Cut Carbs to Control Diabetes and Need for Medicine

It's no secret that eating too many carbs is a bad recipe for people with diabetes or prediabetes. And that includes a lot of people. About 29 million people have diabetes in the United States, and about 86 million people have prediabetes, according to the American Diabetes Association.

So what's so bad about carbohydrates if you have diabetes or are at risk for developing the disease? It's pretty simple. Carbs, especially those found in refined grains like processed cereal and pasta, instant oatmeal, white rice, and baked goods made with white flour, are digested quickly and raise your blood sugar rapidly. Exactly what you want to avoid if diabetes is on your radar.

If you have diabetes or want to control blood sugar levels, it makes sense to limit the amount of carbs you eat, especially refined carbohydrates. But there's at least one more reason to follow a low-carb diet for people with diabetes, according to a recent study. It can reduce the need for medications to control diabetes.

In the study, researchers had a group of people with diabetes follow a low-carb diet. The people in the study also participated in an exercise program. Both intervention strategies are well accepted in the medical community as ways to control blood sugar levels and manage diabetes. But there was a side effect, researchers weren't expecting.

The low-carb diet and regular exercise cut the need for diabetes medications by up to 40 percent. And for some people, it was so effective, they no longer needed medication to control blood sugar levels.

Want to keep your blood sugar levels in check, control diabetes, or avoid developing the disease? Healthy lifestyle habits can make a big difference. Exercise. Get adequate sleep. Manage stress. Maintain a healthy weight, or lose weight if you need to. And eat a healthy diet, low in carbs.

And don’t worry, you don’t have to hire a dietitian or person chef to eat right to control diabetes. We’ve already done that part for you. All you have to do is pick your favorites from our selection of Low-Carb meals.