Schwan's Anyone?

[Guest guest]

Has anyone continued to order food from Schwan's after being diagnosed

with diabetes? They are sending me a braille nutrition guide but it

is being updated and may take time. Knowing such little I really

don't have a clear concept of what's within range. Our route man says

there are a few low calorie desserts, a couple of ice creams. I'm not

a super big ice cream eater; so though I have some which I'm slowly

finishing now, I could never order ice cream again and not feel the

pinch. I need to know about meals. That he really couldn't tell me.

Dave will still want a few things so we'll still order; but what

guidelines others have used? I'm a very slow cook and even slower at

doing dishes. Sometimes the idea of a two-hour or time span from

beginning of preparation to doing the last dishes is just too tiring,

and that's with a dish washer. In many aspects of life I'm just a

plain slow mover. I always have been. . Before you ask, Dave and I

have different ideas of how dishes should be washed. Sometimes he gets

very flustered, making it just plain easier to do it myself.

If this sounds whiny I guess maybe it's because this, as much as the

actual ingestion of food, is one of the things which is getting to me

now and then.

[Guest guest]

While I haven't used any Schwan products in the last 6 years, I can say that

I used them a lot in the past, and I was well pleased with their products

and service, which is more expensive than going to the grocery store, but a

hell of a lot more convenient, since they come directly to your home. There

many items a diabetic can use such as:

frozen meats and vegetables as well as beef or chicken pot pies and lots of

finger type foods, which are easily prepared in a toaster oven or microwave.

Schwan's Anyone?

> Has anyone continued to order food from Schwan's after being diagnosed

> with diabetes? They are sending me a braille nutrition guide but it

> is being updated and may take time. Knowing such little I really

> don't have a clear concept of what's within range. Our route man says

> there are a few low calorie desserts, a couple of ice creams. I'm not

> a super big ice cream eater; so though I have some which I'm slowly

> finishing now, I could never order ice cream again and not feel the

> pinch. I need to know about meals. That he really couldn't tell me.

> Dave will still want a few things so we'll still order; but what

> guidelines others have used? I'm a very slow cook and even slower at

> doing dishes. Sometimes the idea of a two-hour or time span from

> beginning of preparation to doing the last dishes is just too tiring,

> and that's with a dish washer. In many aspects of life I'm just a

> plain slow mover. I always have been. . Before you ask, Dave and I

> have different ideas of how dishes should be washed. Sometimes he gets

> very flustered, making it just plain easier to do it myself.

>

> If this sounds whiny I guess maybe it's because this, as much as the

> actual ingestion of food, is one of the things which is getting to me

> now and then.

>

>

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

Having been newly diagnosed with diabetes I face the same dilemma you do

with regard to Schwans. Their main focus is their ice creams though they've

added a lot of other things to their list and have done well with these.

Unfortunately, as we find out after getting acquainted with our newfound

diabetic limitations, we must pare back some of these Schwans dinners or our

sugars will go through the roof. Bottom line that my nutritionist told me is

don't deny yourself what you want to eat, but learn to eat smaller portions

of it, and realize that if you are going to eat something that you know will

take your sugar up higher, you must then balance it against something on the

very low side for the next meal and exercise in between those times to help

the body reset itself. This makes sense since what we're doing is not trying

to punish ourselves for having diabetes, rather, we must do some of the work

that our body can no longer do, and if we play our cards right, we can still

be happy campers, but it does take work!

That being said, a couple of things to consider. Obviously, you've

discovered that not everything that says " low fat " is good for you. You have

to think to yourself " OK, so there's not much fat, so what did they heap on

me to make this taste good? " When I open the envelope for the answer please,

I can almost guarantee you it will say they spiked more sugar to make up for

" less fat " or in a dirty-pool game of technicalities, they didn't put

" sugar " but added " fructose " which is simply sugar by another name. (Do we

all remember New York Seltzers in the 80s having put one over on us with

this?) Bottom line here is watch what you take in on more than one front,

don't just assume when something says " low fat " that your sugars won't get

zinged because of high carbs or something else that was " enhanced " to make

the tradeoff possible.

You'll notice a lot of meals that say " low salt " but they must be higher in

fat to make up for the taste, so again watch out for this old ploy.

And just for good measure, if you are thinking as I do sometimes " why don't

we all just eat cardboard " , well, besides the fact that it tastes like, er,

uh, cardboard, it has no nutritional value so why torture yourself? (Now I

must admit that I've seen some store bought pizzas that resemble that good

old fashioned cardboard taste...)

All said and done, don't go into a panic wondering what you can't eat, just

eat less of it, but -- LEARN -- from what you eat, how much you can

realistically handle, and how quickly or slowly your body can reset to

normal sugars. It's no sin to eat a nice dessert once in awhile, we all do

it, but obviously you can't go eat a whole German Chocolate cake and expect

to have normal sugars (no one can.) Live and enjoy what you eat but be extra

careful and extra watchful, and I'd be willing to bet you will do fine.

Now as for that thing about cooking and washing dishes taking so long,

that's a different matter and I don't have any solution for that. Try to

find some way you both can be happy with regard to kitchen chores and make

it team work, that way it puts less of a load on both of you.

Take care,

Bill Powers

[Guest guest]

I'd like to chime in with Bill and say exactly. Your body is your experiment

so have fun experimenting. There will be certain foods you can eat with no

problems while it will sky rocket another persons sugar.

Like Bill was saying, food manufactures who make low fat food put

carbohydrates into the food to enhance it's flavor. As I religiously say

over and over again smiles, carbs break down to sugars, and sugars raise bgs

to the roof if you don't dose for them via humalog insulin as a type 1

diabetic. If you are type

2, you won't be on insulin so you must take oral meds and exercise to keep

down the bgs which are raised by carbohydrates.

Next time you get ready to eat anything, take a look at the

carbohydrates on the box of various foods you are getting ready to eat and

total all of them to see how many you are

eating. If you get checked 2 hours later and are not 120 or less, then you

know for that meal to cut down the carbs. The 2 hour post test... medical

professionals are saying you should be 120 or less since at that number or

less, it strongly stops diabetic complications like eyes, kidneys, heart,

legs, etc. Some doctors will say 140 or less 2 hours past eating but most

are saying 120 or less via their research.

I.E you calculate that for your total dinner, you are going to eat 60 grams

of

carbs. You eat it and 2 hours later are 180. You then know to bump the total

carbs down to 40 since 60 total carbs at that meal was to much.

By carb counting, it gives you liberty to pretty much eat what you want

within reason. I.E since all you are concerned about is carbs since they

break down to sugar and raise your bgs, you can look at it this way... I

have 50 carbs per meal to play with. What do I want to eat? A twinkie has 27

grams of carbs and 1 piece of bread has 15 and 1/2 cup of mash potatoes have

15 grams of carbs. This totals 57 carbs total for your dinner which isn't to

bad. So you

have to eat more than that for dinner, right? So you eat chicken, virtually

no carbs, and some green beans which is very low carb as well. So, now you

have a

decent meal... 1 piece of bread, some mashed potatoes, green beans, a 4 oz

piece of chicken, and for dessert... your twinkie! Then after all this you

still are hungry so you fix a large tossed salad, very low carb, and use

some Italian dressing, 6 grams per 2 tbls, and fill up.

So can you see the flexibility carb counting gives you when meal planning?

You can eat what you want, for the most part, and keep your bgs under

control once you determine how many carbs to eat per meal. You just have to

read the labels of the foods, or have someone read them for you and take

notes in a text file. You also can get carb info online at

www.calorieking.com for all fast food restaurants and for home foods like

apples, bread, cereal, etc. go to the USDA online searchable database found

at:

http://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/cgi-bin/nut_search.pl

If you have any questions for me, please let me know.

Re: Schwan's Anyone?

> Having been newly diagnosed with diabetes I face the same dilemma you do

> with regard to Schwans. Their main focus is their ice creams though

they've

> added a lot of other things to their list and have done well with these.

> Unfortunately, as we find out after getting acquainted with our newfound

> diabetic limitations, we must pare back some of these Schwans dinners or

our

> sugars will go through the roof. Bottom line that my nutritionist told me

is

> don't deny yourself what you want to eat, but learn to eat smaller

portions

> of it, and realize that if you are going to eat something that you know

will

> take your sugar up higher, you must then balance it against something on

the

> very low side for the next meal and exercise in between those times to

help

> the body reset itself. This makes sense since what we're doing is not

trying

> to punish ourselves for having diabetes, rather, we must do some of the

work

> that our body can no longer do, and if we play our cards right, we can

still

> be happy campers, but it does take work!

>

> That being said, a couple of things to consider. Obviously, you've

> discovered that not everything that says " low fat " is good for you. You

have

> to think to yourself " OK, so there's not much fat, so what did they heap

on

> me to make this taste good? " When I open the envelope for the answer

please,

> I can almost guarantee you it will say they spiked more sugar to make up

for

> " less fat " or in a dirty-pool game of technicalities, they didn't put

> " sugar " but added " fructose " which is simply sugar by another name. (Do we

> all remember New York Seltzers in the 80s having put one over on us with

> this?) Bottom line here is watch what you take in on more than one front,

> don't just assume when something says " low fat " that your sugars won't get

> zinged because of high carbs or something else that was " enhanced " to

make

> the tradeoff possible.

>

> You'll notice a lot of meals that say " low salt " but they must be higher

in

> fat to make up for the taste, so again watch out for this old ploy.

>

> And just for good measure, if you are thinking as I do sometimes " why

don't

> we all just eat cardboard " , well, besides the fact that it tastes like,

er,

> uh, cardboard, it has no nutritional value so why torture yourself? (Now I

> must admit that I've seen some store bought pizzas that resemble that good

> old fashioned cardboard taste...)

>

> All said and done, don't go into a panic wondering what you can't eat,

just

> eat less of it, but -- LEARN -- from what you eat, how much you can

> realistically handle, and how quickly or slowly your body can reset to

> normal sugars. It's no sin to eat a nice dessert once in awhile, we all do

> it, but obviously you can't go eat a whole German Chocolate cake and

expect

> to have normal sugars (no one can.) Live and enjoy what you eat but be

extra

> careful and extra watchful, and I'd be willing to bet you will do fine.

>

> Now as for that thing about cooking and washing dishes taking so long,

> that's a different matter and I don't have any solution for that. Try to

> find some way you both can be happy with regard to kitchen chores and make

> it team work, that way it puts less of a load on both of you.

>

> Take care,

>

> Bill Powers

>

>

[Guest guest]

There are also Healthy Creations ice cream bars that taste like those

creamsicles. They are both sugar and fat free. LaWanda At 02:35 PM

8/20/03 -0400, you wrote:

>While I haven't used any Schwan products in the last 6 years, I can say that

>I used them a lot in the past, and I was well pleased with their products

>and service, which is more expensive than going to the grocery store, but a

>hell of a lot more convenient, since they come directly to your home. There

>many items a diabetic can use such as:

>frozen meats and vegetables as well as beef or chicken pot pies and lots of

>finger type foods, which are easily prepared in a toaster oven or microwave.

> Schwan's Anyone?

>

>

> > Has anyone continued to order food from Schwan's after being diagnosed

> > with diabetes? They are sending me a braille nutrition guide but it

> > is being updated and may take time. Knowing such little I really

> > don't have a clear concept of what's within range. Our route man says

> > there are a few low calorie desserts, a couple of ice creams. I'm not

> > a super big ice cream eater; so though I have some which I'm slowly

> > finishing now, I could never order ice cream again and not feel the

> > pinch. I need to know about meals. That he really couldn't tell me.

> > Dave will still want a few things so we'll still order; but what

> > guidelines others have used? I'm a very slow cook and even slower at

> > doing dishes. Sometimes the idea of a two-hour or time span from

> > beginning of preparation to doing the last dishes is just too tiring,

> > and that's with a dish washer. In many aspects of life I'm just a

> > plain slow mover. I always have been. . Before you ask, Dave and I

> > have different ideas of how dishes should be washed. Sometimes he gets

> > very flustered, making it just plain easier to do it myself.

> >

> > If this sounds whiny I guess maybe it's because this, as much as the

> > actual ingestion of food, is one of the things which is getting to me

> > now and then.

> >

> >

> >

> >

> >

[Guest guest]

The only problem I've ever had with those Healthy Creations " dreamsickles "

is they don't stay firm in the freezer very long. I don't know why that is.

They are nice and firm to begin with but if you leave them in the freezer a

couple of weeks, even though they get nice and cold, they just don't stay

firm. Hmmmmm.

Bill

[Guest guest]

,

Thanks for the info you passed on, very valuable stuff. I've known about the

relationship of sugar and carbs but you said it very well in a way that

makes sense.

One thing that is frustrating in keeping my own sugars controlled is that

while I am type 2 and take Actos 30 mg once a day, I notice it takes more

like 3 hours rather than 2 for my sugars to return to my norm. I will

discuss this with my physician next time we meet to see why that might be

and take act accordingly to make sure I'm doing what I'm supposed to.

I didn't know all the basics about carb counting like you were pointing out

as I've had only two nutrition classes to go over the basics, but the stuff

you cited was good info and I can follow up at the sites you linked so that

I can further refine my control over sugars.

As each of us is unique in the way we react to things, I notice for example

that if I eat a piece of bread I will notice more of a bgs rise than if I

eat a piece of candy, and you would think it would be the opposite. I'll

probably find other oddities as I experiment but at least I can take each

day as a new learning experience. I just have to be aware that my own

experiences and reactions are going to be different than someone else's and

that just because someone else reacts to such and such food, my own

experience will be different. Ultimately though I hope to learn enough to

reasonably control things for me.

Bill Powers

[Guest guest]

Don't know why, mine always do. Perhaps you need to turn your freezer up,

if you have that option. Sometimes freezers will do a good job of keeping

things frozen and still not keep ice cream firm enough. See if that helps,

if it doesn't I don't know what to tell you. LaWanda At 09:05 PM 8/20/03

-0400, you wrote:

>The only problem I've ever had with those Healthy Creations " dreamsickles "

>is they don't stay firm in the freezer very long. I don't know why that is.

>They are nice and firm to begin with but if you leave them in the freezer a

>couple of weeks, even though they get nice and cold, they just don't stay

>firm. Hmmmmm.

>

>Bill

>

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

We have an upright freezer in the garage and a side-by-side in the

kitchen. The ice cream and juices don't stay as solidly frozen as the

same food moved to the kitchen. Our summer weather is very hot. It

isn't unusual to have temps in the high 90's and low 100's. The

freezer is right against the outer wall of the garage so this probably

means it has to work harder and just may not quite make it even though

we have raised the thermostat to its limit.

Pam

..

Don't know why, mine always do. Perhaps you need to turn your freezer

up,

if you have that option. Sometimes freezers will do a good job of

keeping

things frozen and still not keep ice cream firm enough. See if that

helps,

if it doesn't I don't know what to tell you. LaWanda At 09:05 PM

8/20/03

-0400, you wrote:

>The only problem I've ever had with those Healthy Creations

" dreamsickles "

>is they don't stay firm in the freezer very long. I don't know why

that is.

>They are nice and firm to begin with but if you leave them in the

freezer a

>couple of weeks, even though they get nice and cold, they just don't

stay

>firm. Hmmmmm.

>

>Bill

>

>

[Guest guest]

if they are sugar free, they probably have put some carbohydrates in it to

replace the sugar. If they are fat free, they have put carbohydrates in it

to replace the fat to give it flavor. I'm willing to bet that the bar has

carbohydrates and thus will raise bgs if you don't allot for the carbs. I

think it is terrible that companies can market items as sugar free. I.E

sugar free easter candy has just as many carbohydrates, which raise sugar,

in them than regular easter candy. Next time you get any candy for easter,

for example, look at how many carbs are in the sugar free egg compared to

the regular easter egg. I found that they are the same and sometimes, the

regular egg is actually lower in carbs than the sugar free one.

What is really sad is I have diabetic friends that eat " sugar free "

chocolate or things like that saying I can eat as much as I want it is sugar

free... however, it is not carbohydrate free nor calorie free. Heck, if I am

going to eat 40 grams of carbohydrates, I'd rather eat them in a regular

easter egg than in a crappy tasting sugar free easter egg that has 40 grams

of carbohydrates in it and just calculate my insulin and dose for it. I just

can't understand how the USDA can claim, or let companies, get away with

saying something is sugar free when carbs break down to sugar and raise bgs?

Schwan's Anyone?

> >

> >

> > > Has anyone continued to order food from Schwan's after being diagnosed

> > > with diabetes? They are sending me a braille nutrition guide but it

> > > is being updated and may take time. Knowing such little I really

> > > don't have a clear concept of what's within range. Our route man says

> > > there are a few low calorie desserts, a couple of ice creams. I'm not

> > > a super big ice cream eater; so though I have some which I'm slowly

> > > finishing now, I could never order ice cream again and not feel the

> > > pinch. I need to know about meals. That he really couldn't tell me.

> > > Dave will still want a few things so we'll still order; but what

> > > guidelines others have used? I'm a very slow cook and even slower at

> > > doing dishes. Sometimes the idea of a two-hour or time span from

> > > beginning of preparation to doing the last dishes is just too tiring,

> > > and that's with a dish washer. In many aspects of life I'm just a

> > > plain slow mover. I always have been. . Before you ask, Dave and I

> > > have different ideas of how dishes should be washed. Sometimes he gets

> > > very flustered, making it just plain easier to do it myself.

> > >

> > > If this sounds whiny I guess maybe it's because this, as much as the

> > > actual ingestion of food, is one of the things which is getting to me

> > > now and then.

> > >

> > >

> > >

> > >

> > >

[Guest guest]

Hi Bill.

I know some diabetics who return back to 120 or less 3 hours past eating and

some docs say that is ok. The best is to get it back to 120 or less 2 hours

past eating. If you get checked 2 hours past eating and you are high, then

you know to cut your carbs back for that meal and then exercise some after

eating to get it down. Like you stated, you eat 1 piece of bread and

skyrocket, not surprised bread is deadly, and you can eat 1 piece of regular

candy and it not effect you. Reason? 1 piece of bread, depending on

type/brand, has 15 grams to 20 grams of carbs. 3 pieces of regular candy,

hard candy that is, is roughly only 10 grams of carbs. So, 1 piece of

regular hard candy, like brauchs butterscotch, has 3 grams of carbs in it

which is much lower than 15 to 20 grams of carbs in the bread.

You'll find this true for many foods that you thought were bad for you. I.e

1 cup of white rice has 53 grams of carbs in it which is deadly and 1 pop

tart has 36 grams of carbs. When I say 1 pop tart, I mean there are 2 in a

bag and eating one of those has 36 carbs in it. You could actually eat half

of the one and only be eating 18 grams of carbs and enjoy the taste without

it effecting you.

Another example... I was at my 3 year old nieces birthday party. They were

having sloppy joe sandwiches. I knew the meat was ok, hardly no carbs but

maybe a few if sloppy joe sauce used brown sugar. I looked on the bag the

buns were in and 1 bun had 40 carbs. I pitched the top part so now am only

at 20 carbs. I looked at the pretzel bag and it had 30 grams in 8 pretzels

so passed on it. If I am going to use 30 grams of carbs, it isn't going to

be on 8 pretzels LOL. I went to the veggie tray and put on lots of veggies

and the dip was carb free, for the most part, so ate those up. I brought my

own bag of pork rines since they are carb free. High in fat, but for an

occasional snack, is ok. So I was able to have the crunch of potato chips

using pork rines which I love!

So, so far, I have had 20 carbs in the half of the bun and that is all and

am getting pretty full. I then had a salad with some Italian dressing on it,

6 grams of carbs in 2 tbls, so now am at 26 carbs.

Time for cake!! I really didn't have a way to measure the carbs in the cake

so said am not going to eat it. However, the ice-cream is another story!!!!

I looked at the cookies and cream ice-cream and it had 17 grams of carbs in

a half cup. So, I ate 1 cup of cookies and cream ice-cream when they cut the

cake and it was darn good! So that was 34 grams of carbs just for the

ice-cream. I was to have 60 grams total for my meal. So, 34 for the

ice-cream, 26 for the bun/Italian salad dressing, for a total of 60!! The

ice-cream didn't effect my sugar at all and 2 hours later was 120 or less.

Reason? Carbs is carbs. If diabetics could only be taught this by diabetic

educators and endos... carbs is carbs.

Now, there are carbs that skyrocket my sugars and I have to avoid them. For

example, in 1 cup of cottage cheese, it has 10 grams of carbs. Cottage

cheese will skyrocket my sugar like crazy!! Reason? Ever tasted milk? Ever

tasted how it is sweet? Milk, for 1 cup, has 11 carbs in it. Milk and

cottage cheese is potent to me but others are ok with it. You have to

experiment and have fun experimenting with your body! Check often so you can

determine what foods you can handle and what you can't. Try foods you like!

Just keep track of your carbs. Give yourself so many carbs per meal such as

40. If you run fine with 40 carbs per meal, up it to 50 etc. find your limit

of carbs per meal then for caution, bump it down by 5 or 10. I.E if you find

that you can eat 60 carbs per meal and are ok 2 hours past when you test

reading 120 or less, bump it down to 50 just because.

Try to avoid quick acting carbs at every meal. Try to limit them. I.E I have

a twinkie for lunch and half a sandwich and that is ok. The bread is 17

grams of carbs and the twinkie, actually is a zinger, is 27 grams of carbs

totaling 44. Two hours later, I'm 120 or less and loved my food I ate!

Now for dinner, my wife makes pasta. I don't dive into it since I ate a

zinger for lunch. I will have a chef salad instead. I.E huge salad with meat

on it and croutons, 10 grams in 1/2 cup on the brand I have, and then 6

grams for the 2 tbls of Italian dressing. I fill up on that and eat 1 piece

of bread for 17 more grams of carbs and man, all kidding aside, I am full

and only ate a total of 33 grams carbs!

Bill, most type 2 diabetics I know eat between 45 to 60 grams of carbs a

day. That is not a lot of carbs but you are in a different boat than me. I

am type 1 diabetic. I can eat more carbs than a type 2 since I can dose

insulin for carbs to cover them. Most type 2 diabetics don't use insulin and

use oral meds and exercise to control their bgs. I know of many type 2

diabetics who use humalog insulin, even though they don't need it per say,

to cover carbs since they want to eat them. It's all in what you want.

However, you should know, the type 2 diabetics I know mostly eat 45 to 60

grams of carbs a day adn run 120 or less 2 hours past eating.

So what do they fill up on? Healthy meats, healthy nuts, salads, veggies

that are non-starchy like lettuce, broccoli, cauliflower, etc.

I hope some of this is helping

you out. Please let me know if you have questions, I really enjoy talking

about this topic.

Re: Schwan's Anyone?

> ,

>

> Thanks for the info you passed on, very valuable stuff. I've known about

the

> relationship of sugar and carbs but you said it very well in a way that

> makes sense.

>

> One thing that is frustrating in keeping my own sugars controlled is that

> while I am type 2 and take Actos 30 mg once a day, I notice it takes more

> like 3 hours rather than 2 for my sugars to return to my norm. I will

> discuss this with my physician next time we meet to see why that might be

> and take act accordingly to make sure I'm doing what I'm supposed to.

>

> I didn't know all the basics about carb counting like you were pointing

out

> as I've had only two nutrition classes to go over the basics, but the

stuff

> you cited was good info and I can follow up at the sites you linked so

that

> I can further refine my control over sugars.

>

> As each of us is unique in the way we react to things, I notice for

example

> that if I eat a piece of bread I will notice more of a bgs rise than if I

> eat a piece of candy, and you would think it would be the opposite. I'll

> probably find other oddities as I experiment but at least I can take each

> day as a new learning experience. I just have to be aware that my own

> experiences and reactions are going to be different than someone else's

and

> that just because someone else reacts to such and such food, my own

> experience will be different. Ultimately though I hope to learn enough to

> reasonably control things for me.

>

> Bill Powers

>

>

[Guest guest]

,

I agree that it's a shame that companies trade off one element for another

so they can sell something like " fat free " when it's still carbo-loaded or

even salt-loaded. I use the example of the old New York Seltzers to point

out to people that the company sold itself as having a great-tasting

" sugar-free " beverage, and oh sure, it didn't say " sugar " but it had

FRUCTOSE in it, but they weren't violating any consumer laws 20 years ago

when they marketed the stuff. I remember drinking lots of that stuff and

wondered two weeks later why I was gaining weight and then I caught on to

their little game and stopped. Took me forever to lose that spare tire I was

inflating.

Another question: My dietitian mentioned that although it's OK to have

candy, to avoid chocolate. Why would that be any more harmful than anything

else? Fortunately I'm not a " chocaholic " but wonder what would make

chocolate worse than anything else?

Thanks,

Bill

[Guest guest]

Sorry, but all this talk of measuring and counting and green beans and

bread and cereal, (none of which I really care for that much) makes me

know more surely than ever that I'll have to come to my own resolution

of this thing. There are some heavy emotional issues and lots of

baggage connected with the whole issue of diet which I won't go into

right now. Suffice it to say that the subject has been a producer of

anxiety since childhood and just thinking and writing about it raises

my blood pressure, or at least starts my heart pounding. I'm

definitely going to investigate biofeedback.

if they are sugar free, they probably have put some carbohydrates in

it to

replace the sugar. If they are fat free, they have put carbohydrates

in it

to replace the fat to give it flavor. I'm willing to bet that the bar

has

carbohydrates and thus will raise bgs if you don't allot for the

carbs. I

think it is terrible that companies can market items as sugar free.

I.E

sugar free easter candy has just as many carbohydrates, which raise

sugar,

in them than regular easter candy. Next time you get any candy for

easter,

for example, look at how many carbs are in the sugar free egg compared

to

the regular easter egg. I found that they are the same and sometimes,

the

regular egg is actually lower in carbs than the sugar free one.

What is really sad is I have diabetic friends that eat " sugar free "

chocolate or things like that saying I can eat as much as I want it is

sugar

free... however, it is not carbohydrate free nor calorie free. Heck,

if I am

going to eat 40 grams of carbohydrates, I'd rather eat them in a

regular

easter egg than in a crappy tasting sugar free easter egg that has 40

grams

of carbohydrates in it and just calculate my insulin and dose for it.

I just

can't understand how the USDA can claim, or let companies, get away

with

saying something is sugar free when carbs break down to sugar and

raise bgs?

Re: Schwan's Anyone?

> There are also Healthy Creations ice cream bars that taste like

those

> creamsicles. They are both sugar and fat free. LaWanda

[Guest guest]

it's probably the fact that chocolate has fat in it and that is the concern.

In addition to the fat, it is a much higher carb count than 1 piece of hard

candy so would raise sugars quickly. Like I say though, if you eat a

snickers that might have 30 grams of carbs, not certain what a snickers bar

has though, if you are ok with eating 30 grams of carbs for your meal than

that is, or should be, ok. Remember though, you can eat half of the snickers

bar and get only 15 carbs which is easier on your body. Once again though

folks, I do not know how many carbs are in a snickers bar I am just using

this as an example. I think again the concern with regards to chocolate is

the amount of carb grams which will raise sugars and the fat in it.

Yes, our old friend fructose LOL. BTW folks, anything that ends in ose is a

sugar. I use to drink new york seltzers and wonder why my sugars would

skyrocket when it was marketed as sugar free? Yup, the label said sugar 0

grams, It may be sugar free, but like you say, it wasn't fructose free just

like easter candy isn't carb free but they can market it as sugar free?

Sugar free? Come on! carbs break down to sugar and raise bgs and they can

market this junk as sugar free? Sorry, it is my pet peve.

BTW Bill if you want to eat more carbs, you could talk it over with your doc

and increase your oral meds and exercise to keep your sugars down. As I've

said before though, I know of type 2 diabetics who use humalog insulin and

take shots to cover the carbs even though they are not type 1. Reason? It is

easier than juggeling exercise and oral meds to cover the carbs. Those type

2 diabetics I know that are not on insulin eat only 45 to 60 grams of carbs

total a day and do just fine with bgs control YMMV. A type 2 diabetic who

uses humalog insulin to help cover carbs... their insulin requirements are

much much lower than a type 1 though.

Re: Schwan's Anyone?

> ,

>

> I agree that it's a shame that companies trade off one element for another

> so they can sell something like " fat free " when it's still carbo-loaded or

> even salt-loaded. I use the example of the old New York Seltzers to point

> out to people that the company sold itself as having a great-tasting

> " sugar-free " beverage, and oh sure, it didn't say " sugar " but it had

> FRUCTOSE in it, but they weren't violating any consumer laws 20 years ago

> when they marketed the stuff. I remember drinking lots of that stuff and

> wondered two weeks later why I was gaining weight and then I caught on to

> their little game and stopped. Took me forever to lose that spare tire I

was

> inflating.

>

> Another question: My dietitian mentioned that although it's OK to have

> candy, to avoid chocolate. Why would that be any more harmful than

anything

> else? Fortunately I'm not a " chocaholic " but wonder what would make

> chocolate worse than anything else?

>

> Thanks,

>

> Bill

>

>

[Guest guest]

Hi Pam.

I'm not certain what has happened in your childhood concerning diet, but I

am sorry for whatever the sore spot is with diet. I just wanted to let you

know that we aren't really discussing diet at all, we are discussing keeping

blood sugars under control by carb counting.

With carb counting, your really not on a diet in the traditional sense. You

can eat what you want as long as you keep track of the carbs.

Re: Schwan's Anyone?

> There are also Healthy Creations ice cream bars that taste like

those

> creamsicles. They are both sugar and fat free. LaWanda

[Guest guest]

Well at least I don't eat sugar free Easter candy, it's See's rocky roads

eggs for me all the way or nothing! I do take insulin, even though I did

not have juvenile diabetes. I have been diabetic for eighteen years now

and have very few symptoms but take lots of pills. LaWanda At 10:24 AM

8/21/03 -0400, you wrote:

>if they are sugar free, they probably have put some carbohydrates in it to

>replace the sugar. If they are fat free, they have put carbohydrates in it

>to replace the fat to give it flavor. I'm willing to bet that the bar has

>carbohydrates and thus will raise bgs if you don't allot for the carbs. I

>think it is terrible that companies can market items as sugar free. I.E

>sugar free easter candy has just as many carbohydrates, which raise sugar,

>in them than regular easter candy. Next time you get any candy for easter,

>for example, look at how many carbs are in the sugar free egg compared to

>the regular easter egg. I found that they are the same and sometimes, the

>regular egg is actually lower in carbs than the sugar free one.

>

>What is really sad is I have diabetic friends that eat " sugar free "

>chocolate or things like that saying I can eat as much as I want it is sugar

>free... however, it is not carbohydrate free nor calorie free. Heck, if I am

>going to eat 40 grams of carbohydrates, I'd rather eat them in a regular

>easter egg than in a crappy tasting sugar free easter egg that has 40 grams

>of carbohydrates in it and just calculate my insulin and dose for it. I just

>can't understand how the USDA can claim, or let companies, get away with

>saying something is sugar free when carbs break down to sugar and raise bgs?

>

>

>

> Schwan's Anyone?

> > >

> > >

> > > > Has anyone continued to order food from Schwan's after being diagnosed

> > > > with diabetes? They are sending me a braille nutrition guide but it

> > > > is being updated and may take time. Knowing such little I really

> > > > don't have a clear concept of what's within range. Our route man says

> > > > there are a few low calorie desserts, a couple of ice creams. I'm not

> > > > a super big ice cream eater; so though I have some which I'm slowly

> > > > finishing now, I could never order ice cream again and not feel the

> > > > pinch. I need to know about meals. That he really couldn't tell me.

> > > > Dave will still want a few things so we'll still order; but what

> > > > guidelines others have used? I'm a very slow cook and even slower at

> > > > doing dishes. Sometimes the idea of a two-hour or time span from

> > > > beginning of preparation to doing the last dishes is just too tiring,

> > > > and that's with a dish washer. In many aspects of life I'm just a

> > > > plain slow mover. I always have been. . Before you ask, Dave and I

> > > > have different ideas of how dishes should be washed. Sometimes he gets

> > > > very flustered, making it just plain easier to do it myself.

> > > >

> > > > If this sounds whiny I guess maybe it's because this, as much as the

> > > > actual ingestion of food, is one of the things which is getting to me

> > > > now and then.

> > > >

> > > >

> > > >

> > > >

> > > >

[Guest guest]

There is no candy bar on this planet that I can eat half of, if I open it

it's all gone! LaWanda At 01:47 PM 8/21/03 -0400, you wrote:

>it's probably the fact that chocolate has fat in it and that is the concern.

>In addition to the fat, it is a much higher carb count than 1 piece of hard

>candy so would raise sugars quickly. Like I say though, if you eat a

>snickers that might have 30 grams of carbs, not certain what a snickers bar

>has though, if you are ok with eating 30 grams of carbs for your meal than

>that is, or should be, ok. Remember though, you can eat half of the snickers

>bar and get only 15 carbs which is easier on your body. Once again though

>folks, I do not know how many carbs are in a snickers bar I am just using

>this as an example. I think again the concern with regards to chocolate is

>the amount of carb grams which will raise sugars and the fat in it.

>

>Yes, our old friend fructose LOL. BTW folks, anything that ends in ose is a

>sugar. I use to drink new york seltzers and wonder why my sugars would

>skyrocket when it was marketed as sugar free? Yup, the label said sugar 0

>grams, It may be sugar free, but like you say, it wasn't fructose free just

>like easter candy isn't carb free but they can market it as sugar free?

>Sugar free? Come on! carbs break down to sugar and raise bgs and they can

>market this junk as sugar free? Sorry, it is my pet peve.

>

>BTW Bill if you want to eat more carbs, you could talk it over with your doc

>and increase your oral meds and exercise to keep your sugars down. As I've

>said before though, I know of type 2 diabetics who use humalog insulin and

>take shots to cover the carbs even though they are not type 1. Reason? It is

>easier than juggeling exercise and oral meds to cover the carbs. Those type

>2 diabetics I know that are not on insulin eat only 45 to 60 grams of carbs

>total a day and do just fine with bgs control YMMV. A type 2 diabetic who

>uses humalog insulin to help cover carbs... their insulin requirements are

>much much lower than a type 1 though.

>

>

>

>

> Re: Schwan's Anyone?

>

>

> > ,

> >

> > I agree that it's a shame that companies trade off one element for another

> > so they can sell something like " fat free " when it's still carbo-loaded or

> > even salt-loaded. I use the example of the old New York Seltzers to point

> > out to people that the company sold itself as having a great-tasting

> > " sugar-free " beverage, and oh sure, it didn't say " sugar " but it had

> > FRUCTOSE in it, but they weren't violating any consumer laws 20 years ago

> > when they marketed the stuff. I remember drinking lots of that stuff and

> > wondered two weeks later why I was gaining weight and then I caught on to

> > their little game and stopped. Took me forever to lose that spare tire I

>was

> > inflating.

> >

> > Another question: My dietitian mentioned that although it's OK to have

> > candy, to avoid chocolate. Why would that be any more harmful than

>anything

> > else? Fortunately I'm not a " chocaholic " but wonder what would make

> > chocolate worse than anything else?

> >

> > Thanks,

> >

> > Bill

> >

> >

>

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

All eating, except that which is spontaneously done without thought to what

you are eating, is a diet. It may not be a traditional diet in the sense

of counting callories, but it is still diet in the sense that one's diet

refers to what one eats. It doesn't bother me to read about it, if I don't

find what is being written interesting, I just delete it without reading

all of it. LaWanda At 02:04 PM 8/21/03 -0400, you wrote:

>Hi Pam.

>

>I'm not certain what has happened in your childhood concerning diet, but I

>am sorry for whatever the sore spot is with diet. I just wanted to let you

>know that we aren't really discussing diet at all, we are discussing keeping

>blood sugars under control by carb counting.

>

>With carb counting, your really not on a diet in the traditional sense. You

>can eat what you want as long as you keep track of the carbs.

>

>

>

>

> Re: Schwan's Anyone?

>

>

> > There are also Healthy Creations ice cream bars that taste like

>those

> > creamsicles. They are both sugar and fat free. LaWanda

>

>

>

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

My favorite Valentine's candies are those conversation hearts with the

embossed sayings. I can't read the sayings of course but I look

forward to Valentine's Day for the candy. That's another thing which

is only available for a little while each year.

Pam

Well at least I don't eat sugar free Easter candy, it's See's rocky

roads

eggs for me all the way or nothing! I do take insulin, even though I

did

not have juvenile diabetes. I have been diabetic for eighteen years

now

and have very few symptoms but take lots of pills. LaWanda At 10:24

AM

8/21/03 -0400, you wrote:

>if they are sugar free, they probably have put some carbohydrates in

it to

>replace the sugar. If they are fat free, they have put carbohydrates

in it

>to replace the fat to give it flavor. I'm willing to bet that the bar

has

>carbohydrates and thus will raise bgs if you don't allot for the

carbs. I

>think it is terrible that companies can market items as sugar free.

I.E

>sugar free easter candy has just as many carbohydrates, which raise

sugar,

>in them than regular easter candy. Next time you get any candy for

easter,

>for example, look at how many carbs are in the sugar free egg

compared to

>the regular easter egg. I found that they are the same and sometimes,

the

>regular egg is actually lower in carbs than the sugar free one.

>

>What is really sad is I have diabetic friends that eat " sugar free "

>chocolate or things like that saying I can eat as much as I want it

is sugar

>free... however, it is not carbohydrate free nor calorie free. Heck,

if I am

>going to eat 40 grams of carbohydrates, I'd rather eat them in a

regular

>easter egg than in a crappy tasting sugar free easter egg that has 40

grams

>of carbohydrates in it and just calculate my insulin and dose for it.

I just

>can't understand how the USDA can claim, or let companies, get away

with

>saying something is sugar free when carbs break down to sugar and

raise bgs?

>

>

>

> Schwan's Anyone?

> > >

> > >

> > > > Has anyone continued to order food from Schwan's after being

diagnosed

> > > > with diabetes? They are sending me a braille nutrition guide

but it

> > > > is being updated and may take time. Knowing such little I

really

> > > > don't have a clear concept of what's within range. Our route

man says

> > > > there are a few low calorie desserts, a couple of ice creams.

I'm not

> > > > a super big ice cream eater; so though I have some which I'm

slowly

> > > > finishing now, I could never order ice cream again and not

feel the

> > > > pinch. I need to know about meals. That he really couldn't

tell me.

> > > > Dave will still want a few things so we'll still order; but

what

> > > > guidelines others have used? I'm a very slow cook and even

slower at

> > > > doing dishes. Sometimes the idea of a two-hour or time span

from

> > > > beginning of preparation to doing the last dishes is just too

tiring,

> > > > and that's with a dish washer. In many aspects of life I'm

just a

> > > > plain slow mover. I always have been. . Before you ask,

Dave and I

> > > > have different ideas of how dishes should be washed. Sometimes

he gets

> > > > very flustered, making it just plain easier to do it myself.

> > > >

> > > > If this sounds whiny I guess maybe it's because this, as much

as the

> > > > actual ingestion of food, is one of the things which is

getting to me

> > > > now and then.

> > > >

> > > >

> > > >

> > > >

> > > >

[Guest guest]

Pam,

I know what you mean about liking seasonal candy. My favorite thing is

Peeps, but now that I know I have diabetes I guess I'll have to give those

up next year since we all know Peeps are just loaded with sugar. I know, I'm

a big 51-year-old kid but I still love my Peeps.

Paraphrasing what LaWanda said in one of her posts, all planned eating is a

diet however loose or rigid it is, so no matter how you shuffle it, you're

on some kind of diet. And as tough as this might sound, for all the valid

reasons you might have to put up a " fight " against discipline in what you

eat, you can't fool your body, it knows what you eat and if you play your

cards right, in time you will gain some much-needed self-confidence by

getting the upper hand on your sugars, probably losing some inches and

ultimately feeling better both physically and mentally. It won't be your

rigid mother that wins this battle, it'll be you for treating yourself

right. And you can take comfort in knowing there are a bunch of us out here

who have these same kinds of battles to different degrees, so we share your

frustration and will try to bolster you up rather than tear you down. I know

it's hard to realize but you don't have to have those chains of the past,

you have a little support network right here right now to tell you that

you're free to treat yourself right. You are wise to be in therapy to deal

with the scars of your past, but just realize we are all here to help you

along if we can.

Bill Powers

[Guest guest]

hey Bill eat those peeps man... find out the carbs in one of them and then

go for it!

smiles

Re: Schwan's Anyone?

> Pam,

>

> I know what you mean about liking seasonal candy. My favorite thing is

> Peeps, but now that I know I have diabetes I guess I'll have to give those

> up next year since we all know Peeps are just loaded with sugar. I know,

I'm

> a big 51-year-old kid but I still love my Peeps.

>

> Paraphrasing what LaWanda said in one of her posts, all planned eating is

a

> diet however loose or rigid it is, so no matter how you shuffle it, you're

> on some kind of diet. And as tough as this might sound, for all the valid

> reasons you might have to put up a " fight " against discipline in what you

> eat, you can't fool your body, it knows what you eat and if you play your

> cards right, in time you will gain some much-needed self-confidence by

> getting the upper hand on your sugars, probably losing some inches and

> ultimately feeling better both physically and mentally. It won't be your

> rigid mother that wins this battle, it'll be you for treating yourself

> right. And you can take comfort in knowing there are a bunch of us out

here

> who have these same kinds of battles to different degrees, so we share

your

> frustration and will try to bolster you up rather than tear you down. I

know

> it's hard to realize but you don't have to have those chains of the past,

> you have a little support network right here right now to tell you that

> you're free to treat yourself right. You are wise to be in therapy to deal

> with the scars of your past, but just realize we are all here to help you

> along if we can.

>

>

> Bill Powers

>

>

[Guest guest]

Hey Pam I love those and did you ever try the new sweet tart conversation

hearts? yummie!! again, look on the bag at the number of carbs per serving

and then figure out what you can have and you'll be fine.

Schwan's Anyone?

> > >

> > >

> > > > Has anyone continued to order food from Schwan's after being

diagnosed

> > > > with diabetes? They are sending me a braille nutrition guide

but it

> > > > is being updated and may take time. Knowing such little I

really

> > > > don't have a clear concept of what's within range. Our route

man says

> > > > there are a few low calorie desserts, a couple of ice creams.

I'm not

> > > > a super big ice cream eater; so though I have some which I'm

slowly

> > > > finishing now, I could never order ice cream again and not

feel the

> > > > pinch. I need to know about meals. That he really couldn't

tell me.

> > > > Dave will still want a few things so we'll still order; but

what

> > > > guidelines others have used? I'm a very slow cook and even

slower at

> > > > doing dishes. Sometimes the idea of a two-hour or time span

from

> > > > beginning of preparation to doing the last dishes is just too

tiring,

> > > > and that's with a dish washer. In many aspects of life I'm

just a

> > > > plain slow mover. I always have been. . Before you ask,

Dave and I

> > > > have different ideas of how dishes should be washed. Sometimes

he gets

> > > > very flustered, making it just plain easier to do it myself.

> > > >

> > > > If this sounds whiny I guess maybe it's because this, as much

as the

> > > > actual ingestion of food, is one of the things which is

getting to me

> > > > now and then.

> > > >

> > > >

> > > >

> > > >

> > > >

[Guest guest]

LOL LOL LOL then gal you better figure out how to cover 40 carbs, or

whatever is in one. If type 2, exercise your buns off and if type 1, carb

count and dose accordingly...

Re: Schwan's Anyone?

> >

> >

> > > ,

> > >

> > > I agree that it's a shame that companies trade off one element for

another

> > > so they can sell something like " fat free " when it's still

carbo-loaded or

> > > even salt-loaded. I use the example of the old New York Seltzers to

point

> > > out to people that the company sold itself as having a great-tasting

> > > " sugar-free " beverage, and oh sure, it didn't say " sugar " but it had

> > > FRUCTOSE in it, but they weren't violating any consumer laws 20 years

ago

> > > when they marketed the stuff. I remember drinking lots of that stuff

and

> > > wondered two weeks later why I was gaining weight and then I caught on

to

> > > their little game and stopped. Took me forever to lose that spare tire

I

> >was

> > > inflating.

> > >

> > > Another question: My dietitian mentioned that although it's OK to have

> > > candy, to avoid chocolate. Why would that be any more harmful than

> >anything

> > > else? Fortunately I'm not a " chocaholic " but wonder what would make

> > > chocolate worse than anything else?

> > >

> > > Thanks,

> > >

> > > Bill

> > >

> > >

> >

> >

> >

> >

[Guest guest]

that is certainly one way of looking at the term diet. My opinion on the

word diet is... a diet is where you limit your portions and control your

appetite to lose weight. Just a different way of looking at it. Diet to me

is a torturous act of suppressing your appetite, resisting foods you love,

and an overall general feeling of I can't eat anything with the ultimate

goal of losing weight.

With carb counting, you have the flexibility of eating the foods you like

and maintaining good bgs and don't have to experience those negative

aspects/conotations of the word diet. In other words, you really don't feel

like you are on a diet since you are eating the foods you were told not to

by docs and maintaining good bgs by keeping track of the carbs. For years I

was told don't eat a twinkie and now with carb counting, I can eat one,

enjoy it,not feel guilty, not feel like my bgs is going to pay for it, not

feel like who cares anyways, I give up, etc. all those feelings are gone and

I can eat a twinkie and feel good about it and 2 hours later my bgs are 120

or less via carb counting and dosing insulin according to how many carbs I

eat. Heck, if I wanted to, which I never would, I could carb count an entire

box of twinkies, dose humalog insulin for the carbs, eat the box of

twinkies,and 2 hours later be 120 or less.

Re: Schwan's Anyone?

> >

> >

> > > There are also Healthy Creations ice cream bars that taste like

> >those

> > > creamsicles. They are both sugar and fat free. LaWanda

> >

> >

> >

> >

> >

> >

[Guest guest]

I can't check the back of the bar because I can't read it and don't live

with people who see, I just eat it anyway and up my insulin

some. LaWanda At 09:58 AM 8/22/03 -0400, you wrote:

>LOL LOL LOL then gal you better figure out how to cover 40 carbs, or

>whatever is in one. If type 2, exercise your buns off and if type 1, carb

>count and dose accordingly...

>

>

>

> Re: Schwan's Anyone?

> > >

> > >

> > > > ,

> > > >

> > > > I agree that it's a shame that companies trade off one element for

>another

> > > > so they can sell something like " fat free " when it's still

>carbo-loaded or

> > > > even salt-loaded. I use the example of the old New York Seltzers to

>point

> > > > out to people that the company sold itself as having a great-tasting

> > > > " sugar-free " beverage, and oh sure, it didn't say " sugar " but it had

> > > > FRUCTOSE in it, but they weren't violating any consumer laws 20 years

>ago

> > > > when they marketed the stuff. I remember drinking lots of that stuff

>and

> > > > wondered two weeks later why I was gaining weight and then I caught on

>to

> > > > their little game and stopped. Took me forever to lose that spare tire

>I

> > >was

> > > > inflating.

> > > >

> > > > Another question: My dietitian mentioned that although it's OK to have

> > > > candy, to avoid chocolate. Why would that be any more harmful than

> > >anything

> > > > else? Fortunately I'm not a " chocaholic " but wonder what would make

> > > > chocolate worse than anything else?

> > > >

> > > > Thanks,

> > > >

> > > > Bill

> > > >

> > > >

> > >

> > >

> > >

> > >