Calories, fat, and sugar and CICO debate with hubby

If your husband is diabetic he needs to watch his sugar-but you don't. Although I can't imagine worrying about 1g vs 2g. If weight is in issue it's quite possible the lower calorie option would be a better choice for him overall. As usual, though-it's all in the context of his overall diet.

Fat cancels out sugar?? No. Fat can help slow digestion-but I don't know it's effect on sugar absorption in diabetics. Some things can help keep blood sugar levels stable-but I would think ice cream (often loaded with fat AND sugar) would not be the best choice for a diabetic..

diabetics do have to watch their sugar...but I'm not sure I'd concern myself with 1 gram vs 2 grams.

your friends should seek some dietary advice from an actual dietician and not believe everything they read...my dad was a type II diabetic and I worked with him and his dietitian for a number of years on his diet...fruit was a regular part of his diet as were heaping helpings of vegetables and whole grains. eating ice cream on a regular basis as a diabetic is pretty stupid...every once in awhile, sure...but that shouldn't be a regular part of a diabetics diet. your friends are morons.

I reversed my type 2 and lost about 130 pounds in 2 years

People have some very illogical ideas about nutrition

1 gram of sugar does not equal 100 more calories.

Fat never cancels out sugar

Losing weight will make him less insulin resistant.

Exercise will burn out the glycogen in your system

So reduce sugar intake, limit calories per the universal CICO, and exercise rigorously and burn some blood sugar off!

Over time with consistent effort, weight will come off and almost always type 2 gets much better

It can get better for most people with diet and exercise

It is sad to hear someone eating ice cream for the fat content...

He seems to have a misapplication of the reasoning behind fat content in some foods slowing the sugar spike. That is kind of like the glycemic index calculation but taking liberties with it

The diabetic needs to want to change and get on board with it. It is a tough path but something one can do.

Best wishes with the situation.

I'm prediabetic, or I was before I changed my diet to cut out added sugars and go low carb with high amounts of healthy fats. Reducing carbs and sugars will lower his insulin response (probably) and will most likely help control his blood glucose levels and A1C.

The few salad dressings I own have no added sugars at all. Knowing sugars won't help me manage my blood glucose, I chose to avoid brands with added sugars and focus on fat content instead. besides, I'd rather eat some extra veggies than have the extra sugar added to my dressing.

Dr Bernstein's Diabetes Solution is a really good book for educating diabetics on how to control their blood sugars, and lose weight by eating LCHF diet (at a small deficit). Following that I normalized my blood sugar in under two weeks (it was borderline diabetic) and I have lost about 18lbs in 7 weeks on a caloric deficit designed to help me lose 1.5 lbs per week. (I only want to lose another 20 to 25lbs since my BMI is getting back into normal range.) My endocrinologist told me to cut back on fats and eat more veggies, which didn't work for me because it led to greater hunger and increased carb cravings - and weight gain. LOL

LCHF works for me, and has been found to be effective in the majority of individuals with insulin resistance. Eggs, meat, cheese, cream, nuts, greens, colourful veggies and low GI fruits like berries are good foods for diabetics; it would be good to keep the house stocked on those (if he goes LCHF). Dr Bernstein advises sugars, flours, starches (potato and rice), and sweet fruits (mangos, grapes, banana) are avoided or limited to small amounts if combined with proteins and fats.

He is correct to avoid the sugar if he can, even in picking the higher fat dressing. He has his dressing; you have yours.

Your ice cream consuming friends are wrong.

Fat does not cancel out sugar.

Fat helps with satiety, and because of its' very slow absorption rate (8+ hours) works well for a diabetic. They still have to watch their portions, however!

If it was a really sugary dressing yes, but I don't think 1g vs 2g of sugar justifies the extra calories in the ranch.

rosebette wrote: »

My husband's Type II diabetic, and last night we were at dinner, eating our salads. I had 2 kinds of dressings on the table, Marzetti Classic Ranch, which is 160 cal for 2 TBs, and Kraft Zesty Lowfat Italian, which is about 15 calories for the same serving. Hubby said that he had been listening to or reading something that said that for diabetics, fat is good and that he should avoid lowfat products. My argument for choosing the Kraft dressing was that it was significantly lower in calories, and for someone my size, 160 calories could be the difference between having a snack or an extra couple of ounces of meat. He said that the sugar in the dressing is more damaging; the Italian dressing had 2 g, while the Marzetti had only 1. I've heard similar arguments from other diabetics. When traveling a month or so ago, two of my traveling companions who were diabetic would refuse fruit at the breakfast buffet or when offered it by fellow travelers, but would eat ice cream because they claimed the fat in the ice cream "canceled out" the sugar. Anyone care to "weigh in" on this one?

The answer is clear: you are two different people with two different needs! Although I agree with others that 1g vs 2g sugar is such a small difference that it isn't worth the extra calories, it ultimately is a matter of individual needs and preferences. Even if there was agreement that the Kraft choice was healthier, it wouldn't matter if your husband simply doesn't like it. If eating the 160 calorie choice makes him happy, and more likely to stick to an appropriate overall calorie amount, then it works for him....but if it ISN'T working for him, then he should obviously consider some changes. Still, what works for you isn't always going to work for him.

And when they say "fat cancels out sugar," they are talking about macro percentages. In full-fat dairy ice cream, more than 50% of the calories come from fat. So, by eating some ice cream, those people are staying within their macro percentages. If the carbs are mixed with a greater amount of fat per gram, it will take the body more time to get to the sugar, because it has to metabolize the fat too. Therefore, the conversion of carbs into glucose will happen at a lesser rate than if they, say, ate a bowl of fruit. The sugars in fruit are naked and therefore will get metabolized faster than will the sugars in the ice cream.

That is my understanding of it. I could be wrong. If I am wrong, please explain why, but I think that is what your fellow diabetics mean when they say "fat cancels out carbs/sugars."

Bottled salad dressings are usually terrible. I just looked up the ingredients for both bottles and it's appalling.

Soybean oil, distilled vinegar, MSG, and lots of other junk.

I think if someone is type II diabetic it's important to look beyond just carbs and fats.