Diabetes and Carb Counting For Dummies

Diabetes & Carb Counting For Dummies®

Published by: John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030-5774, www.wiley.com

Copyright © 2017 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey

Published simultaneously in Canada

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Library of Congress Control Number: 2017933632

ISBN 978-1-119-31564-3 (pbk); ISBN 978-1-119-31572-8 (ebk); ISBN 978-1-119-31570-4 (ebk)

Once upon a time, the diet advice for people with diabetes was fairly concise, and it went something like this – “Don’t eat sugar!” Well, guess what? That strategy didn’t seem to cure anybody. Strike one. Next up was an attempt at the one-size-fits-all, handy-dandy, pre-printed tear-off diet sheet that directed you to follow your 1,800-calorie diabetes diet plan (or whatever calorie level you were assigned to). Not that many people were thrilled with being told to eat the exact same tedious diet pattern day after day for the rest of their lives. Strike two. Most recently, health experts have come to the conclusion that dietary interventions for people with diabetes should be individualized. That’s a home run, finally!

From here on out, when I use the word “diet” I’m referring to your overall food choices and pattern of eating. I don’t mean diet in terms of a temporary fix or in the sense of dieting for weight loss (although that can be built into the plan). When I say “diet,” I’m referring to the way you eat or aim to eat most of the time.

The management of diabetes has a dietary component. What you eat, how much, and when you eat it directly affects your blood glucose and overall health. Diabetes and diet principles are inseparable. Now throw in a few more variables such as exercise, stress, body weight, concurrent health problems, and medications. It isn’t uncommon to feel like you’re a juggler trying to keep six balls in the air without ever slipping up. If you can relax and focus on one variable at a time, diabetes self-management becomes doable. Instead of thinking about juggling, imagine that each aspect of diabetes management is a piece of a larger puzzle. Diabetes & Carb Counting For Dummies is designed to help you put those pieces together.

The current diabetes trend lines are alarming. It’s impossible to keep up with the statistics because they change so fast, but the 2016 tally has the count at 29 million Americans with diabetes and 86 million more with prediabetes. That’s one out of every three American adults on the path to diabetes – unless action is taken. Studies conclusively show that diet and exercise are the most effective strategies for slowing or reversing that trend. I’m writing this book to reach as many people with diabetes and prediabetes as possible. This book provides an overview on diabetes and looks at dietary strategies and diabetes self-management principles. The nutrition information is geared for overall health; in other words, even people without diabetes will find worthwhile content.