Please be careful of articles that are
claiming superfoods. This article in WebMD is a prime example and it
is aimed at people with people with type 2 diabetes. The list
includes, Berries, Eggs, Extra virgin olive oil, Kale, Low-fat
milk, Nuts, Salmon, Sweet potatoes, Tea, and Whole-grain cereal.
I am positive that some of you have
seen lists like this and most are developed by members of the Academy
of Nutrition and Dietetics which means they are promoted by Big Food
and the USDA. This should raise red flags for the validity of the
list. That said, I can see several items that don't belong on the
list. These are not superfoods for people with type 2 diabetes,
kale, low-fat milk, and whole grain cereals. Others that should be
limited include some of the berries, nuts, and tea.
Now for the reasons:
Kale. This is a farce if I ever
heard of one. In the food world, it is hyped to the extreme, but in a
report published by the Centers for Disease Control that ranked 47
“powerhouse fruits and vegetables, kale ranked fifteenth (with
49.07 points out of 100 for nutrient density). Here’s a roundup ofthe 10 leafy green cousins that researchers say pack a greater
nutritional wallop.
Whole-grain cereal. Recently,
the World Health Organization announced we should reduce our intake
to a tiny 5 percent of daily calories—half of what the organization
previously recommended. For someone on a 2000-calorie diet, new
guidelines mean a sugar limit of about 100 calories, or 6 sugar
packets. They listed this as “Health” Food Imposter #1 - Whole
Grain Cereal. Most whole grain cereals serve up more sugar you’ll
find in half a dozen donuts.
Low-fat milk. I don't know
about you, but I need the fat in whole milk. It helps with my total
daily fat intake. Yes, I have a few more carbohydrates, but I like
the extra nutrients in whole milk as well.
As for limiting these foods, I would
advise you read about them and use you meter to find out how your
body handles them.
Berries. Many think berries are
great and then overeat. Others think that just because the fruit is
dried it is safe – not even. The sugar is just more concentrated
and people then eat too large a serving of dried fruit.
Nuts. Be careful and don't get
caught here. I no longer eat nuts, so it is hard to advise people on
these, but many nuts need to be limited in the quantity you eat. I
know almonds are good, but cashews can make blood glucose spike
upwards. Do your research before consuming some nuts.
Tea. There are a lot of
pitfalls in tea. If you can stay away from tea that has caffeine
this is a good place to start. Others teas have hidden sugars.
While minute in quantity, it is sugar to say the least and some areas
of our country like sweet tea and this makes me sick personally and I
refuse tea in many areas unless I can be assured that it is not sweet
tea.
Eggs. Eggs are back in favor
and I never stopped eating them even against doctor's orders. I eat
eggs prepared almost any way, but I like hard-boiled, scrambled,
poached, and fried. I know some people cringe at fried, but I use
butter to fry them in and even olive oil.
Extra virgin olive oil. I will
use this, but I prefer regular olive oil and even better, butter for
cooking. Butter I may use to excess, but I do limit olive oil and
extra virgin olive oil.
Salmon. I like wild salmon, and
I do avoid farmed salmon or salmon that does not come from Canada or
the USA catch.
Sweet potatoes. This should
have been on the avoid list as the starch does convert to glucose and
I wasn't paying attention. This is one that you need to check and
then test afterwards to see how your body reacts to the quantity you
consumed. They are high in carbohydrates and a medium at 130 grams
(4.6 ounces) will have 23 grams of carbohydrates. Compared to
potatoes, sweet potatoes are nutrient dense and more nutritious than
the potato.
I would suggest reading the WebMD
article, and the links above to give yourself some grounding in what
people call superfoods and for most people with diabetes, superfoods
they are not!
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