OTC Cold Remedies - Diabetics Beware!

For Crying Out Loud!

I've been Fighting a Cold for the last 7-10 days, and so, of course, have been taking OTC Cold medicines. Daytime & Night Time Cold Caplets, and a 'Sugar Free' Vitamin C & Zinc drink additive.

For the past week, my blood sugar has been spiking like mad, even with the low carb diet and careful glucose monitoring that I've pretty gotten down stone cold solid ever since I was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes.

It's been driving me crazy all week trying figure out why my blood sugar was going crazy, when I have had it completely under control for quite some time.

On a hunch, I checked the ingredients list on some of the stuff I've been taking, and discovered they ALL contain maltodextrin. For those that slept through chemistry class, maltodextrin is a complex sugar that the human digestive system breaks down into simple sugars very quickly. And BTW, how do you get away with listing something as 'Sugar Free' that contains maltodextrin?

Apparently the pharmaceutical & nutritional supplements industries doesn't consider this worth a specific notation on their labels pointing out that taking these types of products will have adverse side effects on your blood glucose levels if you are diabetic!

I might as well have been swallowing sugar cubes... Give me a BREAK!

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Diet and Nutrition - Be careful who you get your advice from!

One of my biggest rants is the staggering amount of 'dietary disinformation' that is dispensed to diabetics by professional dietitians on a regular, consistent basis.

On a recent hospital stay, I was advised by a hospital nutritionist that I *needed* more carbs in my meal choices, even as a type II diabetic. After enduring the same argument over and over for multiple meals, I did finally cave in (against my better judgement!) and followed the advice given, and increased my carb intake for one of my meals. Needless to say, my after meal blood glucose level shot up to almost 300, instead of the typical 120-140 ranges I was accustomed to seeing, and required a substantial shot of insulin to correct.

The sad fact of the matter is that all too many certified dietitians and nutritionists are dispensing advice to diabetics that can/will undermine any chance of establishing effective dietary management of their diabetes.

For an excellent source of 'real' dietary advice for diabetes management, check out Dr. Bernstein's Diabetes Solution. Not only informative, it's also an entertaining look at the dietary lifestyle changes involved in effectively managing your diabetes. Here's an example-

"The fallacy that eating fat will make you fat is about as scientifically logical as saying that eating tomatoes will turn you red."

http://www.diabetes-book.com/

All logos, trade names, trade marks, and photos of the same belong to their respective owners. The use of such material in this article falls under the Fair Use provisions of intellectual property laws.