Wellness

[sidsmom]

@ID2

 To discount my opinions & recommendations simply because I'm not a diabetic is...ludicrous! That's the whole point! I must be doing something right not to be inflicted with this condition. 

It's like saying,
Every OB/GYN MUST be a woman.
Every Oncologist MUST have Stage 4 cancer.
Every Heart Surgeon MUST personally have had open-heart surgery.

See how silly that thought is..'you must be a diabetic to know what you're talking about'??!   And it's even sillier when hundreds of thousands of people around the World for multi-generations eating this way are not diabetic.  They must be doing something right.  

@Demitra1

If I was a Type 2 diabetic, which is a highly PREVENTABLE condition, I would want to research EVERY. POSSIBLE. PROCESS. to make this a thing of the past.  'Managing' this condition for years/decades is not optimum health.  One deserves much, much more than that.

When I suggest a Low Fat, Whole Foods, Plant Based diet, it's for total body health. Yeah, eating animal flesh & copious amount of oil might be a quick fix, but you might be fixing one problem (diabetes), but creating many, many new ones (heart disease, inflammation, etc) down the road.

Why not do it right from the beginning?

Low Fat, Whole Foods, Plant Based Diet is,
Cheap (WIC/SNAP meals)
Clean (no greasy dishes)
Efficient (quick meals)
Available (every store has potatoes & veg)
Ethical
...did I say, CHEAP??!

For someone in poverty, animal products are expensive...to buy, to cook, to store. I believe it's pompous for someone to suggest eating this extravagant way to cure something which caused the condition. Remember the Definition of Insanity?

Like I said upthread....I'm in the minority in this forum, but it's important to create a Balance of Information.

Potatoes & Carrots aren't Voodoo.

Ditch the Fats.

Amazing things await you!

[Bookbabe]

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@Kiakc wrote:

My husband and I both took a class at a local hospital, which our insurance paid for.  They give you correct information, lots of food tips, and teach you how to count carbs.  Ask your doctor to refer you to a local class.  

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I also highly recommend a class.  I was able to control my blood sugars with diet alone.  Just learn all you can and then make it fit into your lifestyle.  

[NAES1]

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@RedTop wrote:

My husband was diagnosed with diabetes 18 years ago, and I have been focusing on my pre-diabetes condition for 5 years.   Our local hospital has a diabetic educator, and registered dietitians on staff who meet with every hospital inpatient who has diabetes.  This same hospital offers free diabetes education classes quarterly; twice a year they are scheduled in the afternoon, and twice a year they are scheduled in the early evening hours----we have attended these classes twice. Local doctors refer their patients to these classes, as well as to the registered dietitians for free nutritional counseling---we have have had one on one meetings twice.   In our household, nothing is off limits, and we do not do sugar free or fat free.  We do not serve bread with all meals, and limit our intake of white potatoes and pasta.  Carb control is our main focus, which also means limiting watermelon, cantaloupe, and the milk and graham crackers with peanut butter snacks my husband likes before bedtime.  Being determined to change your diet is exactly what you need to do, but your body needs good carbs as well as fats and some starch for proper function.  We continue to enjoy cake, pie and cookies, but not often, and we focus on a proper serving.  We treated ourselves to DQ last week, but it was the only time we've been for the entire year thus far.  Every day we focus on making wise choices and doing the best we can for that day.  Best wishes to you with your journey with diabetes.   Remember that your health insurance will cover diabetic supplies like glucometer, test strips, and lancets.  When my brother was diagnosed with diabetes last week, his doctor gave him a brand new glucose meter while in the office, along with the prescription for the test strips and lancets.   

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      Hello RedTop,

I try to come on at least 3 times a weeks, if for 2 forums only, 1 being health.      Very limited in time.

I scrolled through and read yours today.

           "THIS IS AN EXCELLENT POST".

I, nor any of my family is diabetic,  ``medical, yes...your posts are to the point with a lot of experience.. You have to be in a city/town where health is looked upon as A1 quality care. Also, you must either be on a med team; or/ you show quite a bit of intelligence doing your homework to be this knowledgeable in /of what's going on-day to day. The health system is ever changing. More patient. Overload for health care professionals. It's up to the patient or a family member to understand the situation of that loved one's needs.  Actually good common sense. I always get a strong connection to where you are, geographically..at times.

I thank you for what you contribute to Wellness. Have a great day. 

NAES

[Poodlepet2]

Hi, from sunny Florida I am a Type II, and I love to cook. I had a lot of weight to lose, nd I am close to my goal. My A1C went from 7.7 to 5.4, and there is a good chance I will be going off of Metformin. I use artificial sweeteners sparingly, but they have a place in my life. I have a collection because different sweeteners have different properties and are used for different things.  That being said, you need to test the effect of  artificial sweeteners on your blood sugar.  In shopping, I found quite a few diabetics-both Type 1 and 2, can get spikes from sweeteners such as Splenda (sucralose) or sugar alcohols such as erythrotal which is used in sugar free candies. I have noted that many Diabetic recipes use sugar, honey or maple syrup. The amounts used are far less than traditional recipes, but the feeling is there are not enough studies to fully condone unlimited usage of artificial sweeteners. Better Homes and Gardens just put out a dessert issue for their Diabetic Living magazine, and it's well worth buying. By all means, be sure to check out Diabetic Living Online: it's loaded with information and recipes. My only other piece of advice is that now is a good time for an eye exam from an ophthalmologist. Diabetes can rob us of our sight, so it's really important to get established with a physician who can monitor any subtle changes.

Poodlepet2

[glorybe]

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@VioletEyes wrote:

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@sidsmom wrote:

A clean, unadorned, baked potato is bad?  Of course not.  It's when fat & saturated fat from animal proteins....that's when the numbers 'skyrocket'.  Eliminate the fat.  Fat acts as a prohibitor of the cell....it 'coats' the cells so insulin can't be absorbed.   It's not the fault of clean carbohydrates...it's the fat on top of them.  

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A potato alone with no fat will make blood sugars increase. Diabetes is a disease where carbohydrate metabolism is altered. Eliminating all fat is scientifically proven to NOT help glucose metabolism. A balanced diet of limiting carbohydrates, with some good fats and protein are the passport to living longer with this disease. I have lived it for more than forty years and I find it upsetting reading your misinformation that could cause great harm.

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^^^what VE said!

[Poodlepet2]

I have been thinking about this topic for the past few days, and I have a few more tid-bits to add. I use an electric razor on my legs as opposed to a "manual" razor. Nicks and cuts are an open invitation to infection. I bought a man's rotary razor and I love it! I have tried many women's electric razors and I think it's a lot of hype that we need electric razor "designed for a woman's curves".

Back in January, I was hospitalized for two weeks-one of those weeks was spent on a ventilator. The first time I saw my face-and it's hair growth, I wanted to scream! When I came home, one of the first thing I did was order a laser: I was going to use it on my legs, but I thought about something.....hair growth is a good indicator of vascular health, and I might not be able to pick up on subtitles changes if I get rid of it....so, I am content to shave, and I am truly thankful to see hair growth.

On the food front, I do not subscribe to any one diet: I follow a 1200 cal diet my doctor gave me. No food group is off limits, but I have found great recipes from vegans as well as Paleo. If you love brownies, Google sweet potato black bean brownies. They are satisfying and can serve as a dessert, or a snack, or even part of your breakfast.

You should enjoy your foodiabetes is not a punishment, and we-non-diabetics- should all be eating this way.  One of my favorite series of cook books is written by Marlene Koch. Her cook books are fabulous for diabetics or anyone looking for healthier meals. She not only gives nutritional information for diabetics, but she also gives Weight Watcher point values.

My favorite kitchen appliances are the Vitamix and the multi- cooker. I understand the Vitamix is expensive, but it has been invaluable to me. The multi cooker gets used just about every day. We diabetics have strict limits on the amount of fat we can use, so a good non-stick pan is in order.....but you can't use it on high heat. Last night I used mine to make stir fry at 400 degrees ( I could have gone up to 450): you will ruin most non-stick if you use such high heat.  Recently, I used the steam feature to steam bake zucchini bread: I was able to cut down the oil in the recipe to 1/4 cup-and this bread was incredibly moist! I also used Carbquick. Carbquick is an amazing flour substitute and is high in fiber. If you look at recipes using it, however, many of them use a lot of fat, but fear not: there are plenty of recipes out there that cut the fat and calories. Spark People is a fantastic web-site you will want to check out. By the way, I don't think there would be any problems steam baking in a regular oven: I could be wrong-but I really love my multi-cooker!

It's summer now and I take advantage of the fresh produce available. Salad can make fantastic meals. One of my favorites is a blend of organic greens (kale, spinach, red lettuce or field greens) with a little chopped onion, zucchini, strawberries. For my protein, I have two ounces of chicken or a serving of baked seamen ginger tofu or remove. I make it a point to have monounsaturated fat at every meal, so I usually have two tablespoons of raw chopped walnuts or almonss. I top it off with two tablespoons of light dressing. I like to put my salad in an oversized container with a lid and shake the check out of it to distribute the dressing.

I could wax poetic about Greek yogurt and why everyone should have it, but I have gone on long enough. Maybe we could start a Diabetic Recipe exchange over on Recipe Swap. This disease has become a pandemic: I think there would be a lot of interest! Have a great day, and live strong! 

Poodlepet2

[Poodlepet2]

Correction: my Kindle inserts its own spellings. I wanted to say sesame ginger baked tofu. It is in the produce section at my grocery, and it's cooked and ready to eat- and it's portioned, so there is no weighing involved.

One word about weighing: you can get digital food scales inexpensively. Eight months into my diagnosis, I still weigh and measure-and will continue to do so. Having a food scale is essential.

Poodlepet2