Are Carbs the Enemy? This is the provactive title of the cover story in March's Diabetes Forecast magazine. The author interviews proponents of low-carb, moderate-carb, and vegan/high-carb diets for people with diabetes.
The bottom line? The American Diabetes Association (ADA) recommends that you personalize your diet to meet your needs. They recognize that no one follows a prescribed diet for very long.
Wait... doesn't the ADA recommend a high-carb diet?! That's what we thought, too. In a section called The "ADA Diet" Myth, they point out that there has been no official diet for the last 15 years.
The ADA reviews treatment recommendations and assigns grades based on how supported the idea is by evidence. For low-carb diets for people with type 1 diabetes, there are few long-term studies so they don't fully recommend this approach. Rather than saying "don't do it", they say "we just don't know enough to recommend this yet."
For the newly diagnosed, they suggest starting with the plate method (video). They also recommend limiting saturated fat, cholesterol, trans fat, and sodium to protect your heart. Beyond that, you are encouraged to work with a dietitian to find an approach that works for you and that you can live with.
Many Diabetes Daily guests were quoted in this piece. If you want to learn more about very low-carb diets, don't miss our great interview with the man who started it all, Dr. Richard K. Bernstein. And for more information on veganism and diabetes, read Dr. Neal Barnard's recent guest post. What's your take? How do you fit carbs into your diet?
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