Which flour works when having diabetes?

[ricmeu61]

Hello Jeff,

I need your advice here please:

I am looking after a man of 92 years and apart from some smaller issues he is still quite fit for his age,
mentally as well as physically.

However, he suffers from diabetes. It is not that bad, so he does not inject insulin, but he takes some
pills.
When I started working for him, his blood sugar level in the morning, before eating was in the 140ies.
After working for him about half a year I started changing his diet bit by bit and we got it down to
below 120 in the morning.
Then Christmas came and his son came with his family, then some friends stayed for a week and now his
daughter just left, so I came less often and even though I told all involved what not to give him to eat, his
blood sugar level now is 150 in the morning!

He is so scared of having to give himself insulin injections that he is very willing to work with me, so it
should go down again, hopefully even more than to just below 120.

What I would like to know from you is the difference between the various flour types, since he likes e.g.
paste a lot.

There is
Semolina (Wheat)
Durum wheat flour
Brown rice flour
Unbleached wheat flour
Unbleached enriched flour (Wheat flour, Niacin, reduced Iron, Thiamine)
Whole wheat flour
and others I suspect.

Which ones are a no-no for a diabetic and which ones are okay.
And if I missed some kinds of flour that are better than what I listed, please let me k now.

Thanks a million, Richard

[JeffN]

I need your advice here please:

If you have read the forum guidelines, you know I can't give out any advice in a public anonymous forum, especially in regard to an individuals health concerns

Here are some general comments.

- If someone is a T2 diabetic and overweight, losing weight and getting down to a healthy weight, especially in the lower end of the healthy range, is very important.

- to lose weight, we recommend following the principles of the MWL program and Calorie Density.

- Flour products, even whole grain flours, (with the exception of whole grain pasta), are not recommended on the MWL program.

- I would recommend reviewing the MWL guidelines.

- If consuming whole grain pasta, make sure the plate is following the 50/50 guidelines and filling half the plate with non-starchy vegetables.

- Starting a meal with soup or salad, also helps in many ways

- If weight is not an issue, then in regard to flours, the most important point is that they be whole grain, especially for someone with diabetes. There are several qualifying words established by the FDA to indicate a product is a whole grain, or whole grain flour. These are whole, rolled, cracked, stone ground and sprouted. The grain or the flour must have one of these words describing the flour in the ingredient list, otherwise, it is not a whole grain. For example, Durum Wheat flour is refined, Stone Ground Durum Wheat Flour is whole grain.

- In addition, brown rice and brown rice flour were given a pass by the FDA, so just seeing brown rice or brown rice flour indicated a whole grain.

Semolina (Wheat)
Durum wheat flour
Brown rice flour
Unbleached wheat flour
Unbleached enriched flour (Wheat flour, Niacin, reduced Iron, Thiamine)
Whole wheat flour
and others I suspect.

All of the above, except for Brown Rice Flour and Whole Wheat Flour are not recommended to someone trying to optimize their health, as they are all made from refined grains.

- You can read about how Dr McDougall treats Diabetes here...

https://www.drmcdougall.com/misc/2009nl ... abetes.htm

Lastly, getting in at least 30 minutes of brisk activity a day, is also important.


In health
Jeff

[ricmeu61]

Hello Jeff,

Firstly I apologize for not remembering the board rules. I read them quite a while ago.

Secondly, I appreciate very much and thank you for your long and thorough reply.

Best regards, Richard