To carb or not to carb?

Dear Conscious Diabetic readers,

I have joined fellow d-bloggers and am participating in Diabetes Blog Week. I will be posting new topics every day this week on living with diabetes. Click here to read my Conscious Diabetic Monday post entitled: Diabetes and loving kindness practice.

Have a great day,
Ophir

Diabetes Blog Week continues and Karen of Bitter-sweet has asked us to answer the question: To carb or not to carb? What side of the fence do you fall in?

Let’s just get this out of the way: I carb.

I’ve spent quite a bit of time on this blog, thinking it through, writing several versions, and not really knowing how to approach this topic. In my original entry to you, I actually started dissecting the different kinds of carbohydrates – complex and simple, and talking about the Glycemic Index. But you can just click on the links to learn more about that.

Then I realized the reasons why this blog was so difficult for me to write: I didn’t want to give a nutrition lesson. And although I’m not a nutritionist or a diabetes educator, I feel very self-assured in my reasons for eating carbs at every meal. These reasons are based on practice, education, and the experience of living with this disease for over 35 years.

And I know that others do not necessarily feel the same way.

I’ve often felt like a pain in the neck when I insist upon healthy carbs at dinner time or a catered event or when invited to someone else’s home. Then add to that, I also have Celiac, an allergy to wheat, rye, and barley. I don’t want to be a pain for others, but I need to think of me and my health first. And balanced blood sugars matter to me. They are a part of the equation. And that means eating balanced meals.

So why not just eat a healthy plate of grilled chicken and veggies? Why must I insist upon adding a sweet potato or buckwheat to such a meal? I have found that diabetes is a practice in trial and error – testing how different foods release into the bloodstream and react within your body. And for me, a mix of vegetables, fruits, protein, healthy fats - and carbohydrates - are a must-have at each of my meals. I stay steady and balanced when I do that.

So yes, I carb. Because that’s what works for me.