Hi Roberta!
Thanks for your post. Carbs are not the cause or the problem for diabetics. The problem is the fat. The fat in our diets, and the fat on our bodies. The key to a healthy diet for all of us is a whole foods, plant based diet combined with exercise.
As for dates, I don't use any dried fruits as they are problematic for me. Perhaps for you too. If you like a recipe here on the site and it incorporates dates or any other "condiment" that doesn't suit you, try it without it! That's what I do. I take the original recipe and mix and match. Then you can use the recipe calculator for your new personal take on the recipe. It is a fantastic tool!
However, that being said, for those of us without blood sugar or weight issues, dates used sparingly can be a reasonable choice.
Here is a little something from Dr. Fuhrman regarding diabetes:
The solution for diabetes: "A health-promoting eating style coupled with frequent exercise. The best diet for humans to live longer in superior health is also the best diet for reversing diabetes. It is not a low-carbohydrate diet or a low-fat diet; it is a high-nutrient (Nutritarian) diet, an eating style that focuses on the quality of carbohydrates, proteins, and fats; an eating style with a high micronutrient to calorie ratio.
When one eats a diet predominating in nature’s ideal foods—green vegetables, beans, mushrooms, onions, berries, eggplant, tomatoes, garlic, raw nuts and seeds, it becomes relatively easy to quickly shed excess pounds without hunger or deprivation, and bring glucose numbers back down into the non-diabetic range. My experience has demonstrated that those choosing to follow my nutritional recommendation will have their diabetes controlled astonishingly quickly even before they have lost most of their excess weight."
Thanks for your question, and we are happy to keep the conversation going! Happy Holidays!
By the way, for a great reference tool on the issue of diabetes, try Dr. Fuhrman's, "The End of Diabetes". It is a great book filled with lots of wisdom on how to not live with diabetes, but to get rid of it for good!