Avocado question

[Chickerdoodle13]

I seem to get a lot of mixed information about avocados, but generally I've read that they are very healthy for you. I absolutely love them, but they do have carbs and they have ALOT of fat. However, I've read that something about the fat content in an avocado is different and it's actually "good" fat that you are consuming rather than bad.

Really I'm just curious about this. I do admit I feel guilty eating them sometimes, just because I've been so trained to watch the content of everything I eat.

Also, what is the difference between the carbs in a banana and the carbs in a slice of bread? I'm a type one diabetic, so I have to watch the carbs in everything I eat, and I count them on a regular basis. I still get the same amount of insulin for a 30 carbs, whether it be a piece of fruit or bread...but why does bread and those other "trigger foods" as my doctor calls them, lead to weight gain and the carbs in something like a banana does not?

Just some things I've never been clear on! I've been trying to eat healthy, but taking so much insulin makes it very difficult to lose weight.

 

[I have WHAT in my yard?]

Good question!! I love them - my budget does not!!

Anyone???

 

[katiek]

Here's an article on the nutritional value in avacados:
http://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=50717

Here's a link on avacados and diabetes:
http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0EIN/is_2002_July_9/ai_88599390

just go to google and type in avacados and diabetes and it comes up with a bunch of articles!

good luck!

edited to add: always check with your doctor though!

 

[Wifezilla]

For carb counting, a site like www.fitday.com is great. It gives you a nutrition break down on all foods. If something isn't in their database, you can enter a custom food. It is free

As for avocados, they are VERY healthy.

As for fats in general, fats do not make you fat, they do not spike blood sugar or raise insulin. Unhealthy fats are hydrogenated fats or fats like corn oil or canola oil.

CARBS are what make you fat, spike your blood sugar and raise your insulin levels (or need for insulin). Remember that for every 50g of carbs you have, it is the equivalent of 1/4 cup of table sugar.
1 cup pasta = 1/4 cup sugar
2 slices of bread = 1/4 cup sugar
1 cup of rice = 1/4 cup of sugar

You get the idea.

Here are some links you might find interesting...

"An article from The Herald in the UK asks a very important question. Are current recommendations for diabetics doing more harm than good? Dr. Katharine Morrison tells her patients to follow a low carbohydrate regime to control blood sugar as well as eliminate diabetic side effects like limb ulceration, sight loss and possible kidney failure. While her patients are doing well, there is still resistance to low carb for diabetes control..."
http://www.examiner.com/x-798-Denve...08m9d28-Are-diabetics-suffering-for-no-reason

"Should people with type 2 diabetesdiabetes follow very low carbohydrate diets? The American Diabetes Association (ADA) says "no", but a small study from Sweden suggests such a diet may be one of the best ways to manage the disease and reduce the need for medication.

In the study, 16 obese patients with type 2 diabetes followed a calorie- and carbohydrate-restricted diet for 22 months. Most showed continuing improvements in blood sugar that were independent of weight lossweight loss; the average daily dosage of insulin among the 11 insulin-dependent patients was cut in half.

"Many people are essentially cured of their [type 2] diabetes by low-carbohydrate diets, but that message is not getting out," says low-carb proponent and biochemistry professor Richard Feinman, PhD, of the SUNY Downstate Medical Center in Brooklyn, N.Y. "
http://diabetes.webmd.com/news/20060616/do-low-carb-diets-help-diabetes?src=rss_foxnews

"In a six-month comparison of low-carb diets, one that encourages eating carbohydrates with the lowest-possible rating on the glycemic index leads to greater improvement in blood sugar control, according to Duke University Medical Center researchers."
http://www.dukehealth.org/HealthLib...s_prove_better_at_controlling_type_2_diabetes
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/11/071126162554.htm

 

[mom'sfolly]

Not all carbs or fats are created equal. Not all fats and carbs are metabolized in the same way. The fats in avacodos are actually good for you. Bananas have lots of trace minerals and are very high in potassium and manganese; which actually help stuff like menstrual cramps. A banana might have 50g of carbs but it is also high in fiber. Not all carbs are evil and make you fat or diabetic. The "natural" diet of a human would be lots of plants; whole unprocessed grains, fruits and greens and a small amount of animal protein. The problem for most of us is that we don't eat enough veggies, and eat most of our grains processed. So with a slice of whole wheat bread you get fiber and micronutrients, white bread gives you nothing. White bread, for instance has about 5g carbs, about .2 grams of fiber and.7 grams of protein per .3 oz serving. A slice of multi grain whole wheat bread has about 12 grams carbs, 2 grams fiber and 2.6 grams of protein per .9 oz serving. So for the equivelent serving size wheat bread has 4 grams carbs, .7 grams fiber and .8 grams of protein. What does this all mean? The fiber and the protein buffer the effects of the carbs, raising blood sugar more slowly, without the crash. This is why your doctor might tell you to combine carbs and proteins in a snack. This is also why an orange is better than orange juice.

http://www.nutritiondata.com/facts/fruits-and-fruit-juices/1846/2

 

[Wifezilla]

The "natural" diet of a human would be lots of plants; whole unprocessed grains, fruits and greens and a small amount of animal protein.

No, the natural diet of humans was LOTS of animal fat and protein, plants in the form of greens, grains in small amounts and fruits only seasonally.

Of course, I am going back over 10,000 years or more.

Agriculture is relatively new on an evolutionary scale.

As for fruits and fruit juices, these were often recommended to diabetics because fructose is processed differently than glucose. While fructose doesn't raise insulin like glucose, it DOES overload the liver. Fructose is a major culprit in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.

If you are young and healthy, you might be able to get away with eating a higher carb amount. If you are over weight and have type 2 diabetes, you may as well consider a carb is a carb regardless of the source. Dr. William Davis (a cardiologist) refers to diabetes as a form of Carbohydrate Intolerance Syndrome http://heartscanblog.blogspot.com/2009/01/cis-carbohydrate-intolerance-syndrome.html

The micro nutrients and trace minerals you get from carby foods are ALSO in meats, fats and leafy greens. You don't need to use a form of sugar as a delivery system.​

 

[Chickerdoodle13]

Very interesting! Thanks for all the info!

I actually have type 1 diabetes, so it is a little different. My body does not produce insulin at all and I have to take insulin injections. I'm currently on a pump but generally insulin = weight gain. When I'm not taking symlin, I'm hungry ALL the time and it just not fun...at all! LOL

I've been counting carbs since I was 4 1/2 (when I was diagnosed) so its pretty ingrained into my head. However, now that I am trying to eat healthier I am curious about the different kinds of carbs and how they affect the body.

 

[Wifezilla]

Ah! Yes, type 1 is a different story. I tend to focus on type 2 diabetes because that is what runs in my family and what I was well on my way to developing until I started low carb.

Are you familiar with Dr. Bernstein? He is a doctor who has type 1 diabetes and he is very in to sugar control through diet. Here is a link to his site.
http://www.diabetes-normalsugars.com/
And here is a link to a discussion forum that features a few of his fans

http://forum.lowcarber.org/forumdisplay.php?f=45

 

[Chickerdoodle13]

Thanks for the links! I will definitely check them out!

I've been on symlin for about three weeks now. I lost a lot of water weight the first week I was on it and haven't weighed myself since I've been back to school. I go home friday and I'm hoping to have lost around 3 or 4 pounds. That would mean I am losing about 2 pounds a week, which would be perfect.

I'm crossing my fingers! So far I've been doing well!

 

[menageriemama]

Avocados are THE BEST!!

Love them on everything... And they are super good for you