granola bar and diabetic diet

Question
I just read an answer you gave regarding granola bars.  You recommended Ina Garten's recipe from food network.  I was thinking about making them and was wondering if they would be OK for a diabetic diet.  I am pre-diabetic and have been asked to lose weight to help control my sugars etc. (Female 5 foot 6, 280lbs, and age 47)

Answer
Hi Leigh,

First I want to congratulate you for taking all the time you are spending to find out how you can take control of your diet and make your eating more healthy :)

The diabetic diet nowadays has very few foods that are prohibited. Instead, all carbohydrates are counted, and technically a person could eat some very junky foods (like soda and candy bars) and still control their diabetes. Of course, if the diet had lots of sweets in it, there wouldn't be room for the healthy carbs like whole grains, cereals, fruits, and starch vegetables.

So, yes, these bars could fit into a diabetic meal plan.

I have two suggestions for you on your weight loss journey: One, find a registered dietitian in your area (the hospital is a great place to start) who can sit down with you and make a personalized diet plan with you. If your doctor writes a prescription for you to bring to a dietitian, many insurance plans will cover up to three visits.

Two, start keeping a food diary. It's free and it's easy. And it lets you stop to think about something before you eat it: Do I really want to eat this now? Is it in line with my healthy eating goals? Is there a better choice I can make?
In this way, keeping a food record helps people lose lots of weight without having to go on a diet--just thinking before you eat and realizing what you are about to do, can help people stop in their tracks and change their mind before they actually take a bite. There are lots of websites set up to help you do this: SparkPeople.com, FitDay.com and LostIt.com are a few that are popular.

Good luck, and do keep me posted on your progress!
Laurie

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