Originally Posted by
InTheRain
LIke I said, I'm diabetic. Recommending beans, rice, potatoes, legumes, and flour (a processed carbohydrate) to a diabetic is akin to recommending a bike commuter cross a 10 lane freeway with a blindfold. Carbohydrates are exactly what a diabetic is supposed to avoid. Diabetes is a carbohydrate metabolism disorder. A diabetic that wants to be in control will learn to fuel his exercise activities with fats and proteins. There are plenty of studies that indicate a carbohydrate rich diet is not healthy... even for non diabetics.
Anyway, that was not very related to the cost of commuting, other than I'll confirm that carbohydrates are the cheapest thing you can buy in a grocery store... and in most cases the most worthless thing you can buy in a grocery store with the exception of some fruits and nuts (which generally are more fat and protein than soluble carbohydrate) - which in themselves are not "cheap."
I know a thing or two about diabetes. I've lived with an insulin dependent diabetic for 35 years. She's been insulin dependent for 40 years. She doesn't
avoid carbohydrates, she just has to account for them and plan accordingly. She doesn't eat a high fat/high protein diet nor do I. She doesn't eat a lot of simple sugars which spike her blood sugars too quickly but does eat a lot of complex carbohydrates, like potatos, rice, beans legumes, etc. that release the carbohydrates to the body...the muscles in particular... slowly over time. That slow release is what keeps blood sugar from spiking. The only time she eats simple carbohydrates is when she overestimates her insulin demands and her blood glucose levels fall to low. She also tends to eat more simple carbohydrates when exercising (like bicycle riding) because they are used quickly.
I've also been riding bicycles regularly...3 to 5 times a week...for 30+ years while reading and researching my nutritional needs. Bodies don't need fat and protein for fuel. They
need carbohydrates. In fact your body will convert protein and fat to carbohydrates in order to fuel the muscles. Convert too much fat and protein to fuel and you'll screw up your blood chemistry. Convert too much and your blood chemistry will go so far out of whack that it becomes life threatening. That's how my wife was found to be a Type I diabetic. She was hospitalized following a dramatic weight loss (25 lbs from a 90lb girl) and on the edge of a ketoacidosis coma.