
Dr Bernstein's Diabetes Diet is a low-carbohydrate diet designed to help people with diabetes achieve and maintain normal blood sugar levels. It is not a weight loss diet, but it is likely that anyone who follows it will lose weight. The diet is based on eating three meals a day, choosing from a list of 'allowed' foods, and sticking to a prescribed amount of carbohydrates. It is very similar to the ketogenic diet, but with a greater emphasis on protein.
Characteristics | Values |
---|---|
Purpose | To help people with diabetes achieve and maintain normal blood sugar levels and reverse and/or lower the risk of complications |
Carbohydrates | Limited to 30 grams per day |
Meals | Three meals a day |
Food choices | Choose from a list of "allowed" foods, and avoid "forbidden" foods |
Carbohydrates | Prescribed amount |
Protein and fat | No restrictions or guidelines |
Similarity to other diets | Very similar to the ketogenic diet, but with a greater emphasis on protein |
What You'll Learn
Dr Bernstein's Diabetes Diet is not a weight loss diet
Dr. Bernstein's Diabetes Diet is a very low-carbohydrate diet designed to help people with diabetes achieve and maintain normal blood sugar levels and lower the risk of complications. It is not a weight loss diet, although it's likely that anyone who follows it will lose some weight. The diet is based on eating three meals a day, choosing from a list of "allowed" foods, steering clear of "forbidden" foods, and sticking with a prescribed amount of carbohydrates. There are no restrictions or guidelines regarding protein or fat intake.
The Bernstein Diet limits the total number of carbohydrates eaten over the course of the day to 30 grams. This is a dramatic reduction compared to the average person with diabetes, who gets 45% of their total calories from carbs. For someone who eats 2,000 calories per day, that would be around 900 calories from carbs, which is 225 grams.
The Bernstein Diet is very similar to the ketogenic diet, but with a greater emphasis on protein. Bernstein recommends this approach because it maximises the chances of achieving truly normal, non-diabetic blood sugar levels. Nutrition experts agree that protein is an absolute necessity for good health. However, many also believe that certain major protein sources, especially red and processed meats, can be unhealthy.
It is important to remember that Dr. Bernstein's diet is not a weight-loss diet but one intended to lower blood sugar. The diet also cannot be considered "low-calorie" given that there is no restriction to the amount of protein or fat a person can eat.
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The diet is low-carb, high-protein, and moderate-fat
Dr Bernstein's Diabetes Diet is a low-carb, high-protein, and moderate-fat diet. It is designed to help people with diabetes achieve and maintain normal blood sugar levels and reduce the risk of complications. It is not a weight loss diet, although it is likely that anyone who follows it will lose some weight.
The diet is based on eating three meals a day, choosing from a list of "allowed" foods, avoiding "forbidden" foods, and sticking to a prescribed amount of carbohydrates. There are no restrictions or guidelines regarding protein or fat intake. This means that the diet cannot be considered "low-calorie".
The total number of carbohydrates eaten over the course of the day is limited to 30 grams. To put this in perspective, on average, most people with diabetes get 45% of their total calories from carbohydrates. For someone who eats 2,000 calories per day, that would be around 900 calories from carbohydrates, which is 225 grams.
The Bernstein Diet is very similar to the ketogenic diet, but with a greater emphasis on protein. Dr Bernstein recommends this approach because it maximises the chances of achieving truly normal, non-diabetic blood sugar levels.
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The diet is based on eating three meals a day
Dr Bernstein's Diabetes Diet is a very low-carbohydrate diet designed to help people with diabetes achieve and maintain normal blood sugar levels. It is based on eating three meals a day, choosing from a list of 'allowed' foods, steering clear of 'forbidden' foods, and sticking with a prescribed amount of carbohydrates. The total number of carbohydrates eaten over the course of the day is limited to 30 grams.
The diet is not a weight loss diet, although it's likely that anyone who follows it will lose some weight. There are no restrictions or guidelines regarding protein or fat intake, although Bernstein recommends eating plenty of protein. This is because protein is an absolute necessity for good health. However, many also believe that certain major protein sources, especially red and processed meats, can be unhealthy.
The Bernstein Diet differs from the dietary guidelines for diabetes promoted by major medical associations because it limits carbohydrates so dramatically. It is very similar to the ketogenic diet, but with a few different emphases.
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There are no restrictions on protein or fat intake
Dr Bernstein's Diabetes Diet is a very low-carbohydrate diet designed to help people with diabetes achieve and maintain normal blood sugar levels. It is not a weight loss diet, although it's likely that anyone who follows it will lose some weight. The diet is based on eating three meals a day, choosing from a list of "allowed" foods, steering clear of "forbidden" foods, and sticking with a prescribed amount of carbohydrates.
The Bernstein Diet differs from the dietary guidelines for diabetes promoted by major medical associations because it limits carbohydrates so dramatically. It is very similar to the ketogenic diet, but with a few different emphases.
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The diet is intended to lower blood sugar
Dr Bernstein's Diabetes Diet is a very low-carbohydrate diet designed to help people with diabetes achieve and maintain normal blood sugar levels and reverse and/or lower the risk of complications. The diet is not intended for weight loss, although it's likely that anyone who follows it will lose some weight. The Bernstein diet is based on eating three meals a day, choosing from a list of "allowed" foods, steering clear of "forbidden" foods, and sticking with a prescribed amount of carbohydrates. There are no restrictions or guidelines regarding protein or fat intake.
The diet limits the total number of carbohydrates eaten over the course of the day to 30 grams. This is a dramatic reduction for most people with diabetes, who tend to get 45% of their total calories from carbs. For someone who eats 2,000 calories per day, that would be around 900 calories from carbs, which is 225 grams.
The Bernstein Diet is very similar to the ketogenic diet, but with a few different emphases. Bernstein recommends this approach because it maximises the chances of achieving truly normal, non-diabetic blood sugar levels. The diet is also distinguished by its emphasis on protein. Bernstein wants people to eat plenty of protein, which he considers the most beneficial of all macronutrients.
It's important to remember that Dr Bernstein's diet is not a weight-loss diet but one intended to lower blood sugar. The diet also cannot be considered "low-calorie" given that there is no restriction to the amount of protein or fat you can eat.
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Frequently asked questions
The Dr Bernstein diet plan is a low-carbohydrate diet designed to help people with diabetes achieve and maintain normal blood sugar levels. It is not a weight loss diet.
The Dr Bernstein diet limits the total number of carbohydrates eaten over the course of the day to 30 grams.
There are no restrictions or guidelines regarding protein or fat intake. The diet is based on eating three meals a day, choosing from a list of "allowed" foods, and steering clear of "forbidden" foods.
The Dr Bernstein diet is similar to the ketogenic diet, but with a greater emphasis on protein.