WMD: The Glucose Bomb
Diabetics carefully watch their intake of carbohydrates to ensure they don’t overwhelm their bodies with too much sugar. A careful diet leads to better serum glucose control and can reduce or even eliminate the complications of chronic high blood sugars.
Like so many people I began the New Year with a renewed plan to tighten my glucose control and drop a few pounds…ok…a lot of pounds. I’ve actually done well so far with one big exception.
Glucose Waiting
Coming home for a lunch I found myself hungry and in a hurry. That’s a terrible combination for a diabetic. Instead of fixing a sandwich on whole grain bread with some lean turkey I opted to grab a so-called “healthy” meal out of the freezer. At only about 350 calories it couldn’t be bad for me. Into the microwave and into my belly it went. Later when I checked my sugar I was up to almost 300! What happened? My tight control was swirling down the drain!?!?
A quick run to the garbage can found the problem. The package of the diet meal showed a full 44 grams of carbs. Add that to the few chips I had also eaten and I had my answer. I had been hit by a glucose bomb.
Diet meals may be low in calories and fat but can be astoundingly high in carbohydrates and low in fiber. Fiber is the magic component that slows digestion and helps to soften the impact of sugars in your diet. Use caution! Diet meals are not marketed for your health. They are designed to sell and make money for the company. To do that, they seek to appeal to a large market. Any health benefits are secondary.
If you want tight control of your numbers then read the labels before you eat. Don’t become a target for the glucose bomb!
