Q: My mother was just diagnosed as pre-diabetic. The doctor told her to cut down on her white bread, rice, cookies, cakes & sweets, do the low carb thing. Neither of us really wants to lose weight. I've tried brown rice – it's not that bad. I've looked at a couple of websites (for diabetics) but I'm not really sure how much we should cut back. Is there a list of what vegetables would be the best to eat? -Gail
A: Cutting out the starchy carbs at night will result in weight loss for both of you. You can (and should) continue to eat some starch, but it really should be from a whole grain source. The reason whole grains are important is because the fiber they contain slows the rate of absorption of sugar (or carbohydrate) into the blood. Eating simple sugars like cookies and drinking juice causes a spike in blood sugar levels. For pre-diabetics and diabetics, this can be quite dangerous.
Potatoes are ok a couple of times/week. Keep the peel on (where most of the fiber is). Sweet potato (with the peel), squash, and pumpkin are also good starches to eat with dinner. All breads, noodles and pasta should be brown (e.g., whole wheat, brown rice noodles, dark rye). If you're having white rice once in a while, add a couple of tablespoons of flax seeds (whole or ground) or chia seeds just before serving. That will provide some fiber.
There is a tool called the Glycemic Index of Foods which simplifies how quickly sugar is absorbed into blood as a result of eating carbs. Find the list on line at www.glycemicindex.com.
