Cooking as someone with diabetes, or for someone with diabetes, means paying attention to both the types of carbs and the volume. While there’s no one-size-fits-all plan, most people with diabetes generally want to limit their carbs at each meal.
How to cook for someone with diabetes
See the “fast carbs” or the “fast-digesting carbs” on the recipe label. Here are a few common ones that you should check: Processed starches like corn, tapioca, and instant rice, and foods that include wheat flour or breadcrumbs. Carbs found in potatoes (such as french fries) or in sweet potato. Granola bars, which have a high glycemic index. Brown rice and white rice. Avoid both white rice and brown rice. Always use a mix of whole and refined grains. The best combination, however, is whole wheat (e.g. whole wheat bread, whole wheat pastas, whole wheat couscous, and whole wheat pastry flour) and a grain you have a high glycemic index or does not contain much fiber, such as rice or potatoes.
What should I be eating?
There are only two important questions when it comes to insulin sensitivity— Are you eating enough and are you eating the right kinds of carbs? Carbohydrates can be divided into two groups—non-starchy, or basic, carbs and starchy, or complex, carbs. These categories are further divided into type II and type III. The simple carbs that most people do well with are called low-carb (usually less than 20 grams of carbs per serving) and the complex carbs that are harder to digest are known as “restricted” carbs (over 30 grams per serving). And yes, it’s important to limit the amount of those carbs that you eat, because excessive amounts can raise blood sugar levels. How much is enough? Ideally, carbohydrates should account for about 20% of total calories eaten per day.