Regrettably, there are many myths and misconceptions surrounding diabetes; this makes it very difficult for people newly diagnosed with type 1 or type 2 diabetes, and their families, to know what to believe. Knowing what is fact and what is fiction, is an important step in effectively controlling your blood sugar levels. There certainly are guidelines for the management of type 1 and type 2 diabetes and it is to your advantage to be aware of them.

Results of an on-line survey conducted by Harris Interactive, revealed many misconceptions about diabetes still exist. Below are some of the common ones:

Myth 1. Eating too much sugar causes diabetes: No… in type 1 diabetes, the insulin-producing cells of the pancreas are destroyed by a process in the body known as autoimmunity, (where the body’s cells attack each other). Type 2 diabetes used to occur after the age of 40. Due to lifestyle changes over the last couple of decades, type 2 is now being diagnosed at a younger age. Many years before their diagnosis, type 2 diabetics have become overweight.

Myth 2. Diabetes patients cannot eat sweets or chocolate: There is no reason why people with diabetes cannot have sugar, as long as they keep a few points in mind:

• the rule is moderation: pay attention to portion sizes and substitute the sugar containing food for another carbohydrate containing food in your diabetes eating plan
• monitor your blood sugar level routinely so you will be aware of any negative effects from the sugary food

Myth 3. People with diabetes should only eat special diabetic foods: There isn’t a list of foods you absolutely cannot eat… all foods, in smaller serving sizes, can be worked into your eating plan.

Myth 4. Fruit is a healthy food and you can eat as much of it as you wish: No, not as much as you wish, usually up to four pieces a day. Fresh fruits digest more slowly and release sugar into your blood stream a little bit at a time over the course of several hours. Some fruits tend to be lower than others on the GI-index:

• orchard fruits such as apples, peaches, plums cherries, oranges… think fruit with pips… have relatively low-GI values
• tropical fruits like bananas, mangoes and papayas tend to be a bit higher
• melons are very high on the index scale
• blueberries, strawberries… all the berries, are all good choices because of their high fiber content

Myth 5. If you have diabetes you should only eat a small amount of starchy foods: Yes that is true… usually only 3 or 4 servings each day. You have to start thinking of starchy foods like bread, rice, pasta, potato and corn as sources of sugar even though they are not sweet. Starchy foods contain complex carbohydrates and usually they do not cause an abrupt increase in your blood sugar level. But from the standpoint of blood sugar control, it doesn’t matter much whether the carbohydrates you eat are in the form of simple sugars or starches. Both will raise the blood sugar level by the same amount. A cup of rice which contains 40 grams of complex carbohydrates (starch), will raise your blood sugars as much as a can of sugar sweetened soda, containing 40 grams of simple carbohydrates (sugar). And both will do it pretty fast.

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