Recently, a random person on the Internet criticized my choice to incorporate carbohydrates in my daily diet. Thanks for the unnecessary judgment, stranger!!!
I’m not really upset about the comment, though, because it prompted me to reflect on why I consume carbs.
For me, it’s about more than just enjoying (relishing, adoring) the taste of carb-heavy substances both starchy and sweet. Carbs also help me achieve balance in my blood sugars. For instance, I find that consuming a serving of carbohydrates at dinnertime keeps me steady as I move through the evening hours. Say that I’m eating grilled chicken with a side salad for dinner. That’s a good meal by itself, but I like to complement it with a carb like half a cup of mashed potatoes or brown rice. I’ve noticed that the carbs kick in more slowly when they’re consumed with minimal or zero-carb foods, thanks to the power of the glycemic index.
The glycemic index is, in short, a measure of how quickly the carbohydrate content of foods will affect blood sugar levels. Since learning about it in college and subsequently researching the glycemic indices of various foods I eat, it’s been an immensely useful tool in determining the makeup of my meals throughout the day. Knowing the glycemic index of a wide array of foods also helps me figure out the timing of my insulin doses; in turn, preventing crazy spikes or crashes after eating.
I can’t shortchange carbs for the fact that they literally save my butt sometimes, too. When I’m experiencing a low blood sugar, nothing BUT carbs will bring me back up to a normal level. Whether it’s carbohydrates from healthy fruits or straight-up candy, it’s giving my blood sugar the surge it needs to keep me going. Like many things in life, it’s a matter of moderation – making sure I don’t consume TOO many carbs when I’m experiencing a low.
If you’re someone who thrives on low carb, high fat diets, that’s great! I know that many people find this to be a successful method in achieving target blood sugars. But for me, my tried-and-true technique of balancing carbs, fats, and proteins is always going to be my ideal strategy. Just because that’s what works for me doesn’t give anyone a right to criticize me for it. I’m here to live my best life, as we all should try to do. Shouldn’t we encourage one another to thrive, instead of judging?
The answer, if you didn’t realize, is YES.
Hugging the Cactus 
Here, here! Life was meant to be enjoyed, not just endured….. of course, EVERYTHING in moderation, including moderation!
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My FORMER endo and I also got into this argument. “Your eating too many carbs.” was the standard response after nothing seemed to work at stabilizing my sugar levels. She was keen on getting me to go on a ketogenic diet. I looked into it. I always at least looked her ideas but it was MY decision whether or not to try it. While on the 670G she noticed I was consuming about 280 to 340 grams of carbs a day. This is where we had a massive difference of opinion on the subject. I counted one day just to find out and found I was eating about 3200 to 4000 calories a day. I am a very active person and have not gained or lost more than 5 to 10 lbs. over the last 20 years. So to my mind that means I am not overeating. Second point, and most important one as far as I am concerned, is since that is twice what the “normal” person eats my carb intake should also be twice the normal level (it actually is not quite twice the carbs but I let it slide). She sent me to see another specialist at a university to get a second opinion about all this. Dr. Gupta wad her name and she agreed the a ketogenic diet was not a good fit for me. I am way too active for that diet. Her words were that it was designed more toward office people not ones like me. We worked it out for me to cut back my carbs even more but she said I needed them. My job consists of throwing around thousands of pounds of steel each night (50 to 150 lbs. at a shot). I am actually amazed to find that I run rings around much younger coworkers than I. At 48 I expect to be slowing down a little but find the reality of it that I am still far about average as far as what I do at work. Long story short, I no longer care what others think as they do not live my life or know more than a small chunk of it. I smile and nod but in the end I decide what is best for me and what does and does not work, regardless of what the textbooks or experts say.
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