Hey Herman,
I am sorry it has taken me so long to respond. I have been very sick with what ever is going around.
I feel much better today though. Now to your question about counting carbs. Why does it work, and what is the benefit?
I am going to give you the short answer, but I suggest you do your own research on the subject.
Counting carbs and keeping them low keeps your blood sugar stable and normal.
What do carbohydrates have to do with blood glucose?
Everything!! All foods with carbohydrate -- whether rice, jelly beans, or watermelon -- break down to simple sugars in our bodies. This is what causes our blood glucose to rise. The carbohydrate in most starchy foods (potatoes, bread) is simply a collection of long chains of glucose, which break down quickly and raise blood sugar.
What Do Our Bodies Do When Blood Sugar is High?
When our blood sugar goes up, our body responds by secreting insulin to stabilize it. The sugar is then taken out of the blood and converted into fat;
insulin's primary function is facilitating the storage of extra sugar in the blood as fat.So in a nutshell, keep your blood sugar up and your body keeps storing fat. When you reduce the amount of carbs significantly, your body begins to use the food you eat and stored body fat for energy. The insulin response is what causes your body to raise cholesterol levels, high blood pressure etc. My numbers are all lower since I started eating this way and so are my husbands. My Dr. is very happy that I have cut out the carbs! There are so many studies. But go to
http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9F04E2D61F3EF934A35754C0A9649C8B63&sec=health That article will get you started. I have many more if you are interested. Just let me know. I hope this helps you some.
What I eat on a typical day. A low carb diet is not all meat! I eat plenty of fruit and veggies! I was also pre-diabetic but now my numbers are ALL NOrmal!!! My friend who was full blown diabetic eats this way and is not longer on meds! Her blood pressure is normal as well as her cholesterol. We also make low carb cake and cookies so it is possible to eat sugar free. I don't eat any sugar, but I do use a natural sweeteners called stevia and Xylitol.
Breakfast:
2 eggs
bacon, or tky sausage
Low carb pita
coffee with cream
Lunch:
Smoked brisket or fish, steak or chicken
spinach salad, roasted broccoli
strawberries
Dinner:
similar to lunch maybe different veggies or peaches.
Eating this way I eat about 30 -40 carbs a day and I eat a significant amount of fat. (fat does not make you fat, sugars and starches do)
Now I can eat this way for the rest of my life because I do not feel deprived. Once I got past the no potatoes(for me) I was fine. This does not mean I will never eat another potato ever, but for now I don't eat them.
Ok this is where the science come in. I will link you to other studies and sites that can explain it better than I can.
http://lowcarbdiets.about.com/od/lowcarb101/a/lcbenefits.htm This site has many links to studies that will help better than I can! LOL
Pray and ask God to help you, and He will.
