Customer Reviews

What to Eat if You Have Diabetes (revised): Healing Foods that Help Control Your Blood Sugar

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I was very excited to receive this book, but was disappointed upon reading it. I am a librarian who specializes in biological information, and I found this book to be full of both scientific and editorial errors.

The authors can't decide if there are 9 or 11 essential amino acids (most authorities say 8 or 9), and they sometimes mix up amino acids with fatty acids. These and most of the other biological errors are so basic that a high-school biology student should know better. As for the writing, I found non-sensical sentences and entire paragraphs misplaced (such as two paragraphs on legumes under the heading of fruit, instead of the previous heading of legumes where it clearly belonged). It appears that the text was not actually reviewed by a professional editor before it was published.

These scientific and editorial errors are extensive and can make the information presented somewhat confusing. Even worse, it indicates a lack of quality that makes all the information presented highly questionable. This is particularly bad because the authors often push very controversial points of view, which really need to be backed up by a high quality review of good science.

If you do read this book, I highly recommend that you also read books by other authors to get a more balanced view of how to live with diabetes.

This book has two main sections. Section one explains the phisiology of diabetes and of certain foods. If you ever wanted to know exactly how certain food groups effects your body's responses, read this section. It is fascinating. The authors themselves tell you to skip this section if you have no interest in it.

Section two describes exactly what foods & supplements are beneficial to eat if you are diabetic and why. It also lists foods in the category (ie: high fiber foods). That is the beauty of this book. many books tell you to eat complex carbohydrates, more fiber, etc but they hardly indentify the foods. The authors also talk about the Glyclemic index which rates foods according to how fast they convert into glucose in your body.

"What to Eat If You Have Diabetes" is a great resource for anyone with diabetes, their family members and friends. This book covers everything from the physiology of our bodies to dietary plans. It gives detailed explanations of how diabetes effects the body and what role diet and medications take in the battle against this disease.

There are chapters on exercise and how to eat smart while traveling.

The authors have also included a "suggested reading materials" list.

I cannot fathom why the medical field along with dietitians continue to advise diabetics to eat low fat and to eat grains and fruit. Any experienced diabetic who tests regularly knows that the only true way to lowering blood sugar levels is to eat low carb (and NOT low fat). As a calorie is a calorie, so is a carb a carb as far as a most diabetics go. Obviously a serving of broccoli is better than one of cake, however, intake of carbohydrates will raise blood sugars (it depends on portion). This is simplified however, new diabetics, your best bet is to test, test, test. I guarantee, you will see lower numbers when you eliminate most bread, pasta, and keep fruit portions tiny. You will also stop having carb cravings and lose weight. Bottom line, look at labels and account for all carbs (not just sugar).

This book has really helped me find a way to live comfortably with the limitations put on my diet by this disease. It even includes information on the use of stevia--a new, natural (non-chemical) sugar substitute readily available in health food stores. I would recommend "What to Eat" to anyone with diabetes, whether Type I or Type II.