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🍞Why Low-Carb Is Not the Way

How focusing on the quality of your carbs over the quantity is a better way to manage your blood sugar.

❌ Here’s why eating a low-carb diet is not the best way to manage your blood sugar

For long-term, well-controlled blood sugar and optimal health, it’s important to focus on the quality of carbohydrates (low-GI) rather than just the quantity (low-carb).

This is why eating low-glycemic foods is better than following a low-carb diet (if you don’t know what glycemic index is, I explain it here)

Let’s explore why:

1. Better Blood Sugar Control 🩸

  • Low-GI Foods: These foods cause a slower, more gradual increase in your blood sugar levels because they are digested and absorbed more slowly. This helps prevent sharp spikes and crashes in your blood sugar, which can be damaging over time, particularly if you want to avoid the long-term complications involved with diabetes.

  • Low-Carb Diets: While low-carb meals can reduce blood sugar spikes, they aren’t necessarily focused on the quality of the carbs being consumed. Some low-carb foods may still have a high GI (like simple sugars) and cause blood sugar spikes, depending on how the carbs are processed.

2. Sustained Energy and Satiety 🥱

  • Low-GI Foods: These help provide a more consistent release of energy throughout the day, helping to keep you full and satisfied for longer. This can lead to better appetite control, reducing the temptation to snack or overeat later and causing blood sugar fluctuations.

  • Low-Carb Diets: Low-carb meals can lead to rapid energy depletion, particularly if fats and proteins aren’t balanced properly. You may experience low energy, fatigue, or cravings if you aren’t consuming enough high-quality carbs, especially those that are slow-digesting.

3. Nutrient Density & Food Quality 🌱

  • Low-GI Focus: A low-GI approach encourages the consumption of nutrient-dense, fibre-rich whole foods like vegetables, legumes, and whole grains. These foods provide essential vitamins, minerals, and fibre that support your digestion and overall health. It’s about eating carbs of your choice and dressing your carbs with the right foods that slow down the absorption of sugar.

  • Low-Carb Diets: A purely low-carb approach might lead to missing out on these nutrient-dense foods because many whole grains, fruits, and some vegetables contain carbs. Relying only on low-carb foods can limit variety and result in nutrient deficiencies over time if not well-planned.

4. Improved Cardiovascular Health ❤️

  • Low-GI Foods: Studies show that a low-GI diet is linked to lower levels of "bad" LDL cholesterol and reduced risk of heart disease since it promotes stable insulin levels and less fat accumulation in arteries, which is important given we are predisposed to heart disease with diabetes.

  • Low-Carb Diets: While some low-carb diets (like ketogenic diets) can improve cholesterol levels, others may lead to higher intakes of unhealthy fats (like saturated fats), which can have the opposite effect.

5. More Sustainable and Balanced ⚖️

  • Low-GI Focus: A diet based on low-GI principles tends to be more balanced and easier to maintain long-term, since it allows a variety of foods from different groups (carbs, proteins, and fats), encouraging healthier choices overall. It involves understanding how to pair and dress your carbs to reduce its impact on your blood sugar.

  • Low-Carb Diets: Strict low-carb diets may feel restrictive for many people, leading to potential burnout and difficulty maintaining the diet over time, and potentially developing unhealthy relationships with foods.

6. Quality > Quantity of Carbs 🍞

We should focusing on lowering the glycemic index of our meals as it provides more nuanced control over our blood sugar and energy balance, and it encourages healthier eating patterns by including a variety of nutrient-dense, fibre-rich foods.

In contrast, low-carb diets may be more restrictive and might not emphasise the quality of carbohydrates, which could have negative effects on energy, nutrient intake, and long-term sustainability and do more bad than good.

For optimal health, it’s often best to focus on the quality of carbohydrates (low-GI) rather than just the quantity (low-carb).

📚To understand how to lower the glycemic index of your meal, click here!

Throughout this month, I’ll also share practical tips on how to reduce the glycemic index of your meal, so stay tuned! 🔍

Which Team Are You On? 🤼

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See you tomorrow!

Jish 💜
Type 1 Diabetic & Co-Founder @ Haema

We’d love to see how you incorporate low-GI foods into your meals! Tag us on social media with your meal photos and use #HaemaMeals!

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