologist or a microbiologist, and I am quite sure it is not exactly 41, and I am also quite sure that I am oversimplifying, but what I am trying to get across here is the concept that eating protein with your carbs will mitigate the impact on your body.

Isn’t that amazing? Don’t you realize how important this is? All that blah, blah, blah about eating a varied diet that I tuned out for years and years finally started to make some sense. And I began to understand that my being diabetic had a lot more to do with the way I had been eating than my level of exercise, or even my genetics (although both undoubtedly play a part). I would much rather eat a big serving of French fries than a chicken breast, and I practically lived on Top Ramen and Pizza while I was in college. When I was at my heaviest, I ate the opposite of an Adkins diet. (By the way, I am not promoting extreme low-carb diets either.)

Donuts for breakfast, fast food and carb-laden sodas for lunch, Macaroni & Cheese with a side order of corn for supper – why are we shocked to see a generation of diabetic kids in this country? Look at a typical kid’s meal from our favorite fast food restaurant – cheeseburger, fries, and a sprite: 620 calories, 15 grams of protein, 22 grams of fat (we can talk about that one later) and 92 grams of carbs. That gives Mr. Happy a nasty glycemic index, and although that microscopic strip of meat helps a little, it’s not much. (If you like math, a lot, you can calculate the exact Glycemic Index of a meal this way. And in between these carb-loaded meals, when our blood sugar is supposed to be recovering, what do we eat as snacks? Chips, cookies, candy, granola bars, and so on it goes, right into a premature grave.

So sprinkle some anchovies on that ice cream sundae! Don’t ever eat a carbohydrate alone! Live it, preach it, teach it to anyone you love!
(Thanks, Jane & Jill)