The diet features complex, that is less quickly metabolized, carbohydrates to cut down the peak in blood glucose that occurs about two hours after eating. In previous days, people with diabetes were told to avoid sugar. Today the restriction on sugar is indirect. Types and amounts of carbohydrate should be controlled by weighing, estimating portion size or by using food labels. On the other hand, there is much better information readily available to help those with diabetes monitor what they eat.
Food labels provide nearly adequate data to enable the individual to control carbohydrate intake.
Relatively inexpensive home-monitoring kits help them keep track of their blood sugar level. Exercise lowers blood sugar immediately and can continue to influence blood sugar levels for as long as 12 to 24 hours. In addition to avoiding grains and other foods that contain gluten, they carefully monitor intake of gluten-free carbohydrates. As it does for most celiacs, this leads to reliance on rice and corn. I diabetes also learn to rely on starchy vegetables, like potatoes, winter squash, peas, beets, carrots, onions, and legumes, like black beans, lentils, dried peas, etc.