Re: Hi Barb... - whoa nelly! this gets long!

[Guest guest]

> Bert...have you read " Dr. Bernstein's Diabetes Solutions " by K.

> Bernstein yet? If you haven't, please do. An apple for breakfast will

raise

> your BGs...apples are pretty carby. Also will leave you hungry well

before

> next mealtime. Better would be a couple of eggs and bacon, sausage or ham

> (you get the idea). Eating carbs create hunger for more carbs. The lower

> carbs you eat, the better your BGs (and other medical problems) will

> be...trust me. Vicki

yanno... i've been keeping quiet on all this high-protein, atkins stuff

since i joined, but i've got to butt in here with the advice i was given by

all my doctors (g.p. and endocrinologist), nurses, dieticians, the canadian

diabetes association, and mom (who's a nurse). i worry about people who may

be doing the high-protein, low carb thing without really looking into it. i

know that if you stick to it closely, you can lose weight, and keep the bg's

low, but i also know that coming off of it can lead to almost immediate

weight gain. the loss of the good grains (i love those multigrain breads

made with whole wheat flour, i may have white bread once a month, if that,

now, can't stand the taste <G>) and the other carb foods may not be the

healthiest choice for many people. of course, i've known people who had to

follow the strict high protein, no fruits kind of diet for health reasons,

but they were being closely monitored by a doctor.

we all know that most foods break down into carbs, whether from fruits, many

non-green veg (although peas count in this group), breads, milk, candy,

corn, whatever. you can't do without carbs. and if you're going to eat

more foods that contain more fat (like eggs and sausages and ham, etc),

without adding in the fibre that comes from things like whole grain breads

or cereals, and many fruits, you may not balancing things in a healthy way.

it is a very personal thing, of course. there's nothing wrong with eating

meats, or having fat in your diet, but as diabetics, we have to be very

cautious about the impact that our lifestyle has on our bodies. this is

especially so with a high protein - low carb diet and it's impact on the

kidneys. i forget all the reasons, since i'm not medically trained, but i

know it can cause more troubles for your kidneys. there's also the impact

on your cardio-vascular system when you're increasing the fat intake, but

not including the fibre that helps flush it out. thankfully there are those

nice things like low fat sausages, and lean cuts of meat. i do remember

reading about people eating pork rinds, which quite frankly, turns my

stomach, especially after looking at the fat content of those things today

when i was at the grocery store. a treat doesn't hurt, but i wouldn't want

to eat something like that too often. tortilla chips, on the other

hand, i sure could. i don't, but i could. oh man, now i want nachos.

i don't want to get into a big thing about this, but one of the simplest

diet plans (for *most* people, not all, i know it doesn't work for all) and

the one that has proved to be the most effective in the long term for a

large number of people, not just diabetics, is the one planned out by the

canada or american food guides (with the adjustments made for the veg that

go into the fruit category, and things like potatoes and corn that go into

the starch). it's not for everyone, but i've seen so much more success with

that than any other diet fad or plan. i've never had any doctor suggest

anything other than that. i keep the diabetic canada food guide, and my CDA

" good health eating guide poster pin up " on the wall by my computer, it's

what i worked out with my dietician to be best for my body. i wish everyone

as good a dietician as mine. actually, i have two, and two diabetes

nurses, who are all easily accessible by phone during the week. they rock!

my daily plan goes as follows (and this is set out for roughly 1500

cal/day):

breakfast: 2 starch; 1-2 fruit/sweet veg; 2 milk; 0-1 protein; 1 fat and oil

(all the fat and oils are optional, i don't tend to like butter or fatty

stuff in the morning).

lunch: 2-3 starch; 2 fruit/s.veg; 2 milk; 2 protein; 1 fat and oil.

possible afternoon snack: 1 starch

supper: 2 starch; 2 fruit/s.veg; 3 protein; 1 fat and oil.

i can have as many of the extras as i want, which include almost all green

veg, cauliflower, some tomato (a tomato is an extra, tomato juice is a

fruit/s.veg), and rhubarb, oddly enough.

it sounds pretty dry, but since i can add in all the green veg i want, i'll

have a package of spinach with dinner, which is rich in vitamins and

minerals, or brussel sprouts... things that i can buy frozen and make up

quickly (i'm a student, i can't afford to buy a lot of fresh veg in the

winter). the average breakfast for me is a bowl of cereal, such as 2

shredded wheat biscuits, or the spoon-sized version, or quaker quick oats

(since those flavoured packaged ones are just laden with extra sugar), then

i have berries on it, and skim milk (i only drink skim, normally natrel

brand, it tastes good, and i don't have to worry about the fat), or i'll

have some other fruit on the side. that comes 1/2 hour after i've injected

my insulin that morning, and this will get me through to lunch. lunch and

dinner are generally more creative, or as creative as possible on a budget.

lunch is often leftovers, although it's often a cup of pasta (whole wheat as

often as possible - 1/2 cup cooked pasta = one starch choice) with some

tomato sauce, and chicken or tuna, both low fat choices with lots of taste.

then i'll also have a serving of fat free, sweetened with aspartame, fruit

yogourt. that adds in 1/2 a serving of fruit, but it's satisfying. then

i'll have another fruit, depending on what veg were used in the entree, but

it'll be a serving of unsweetened applesauce, or maybe an orange.

dinner is similar, i'll have that 1/2 hour after my second insulin shot of

the day, only no milk, and just a little more meat, but i'll have a lot more

free veg then. green beans, spinach, broccoli, etc. they're terrific

because they're not counting as a fruit/veg choice, and they help fill you

up!

the nice thing about the meal plans, or what should be good, is that you can

move some thing around. some meals i'll switch the milk from lunch to

dinner, or something like that. one thing i don't compromise on is

breakfast... it really is the most important meal of the day. some days

though, i'll move the protein from lunch to breakfast and enjoy a couple

small sausages, or a few strips of bacon. flexibility is important!

denying yourself the fun things may just add more stress. you can fit in

the sweets once in a while, you just have to substitute. most of us know

this already, but i've found that it's hard to explain that to other people,

who think that because you're diabetic, you can't eat ice cream. <g> how

many of us have had troubles explaining that it's ok to have that 1/2 cup of

ice cream because you didn't have that 2nd fruit choice at dinner. <G>

this may not be right for everyone, and a lot of people won't like it.

that's fine, and i'm not going to tell people what to do (unlike some of the

posts i've seen where there's been quite a bit of pressure for people to do

one thing or the other). if you feel that the as few carbs as possible

thing is keeping your bg's at good levels, and keeping you healthy, that's

fine.

maybe i've come on a little stronger than intended, but i worry a lot that

many diabetics aren't getting the education they need, and aren't really

spending enough time researching their disease, and the diet plans

available. i also worry that many don't get enough support - i'm very lucky

in that respect, living in ottawa with a tremendously good diabetes team,

doctors, nurses, dieticians, etc. - in learning and living with their

diabetes.

it's hard at times, being diabetic. we all know that. there are times i'm

just mad in that i got it, and that, no fault of my own, they tell me, i

have barely any pancreatic activity, and that even that will be gone in a

few years, so i have to stick needles in my body every day.

other days though, it's an adventure. we're lucky in some respects. we

know that we have to be more careful about our lifestyle, food and exercise.

we have that extra motivation to eat healthy, and to encourage those around

us to eat healthy, and to exercise, so that we avoid eye, nerve, kidney,

vascular, etc, damage. it's a constant learning experience, finding out

how best to handle it, since no two people have the same diabetes. we have

to monitor ourselves all the time, but that keeps us aware of how our bodies

work.

we also get to work on being creative with what our meal plans allow. i'm

sure for those who have non-diabetic families, this is more than just a

challenge, but a pain in the butt sometimes.

i thought it was really funny that my guys in the prison think that i'm

tough because i inject myself twice daily (and that i deal with the diabetes

pretty well). and you know what else, i'm pretty proud of that. i've not

been positive about things all the time since i was diagnosed, i'd worry if

i had been. but i've been pretty good. and i can inject myself - after the

first bit of help from the nurse when i did it for the first time, i've

never needed any help from anyone. i test my bg's 3-4 times a day, and i

work hard on eating healthy, and adding that all-important activity to my

life. i don't like having diabetes, but damn sure i'm gonna be the best

diabetic possible. may everyone strive for the same. we'll be the

ones outlasting everyone else!

i'm really rambling here, but what the heck.

[Guest guest]

<<yanno... i've been keeping quiet on all this high-protein, atkins

stuff

since i joined, but i've got to butt in here with the advice i was given

by

all my doctors (g.p. and endocrinologist), nurses, dieticians, the

canadian

diabetes association, and mom (who's a nurse). i worry about people who

may

be doing the high-protein, low carb thing without really looking into

it. i

know that if you stick to it closely, you can lose weight, and keep the

bg's

low, but i also know that coming off of it can lead to almost immediate

weight gain. >>

I just wanted to add that my primary care doctor and the endo my

son-in-law go to both recommend Atkins. This has just come about in the

last 2 years.

Also, I lost 40 pounds last year in 3 1/2 months, spent the rest of the

year eating what ever I wanted (much to my shame) and only gained 10

pounds. I have lost that in 1 month plus 5 more.

But, I don't gorge myself anymore. My stomach is smaller so I don't eat

much, no matter what I eat.